Led · Series A · Dec 2024

TRIO Pharmaceuticals is a biotechnology company pioneering bispecific antibodies through its proprietary TRAILBody and TIE‑ADC platforms. Its dual‑action therapies aim to directly stop tumor growth while selectively reversing tumor immunosuppression without targeting existing immune checkpoints. TRIO is advancing programs against high‑mortality cancers including multiple myeloma, acute myeloid leukemia, ovarian, endometrial, and triple‑negative breast cancer. The company positions its therapies as potent, less toxic alternatives to conventional treatments and notes its team has developed first‑in‑class FDA‑approved drugs. TRIO will use proceeds to expand preclinical activities and advance its programs toward clinical development. The financing underscores a focus on accelerating development for cancers with high unmet need. TRIO Pharmaceuticals was founded by Purdue University biophysics and structural biology alumnus Shiva Bhowmik, who serves as founder and chief operating officer. The company develops antibody-based therapeutics intended to strengthen the body’s immune response by selectively eliminating immunosuppressive cells and directly targeting cancer cells. TRIO’s approach combines removal of immunosuppressive cells with direct anticancer activity to achieve stronger antitumor immunity. The recent financing is intended to enable TRIO to advance its technology and identify the best drug candidates for further development. Company leadership expects the milestone will open opportunities for collaborations with large pharmaceutical companies and the possibility of raising future funding rounds.

Participated · Series B · Dec 2021

PetDx's flagship product, OncoK9, is a cfDNA-based multi-cancer early detection (MCED) blood test for dogs that leverages next-generation sequencing and proprietary bioinformatics. OncoK9 was clinically validated in the CANDiD study using samples prospectively collected from over 1,000 client-owned dogs across more than 40 clinical sites on four continents and demonstrated detection across about 30 canine cancer types. The test is recommended as an annual screening for higher-risk dogs and as an aid in diagnosis, and is currently available at many veterinary clinics across the U.S. PetDx plans to broaden adoption through its own commercial platform and strategic distribution partnerships, expand testing throughput at its central San Diego laboratory, and accelerate its R&D roadmap. The company highlights the large unmet need in veterinary cancer diagnostics and positions OncoK9 as a first-in-class liquid biopsy to bring genomic medicine advances from human oncology to pet health. PetDx has raised significant outside capital to support commercialization and R&D.

Participated · Series B · Mar 2021

DTx Pharma develops novel RNA-based therapeutics using a proprietary delivery platform that employs fatty acids as targeting ligands to enable oligonucleotide delivery to tissues and cell types throughout the body. Its FALCON fatty acid motifs are intended to improve cellular uptake and targeting of oligonucleotide therapies. In preclinical studies the company has demonstrated cellular uptake and broad activity of oligonucleotides in the retina, muscle, heart, neurons, T cells, and other specialized cell types. Led by CEO Arthur T. Suckow, Ph.D., and COO Denise Bevers, the company plans to advance assets into clinical development across several therapeutic areas over the next few years. The company is based in San Diego, CA. DTx Pharma is developing a fatty-acid–mediated platform to deliver siRNA and other RNA-based treatments into cells. The company’s approach uses fatty acids to exploit cell membrane receptors and carry genetic material into cells like a Trojan horse. Founded in 2017 by Arthur Suckow with former Regulus colleagues John Grundy and Adam Pavlicek, the team aims to address the major delivery hurdle for RNA medicines. CEO and CSO Arthur Suckow leads technology development; Jeffrey Friedman joined as chief operating officer after investing through Tech Coast Angels. The company plans to use recent funds to develop a treatment for retinitis pigmentosa and to explore applications in muscular dystrophy. DTx is headquartered in Torrey Pines, has five local employees, and has demonstrated progress from cell culture to mouse studies per investor statements. Financially, it has raised $5.5 million to date and has also received two NIH Small Business Innovation Research grants of more than $300,000 each.

Participated · Seed · Jun 2018

MedCrypt is a San Diego–based maker of cybersecurity software for medical devices. It provides software for any device the FDA would consider a medical device where cybersecurity is a concern, including insulin pumps, heart rate monitors, AI-based radiology tools, and autonomous robots. The company targets common device problems such as outdated software, weak user authentication, and a lack of good cryptography. MedCrypt is a Y Combinator graduate and is led by founder and CEO Mike Kijewski. The company says its technology helps device manufacturers meet updated FDA premarket and postmarket cybersecurity guidance to get critical devices to market faster. Its stated long-term goal is to build a large, publicly traded healthcare-specific cybersecurity company. MedCrypt provides a security software platform that enables device vendors to use cryptography to secure data traveling between or stored on medical devices. The platform also offers remote, real-time monitoring to alert vendors to suspicious behavior that may indicate security threats to their company, devices, and patients. The company is led by founder and CEO Mike Kijewski and Vidya Murthy, vice president of operations. MedCrypt was part of Y Combinator’s Winter 2019 batch. It has raised a total of $8.4M to date. The company will use the new funds to expand its team—adding sales and engineering roles—and to further develop its technology. MedCrypt provides cryptographically embedded cybersecurity software for medical device makers. Its software enables vendors to build Secure By Design products and to monitor device behavior once deployed. MedCrypt-enabled devices are designed to meet FDA cybersecurity regulations and give hospitals and medical facilities tools to encrypt, monitor and protect devices in real time. Customers include Reflexion Medical and QuiO. Led by CEO and co-founder Mike Kijewski, the company intends to use the new funds to accelerate the commercial deployment of its software. This additional financing brings total funding to $3m to date. MedCrypt is advancing a SaaS security platform for connected medical devices. Its technology uses a machine-learning-based behavior analysis system to immediately flag unusual user behavior. It also offers a "Threat Sharing" feature designed to facilitate anonymous communication between multiple medical device vendors. The software is compatible with a wide range of devices, from MRI machines to defibrillators. The company is led by co-founder and CEO Mike Kijewski, co-founder and chief scientific officer Brett Hemenway, Ph.D., and Eric Pancoast. MedCrypt closed a $750k seed financing and intends to use the proceeds to conduct commercial pilots with medical device vendors.