The Venture Codex

Participated · Series C · Jan 2025

Umoja Biopharma is a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing in vivo cell therapies to expand the reach, effectiveness, and access of CAR T treatments. Its VivoVec™ in vivo gene delivery technology is designed to empower a patient’s own immune system to fight disease by delivering therapeutic constructs directly in vivo. The company’s lead program is CD22 UB-VV400, which it plans to advance in multiple oncology and autoimmune clinical studies. Umoja intends to use proceeds from its recent financing to advance this in vivo CAR T pipeline. The company is led by CEO Andrew Scharenberg and is based in Seattle, Washington. In conjunction with the financing, Umoja added Campbell Murray, M.D., as a new board member. Umoja Biopharma leverages proprietary integrated technologies to reprogram immune cells in vivo to create next-generation immunotherapies for solid tumors and hematologic malignancies. Its platform includes CAR T-cell adapter-mediated tumor-targeting (TumorTag) and in vivo modification of immune cells (VivoVec and RACR/CAR). The company’s two lead programs are TumorTag UB-TT170 for folate receptor-expressing solid tumors and VivoVec UB-VV100 for CD19+ hematological cancers. Umoja will use proceeds from a $210M Series B to continue development of its integrated technologies and advance these product candidates into clinical development. The company also plans to build internal manufacturing capabilities to support preclinical and clinical development and to expand its team. Recent leadership hires include Nushmia Khokhar as Chief Medical Officer, Irena Melnikova as Chief Financial Officer and David Fontana as Chief Business and Strategy Officer, and Umoja is establishing a manufacturing operations site in Boulder, Colorado. Umoja Biopharma is a Seattle-based, pre-clinical biotechnology company pioneering an integrated in vivo immunotherapy platform. Its platform combines three core components: the VivoVec delivery platform, RACR/CAR payload architecture, and the TumorTag platform. VivoVec acts in vivo to generate a population of cancer-fighting VivoCAR T cells that can be controlled by the RACR/CAR system using exogenously administered, FDA-approved drugs. TumorTag molecules can be used in combination with VivoCAR T cells to direct cancer-killing T cells to tumors and their critical supporting cells. Led by co-founders Andy Scharenberg, M.D., and Michael Jensen, M.D., the company aims to re-engineer a patient's immune system to attack both hematologic and solid organ-based tumors with simplicity and cost that enable widespread implementation. The $53M Series A financing will enable Umoja to advance its platform and therapeutic programs to early clinical development, attract talent and invest in research.

Participated · Series C · Nov 2021

HotSpot Therapeutics leverages its Smart Allostery™ platform to discover and develop first-in-class allosteric therapies by identifying protein pockets termed 'natural hotspots'. The platform combines AI-enabled technologies with a large, diverse chemical library tailored to hotspots. The company is applying the platform across a wide array of disease-relevant and previously undrugged or poorly druggable targets. HotSpot intends to use the new funding to continue advancing the Smart Allostery™ platform and its existing pipeline. The company is led by CEO Jonathan Montagu and emphasizes capturing and drugging natural hotspots through its technology suite. Financially, HotSpot closed a $100M Series C, bringing total funding to $190M. HotSpot Therapeutics develops allosteric medicines by exploiting natural protein control mechanisms, using its SpotFinder™ platform to identify regulatory “hotspots” amenable to small-molecule discovery. The platform leverages advanced machine learning and 3D structure insights to uncover regulatory pockets, and the company has designed in-house DNA-encoded libraries (DELs) comprising millions of tailored molecules. A proprietary screening paradigm using custom protein constructs, phenotypic screens and biophysics assays is used to validate hotspot-targeted molecules. The company intends to use the proceeds from its recent financing to advance lead programs to the clinic, including protein kinase C (PKC‑theta) antagonists for Th2- and T‑reg-driven autoimmune disease and S6 kinase (S6K) antagonists for rare metabolic disease. HotSpot also plans to accelerate its discovery-stage pipeline targeting genetically validated transcription factors and E3 ligases, including CBL‑B. Jonathan Montagu leads the company. HotSpot Therapeutics uses its proprietary SpotFinder™ technology to systematically identify regulatory "hotspots"—a family of allosteric sites used by nature to regulate protein function. The company applies bespoke chemistry to develop first‑in‑class allosteric medicines for serious autoimmune and metabolic diseases. Its pipeline includes lead allosteric inhibitors targeting PKC‑theta for autoimmune indications and S6 kinase, an immunometabolic enzyme relevant to hepatic insulin sensitivity and mitochondrial function for NASH and metabolic diseases. HotSpot has identified over 100 regulatory hotspots across multiple proteins and pathways. Financially, the company completed a $45M Series A financing. The company was founded in 2017 and is based in Cambridge, Mass.

Participated · Series B · Aug 2021

T-knife Therapeutics develops T-cell receptor (TCR) engineered T cell therapies (TCR‑T) for patients with solid tumors. The company leverages a proprietary humanized T‑cell receptor (HuTCR) mouse platform to produce fully human TCRs naturally selected in vivo for optimal affinity and specificity. Its pipeline includes candidates against cancer testis antigens, viral antigens and commonly shared neoantigens. T-knife was founded by T‑cell and immunology experts using technology developed at the Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine together with Charité University Hospital in Berlin. Leadership includes CEO Thomas M. Soloway and Chairman Alex Mayweg. The company plans to use financing proceeds to expand its scientific team, increase manufacturing capacity and advance its TCR‑T pipeline. T-knife uses a proprietary humanized T-cell receptor (HuTCR) transgenic mouse platform carrying the full human TCRαβ loci to discover fully human TCRs with high affinity and specificity. The company has generated a pipeline of patented, unique TCR candidates, validated the platform for over 90 cancer targets, and its lead TCR has entered clinical development. Proceeds from the financing will be used to advance at least four programs into the clinic, ramp up preclinical work for additional pipeline candidates, and discover TCRs against novel targets. T-knife was spun out from the Max-Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine with support from Charité University Hospital in Berlin in 2018 and plans to establish a U.S. presence and expand its management team. The company pursues a two-pronged growth strategy of developing an internal pipeline while establishing external partnerships by out-licensing patented TCRs or providing the HuTCR mouse for unbiased discovery. Management and scientific leadership include co-founder Thomas Blankenstein and CEO Elisa Kieback.

Participated · Series C · Jul 2021

Artios Pharma is pioneering next-generation oncology medicines that exploit DNA damage response (DDR) mechanisms to selectively destroy hard-to-treat tumors. Its lead asset, the ATR inhibitor alnodesertib, has produced durable responses across eight solid tumor types, particularly in ATM-deficient cancers where no approved therapies currently exist. The company’s second clinical candidate, ART6043, is a DNA Polymerase θ inhibitor intended for BRCA-mutant, HER2-negative breast cancer patients eligible for PARP inhibitors, while additional pre-clinical programs include DDRi-antibody drug conjugates. Proceeds from the latest financing will broaden Phase 2 studies of alnodesertib in second-line pancreatic and third-line colorectal cancers—indications recently granted FDA Fast Track status—and will fund a randomized Phase 2 trial of ART6043. Management, led by newly appointed CEO Mike Andriole, believes these efforts will accelerate both assets toward registration. Following the $115 million Series D, the company is well-capitalized to advance its pipeline and transition toward commercial readiness.

Participated · Series D · Jul 2021

Turnstone Biologics is a clinical-stage biotech pioneering next-generation cancer immunotherapies using two core platforms: a proprietary vaccinia-based oncolytic virus platform and a novel TIL therapy platform. Its lead oncolytic candidate, RIVAL-01/TAK-605, is in the dose-escalation stage of a Phase 1/2a trial conducted in collaboration with Takeda. The vaccinia platform is engineered for enhanced immune stimulation, tumor cell selectivity, large transgene carrying capacity, and both intratumoral and intravenous delivery. The TIL program is designed to enrich for the most relevant tumor-reactive T-cells, preserve broad antigen diversity, and minimize time to treatment, with the lead TIL candidate TIDAL-01 expected to enter the clinic by early 2022. Proceeds from the recently completed financing will be used to advance programs across both platforms. The company states its goal is to extend the benefit of these immunotherapies to a wider range of solid tumor patients underserved by current options. Turnstone Biologics is developing a first‑in‑class oncolytic vaccine platform that functions both as a tumor‑destroying oncolytic agent and as an immune‑stimulating vaccine directed at specific cancer antigens. Its most advanced product is an engineered oncolytic Maraba virus expressing MAGEA3, currently in a Phase I/II monotherapy trial. Completion of that trial is expected in 2017, and Turnstone plans a Phase I/II combination trial with an approved checkpoint inhibitor in NSCLC later this year. Two additional Maraba programs expressing different tumor antigens are expected to enter clinical trials by the end of next year. The company is also advancing neoantigen‑based personalized cancer vaccines and new oncolytic virus development. Turnstone raised a $41.4M Series B to support completion of the ongoing trial and to fund three additional clinical programs. Turnstone Biologics develops novel oncolytic viral immunotherapies aimed at treating advanced and metastatic solid tumours. Its first programs are currently in Phase I/II clinical trials in patients with advanced or metastatic solid tumours. The company is also developing additional oncolytic virus strategies and immunotherapy combination treatments. Turnstone was co-founded by Drs. John Bell, Brian Lichty and David Stojdl. The company is led by CEO Sammy J. Farah, PhD, MBA, and CTO Brian D. Lichty, PhD—appointments enabled by recent investment. Turnstone completed an $11.3M Series A and has follow-on capital committed in excess of $20.0M.