Participated · Safe · Jun 2025

Diakonos Oncology develops a proprietary double-loaded, autologous dendritic cell therapeutic platform that combines tumor lysate and amplified tumor-derived mRNA to stimulate anti-tumor immune responses. Its lead candidate, dubodencel (DOC1021), is a first-in-class, double-loaded autologous dendritic cell therapy manufactured from a patient’s dendritic cells plus mRNA and proteins from freshly obtained tumor specimens. The company is focused on late-stage and aggressive cancers and is advancing a Phase 2 glioblastoma trial for DOC1021 while planning to expand into indications such as refractory melanoma. Diakonos is led by CEO Mike Wicks, MS, and President/COO Jay Hartenbach. The company recently closed a $20M financing and received prior seed financing of $11.4M last year. Baylor College of Medicine is providing in-kind services to support pre-clinical and clinical development. Diakonos Oncology develops DOC1021, a first-of-its-kind dendritic cell vaccine that uses a proprietary double-loading technology to elicit a cytotoxic TH1 immune response without genetic modification or toxic preconditioning. The company has completed enrollment in a two-year Phase 1 trial (enrollment completed December 2023) of DOC1021 in glioblastoma and has ongoing trials in pancreatic cancer and angiosarcoma. DOC1021’s GBM and pancreatic programs have received FDA Fast Track designations, and the GBM program has Orphan Drug designation. The recent financing enabled establishment of manufacturing operations and key leadership hires and supported completion of Phase 1 enrollment. Diakonos plans to use the new capital to fund operations into late 2025, prepare for pipeline expansion, and initiate a Phase 2 GBM trial expected to begin in the fourth quarter of this year prior to closing a Series A.

Led · Series A · Jul 2022

Stationhead is a social music platform that enables artists and fans worldwide to create live stations where they can stream music, talk, and build community. Its patented technology aims to create memorable digital music experiences and can help drive songs up the charts. Artists that have launched stations on the platform include BTS, Imagine Dragons, and Cardi B. The app is available on iOS, Google Play, and the web. Led by CEO and co-founder Ryan Star, Stationhead plans to use new funding to accelerate scaling of its global platform and invest in engineering and user experience. The company closed a $12M Series A financing to support those efforts.