Participated · Seed · Feb 2026

GelMEDIX is building regenerative ophthalmic therapies around a proprietary injectable hydrogel scaffold that is delivered as a liquid and light-activated in situ to form a biocompatible, biodegradable matrix. The platform is engineered to protect transplanted cells during injection, localize them at the target site, and promote integration and tissue regeneration, thereby improving the safety and efficacy of cell and gene therapies. Its lead candidate, GMX-101, combines the scaffold with iPSC-derived retinal pigment epithelial cells to replace damaged tissue and halt disease progression in late-stage Geographic Atrophy; preclinical studies have shown improved cell survival, engraftment, and vision preservation. Beyond internal programs, GelMEDIX has signed its first strategic collaboration with a global pharmaceutical company that will pair the scaffold with multiple stem cell lines to create new cell therapies. Proceeds from the recent $13 million seed round will fund advancement of GMX-101 toward the clinic and further validation of the hydrogel platform. The company also added MIT Professor Michael J. Cima and Safar Partners’ Parinaz Motamedy to its board, reinforcing technical and investor support.

Participated · Series B · Aug 2023

Astrocyte Pharmaceuticals is a privately held, clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company based in Groton, Conn., focused on developing novel cerebroprotective therapeutics. Its lead candidate, AST-004, has shown efficacy across diverse small and large animal brain injury models and is being evaluated for a broad array of acute brain injuries including stroke and traumatic brain injury. Astrocyte is currently conducting Phase 1B clinical safety studies of AST-004 and is preparing for Phase 2 efficacy studies in 2024. The company is also assessing AST-004 in preclinical models of Alzheimer's disease to explore potential benefits in chronic neurodegenerative conditions. The announced financing will be used to accelerate clinical development of AST-004 and further preclinical assessment in Alzheimer's disease. Astrocyte positions its approach as a potential way to reduce astrocyte-induced excess inflammation and provide neuroprotection in combination and precision medicine strategies. Astrocyte Pharmaceuticals is advancing novel neuroprotective therapeutics intended to reduce brain injury from stroke, traumatic brain injury, concussion and other neurodegenerative conditions. Its lead therapeutic is based on technology licensed from the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. The company completed a Series A financing that raised $6 million. Proceeds from the round will be used to advance the lead program into Phase 1 human trials. Astrocyte describes itself as focused on addressing an unmet need for drugs that limit neurodegenerative brain injury. No operating metrics were disclosed in the article. Astrocyte Pharmaceuticals is a privately held drug development company focused on small‑molecule neuroprotective therapeutics for stroke, traumatic brain injury/concussion, and neurodegenerative disorders. The company is committed to proving the neuroprotective benefits of enhancing astrocyte function and advancing related therapeutic agents. Its lead program is AST‑004, which the company and investors cite as having promising preclinical efficacy and a novel mechanism of action. Astrocyte completed a Pre‑A financing that raised over $2.3M to support its development plans. The company intends to use proceeds to advance its first program into clinical studies. The press release also notes research support from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NIH) and the Department of Defense under specific award numbers.

Participated · Series B · Jun 2022

Zylö Therapeutics has developed the Z-pod® technology, a topical delivery platform intended to extend duration of effect, improve targeting, and enhance performance of therapeutic and cosmetic agents. The Z-pod® platform can be adapted to provide sustained topical delivery of nitric oxide for multiple therapeutic indications. The company reports progress on product candidates including an erectile dysfunction program and a cutaneous lupus program, and seeks partners to conduct human studies for applications such as aging, hyperpigmentation, acne, and diabetic foot ulcers. Proceeds from the Series B financing will be used to complete high value-add internal research projects, scale up manufacturing of Z-pod® particles, and fully implement ISO-9001 and cGMP quality systems. Zylö says the funds will extend its runway and hedge against recession risk over the next two years. The company is based in Greenville, SC. Zylö Therapeutics has developed the Z-pod™ topical delivery platform and a proprietary nitric-oxide-releasing topical drug candidate aimed at treating erectile dysfunction. The company was awarded a $1.7M Phase II SBIR grant from the NIH (NIDDK) to advance the program into human trials. Planned uses of the funds include scale-up of manufacturing, implementation of a cGMP quality system, required toxicity testing for an IND, and a pre-IND meeting with the FDA. In a Phase I award (~$225,000), Zylö reported compelling results in a radical prostatectomy rat model: a single topical application produced an average of 2.0 erections in 60 minutes, and pre-dosing with a 1/10th human-equivalent dose of sildenafil increased erections to 4.6 and halved time-to-initial-erection. If approved, the candidate would target men with ED after radical prostatectomy and men with age-related ED who do not respond to or cannot take PDE5 inhibitors; Zylö cites a U.S. addressable market of over $2 billion per year. The company also highlights potential broader applications of the Z-pod™ technology such as wound healing, atopic dermatitis, gingivitis, and sports recovery.

Participated · Seed · Jan 2021

S’More’s core product deliberately blurs profile photos (and initially blurs video chat) so users must interact before images fully reveal, aiming to foster more meaningful relationships. The startup recently launched a completely rebuilt app with real-time conversation prompts and a paid option to promote profiles. New features include blurred video chat and other multimedia elements on the product roadmap such as video, audio, and games. The app has seen early traction with 160,000 downloads in its first year and “thousands” of paying users, including a 50% increase in subscriptions after the January relaunch. Funding has been used to assemble a named “founding team” (chief architect, head of operations, head of product and design, senior developer). S’More is also pursuing content strategy, producing “anti-superficial” dating content and running a celebrity dating show on Instagram Live with 60 episodes so far. S’More is a relationship dating app that blurs profile photos and unlocks images and private content as users engage, prioritizing personality, values, and conversation over initial looks. Its matching algorithm recommends profiles based on location, age, sexual orientation, interests, opinions, values, hobbies, gender identities and learned attraction preferences. Profiles support more than 20 criteria with interactive icons and multimedia, and the app uses required photo verification and a publicly visible behavior-based rating score to reduce catfishing and encourage higher-quality community behavior. The company positions itself as a disruption to swipe-based dating apps and aims to elevate online dating standards toward relationship-focused experiences. S’More currently has a public waitlist of over 8,000 singles and has opened national sign-ups at smoredate.com. Founder Adam Cohen Aslatei brings experience from Chappy (Bumble’s gay app) and The Meet Group and has consulted for several social discovery companies.

Participated · Series B · Jul 2014

Siamab Therapeutics (formerly Sialix) has refocused on developing monoclonal antibodies to hinder tumor growth and advance cancer immunotherapy. The company targets tumor-associated carbohydrate antigens (TACAs), abnormal glycans on cancer cell surfaces, and says it has identified highly specific antibodies that can kill tumor cells and inhibit progression. Its technology was licensed from glycobiology researcher Ajit Varki at the University of California, San Diego, and Siamab maintains corporate headquarters in Cambridge while doing lab work in San Diego. With the latest funding the company is developing in vivo data for its first program and building an IND-enabling data package, with the aim of entering the clinic in the next couple of years. Financially, Siamab completed a $6 million Series B that began last year, with an additional $2 million tranche announced recently largely from angel investors.