Participated · Seed · Oct 2020

Advanced NanoTherapies (ANT), based in Santa Clara, California, is developing SirPlux Duo, a dual-drug (paclitaxel and sirolimus) nanoparticle-coated balloon intended for coronary and peripheral vascular interventions. The technology, exclusively licensed from Cleveland Clinic, is a biodegradable, drug-agnostic platform designed to enable controlled cellular uptake and sustained tissue retention. SirPlux Duo has received FDA Breakthrough Device designation and is under clinical evaluation in the ADVANCE-DUO study, supported by a first-in-human 28-patient study with two-year follow-up and an ongoing 30-patient study in Spain. The company plans to scale manufacturing and complete testing packages to support U.S. IDE submissions for coronary indications (in-stent restenosis and small-vessel de novo lesions) and a BTK early feasibility study. Financially, ANT recently closed an oversubscribed Series B round raising more than $31 million to fund regulatory, clinical, and manufacturing milestones.

Participated · Series A · Sep 2020

Aqua Medical is a Santa Ana, CA-based medical device developer building a vapor-based, endoscopic Radio Frequency Vapor Ablation (RFVA) system for non-surgical outpatient treatment across the gastrointestinal tract. The company’s RFVA platform is being developed to treat Barrett’s esophagus, perform duodenal mucosal ablation to address insulin-resistant tissue in type 2 diabetes, and enable non-surgical treatment of precancerous pancreatic cysts with an ultrasound-guided needle catheter. The RFVA system received FDA 510(k) clearance and completed a first-in-man study for Barrett’s esophagus. Aqua Medical is led by founder and Chief Medical Officer Virender K. Sharma, MD, and President and CEO Lloyd Mencinger. The company intends to use the newly raised funds to advance clinical development and commercialization of its vapor-based ablation system across these high‑impact GI indications. Reported financials include completion of a $15.5M Series A financing, which incorporated an $8.2M Series A-3 equity tranche.