Participated · Series A · May 2021

Engine Biosciences combines machine learning-enabled network biology and high-throughput combinatorial genetics to discover precision oncology targets, biomarkers, and drug candidates. Its proprietary platforms, NetMAPPR and CombiGEM, integrate proprietary functional genomics, clinical data and AI-enhanced literature mining to map disease networks and validate findings. Engine has identified over thirty previously unidentified precision medicine opportunities and advanced multiple internal programs, including ENB-812, which originated from Engine’s discovery of PKMYT1 as a synthetic lethal target. The company reports biomarkers that can sensitize tumors up to 100-fold to specific investigational drugs and holds an extensive patent portfolio. With teams in Singapore and Silicon Valley, Engine is advancing its pipeline toward the clinic through internal development, collaborations, and partnerships. The new financing is intended to further progress biomarker and target discoveries into clinical translation. Engine Biosciences develops a platform that integrates machine learning, high-throughput biological experimentation, combinatorial genetics, and chemistry to uncover critical gene interactions for drug discovery. Its core technologies are NetMAPPR, a searchable biology platform for predicting gene combinations and targets, and CombiGEM, a combinatorial CRISPR system for experimentally testing hundreds of thousands of gene interactions. Engine uses iterative predict-test-learn cycles to prioritize high-ranking genes and translate findings into drug discovery and chemistry efforts. The company has advanced novel biology findings into proprietary small-molecule inhibitors and a growing pipeline of targeted therapies for genetically defined patient populations in liver, ovarian, colorectal, and breast cancers. Engine plans to expand its precision oncology portfolio, prepare for its first clinical programs, and scale its proprietary technology platform. Financially, the company recently closed a $43M Series A and has raised $53M to date, including a $10M seed round in 2018. Engine Biosciences is advancing a data-driven drug discovery platform that combines massively parallel biological experimentation with artificial intelligence to discover and develop therapies. The company applies its technology across four areas: drug repositioning, new target discovery, precision medicine enablement, and pathway analysis. Engine reports proof of concept across various disease indications and cell types and has active programs in cancer, neurodegeneration, autoimmune, and skin. The company plans to use the seed funding to build its drug discovery platform, expand its scientific and executive teams in Singapore and San Francisco, and pursue preclinical studies internally and with partners. Scientific leadership includes Co-Founder and CEO Jeffrey Lu and scientific founders/academic leaders Timothy Lu, Hu Li, Prashant Mali, and Jim Collins.

Participated · Series A · Feb 2018

Senti Biosciences develops next‑generation cell and gene therapies using a proprietary Gene Circuit platform to create therapies with enhanced precision and control. Its wholly owned pipeline utilizes off‑the‑shelf chimeric antigen receptor natural killer (CAR‑NK) cells outfitted with Gene Circuits to target challenging liquid and solid tumors. SENTI‑202 is a potential first‑in‑class Logic Gated off‑the‑shelf CAR‑NK product candidate designed to selectively target CD33 and/or FLT3 expressing hematologic malignancies while sparing healthy bone marrow cells, combining OR and NOT gates plus calibrated‑release IL‑15 technology. The Phase 1 dose‑finding trial of SENTI‑202 is ongoing, enrolling adult patients with relapsed/refractory CD33 and/or FLT3 expressing hematologic malignancies at sites in the United States and Australia. Initial efficacy data from the trial is anticipated by year‑end 2024, with initial durability data expected in 2025. Financially, Senti Bio announced an $8 million grant from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicines to support SENTI‑202 clinical development; the company is publicly listed (Nasdaq: SNTI) and has partnerships with Spark Therapeutics and BlueRock Therapeutics. Senti Bio engineers proprietary gene circuits to program cell and gene therapies, using off-the-shelf chimeric antigen receptor natural killer (CAR-NK) cells outfitted with these circuits. Its lead programs include SENTI-202, an OR+NOT logic-gated CAR-NK candidate for acute myeloid leukemia, and SENTI-301, a multi-armed CAR-NK candidate for hepatocellular carcinoma. The company plans to file Investigational New Drug (IND) applications for both candidates in 2023 and has presented preclinical proof-of-concept data at ASGCT, AACR and ASH. Senti Bio has executed partnerships with Spark Therapeutics and BlueRock Therapeutics to advance its platform beyond oncology. The company is based in South San Francisco, Calif., and emphasizes programmable biological logic to improve therapeutic precision, durability and safety. Senti Biosciences uses synthetic biology to engineer gene circuits that program cells to sense their environment, perform logic, and produce therapeutic functions for improved cell- and gene-based medicines. Its proprietary platform includes logic gates, small-molecule regulators, combinatorial payloads and synthetic promoters, and the team has designed, built and tested thousands of gene circuits. Senti Bio is building an internal pipeline focused on next-generation allogeneic CAR-NK cell therapies, with lead candidates SENTI-202 for acute myeloid leukemia and SENTI-301 for hepatocellular carcinoma, plus additional undisclosed solid-tumor targets. The platform is intended to be deployable across multiple delivery modalities and therapeutic areas, including immunology, neuroscience, cardiovascular disease, regenerative medicine and genetic diseases. Proceeds from a recent financing will support preclinical oncology programs, IND-enabling studies (planned in 2021), expansion of the gene circuit platform into additional modalities, and scaling clinical manufacturing including process development and design of a cGMP-compliant facility for off-the-shelf CAR-NK products. The company communicated the financing in a release citing South San Francisco, Calif., and Leverkusen, Germany. Senti Biosciences develops programmable genetic circuits inserted into human-derived cells to create adaptive therapies that sense, respond to, and be controlled within localized disease environments. The company’s first therapeutic focus is cancer, where engineered cells are designed to locate tumors and selectively trigger an immune response after IV infusion. Senti bases its approach on decades of academic research and on gene‑editing technologies like CRISPR to write new “software” for cellular behavior. The team was assembled from leading labs (MIT, Wyss Institute, MD Anderson, Boston University, ETH Zurich, and others) during three years in stealth. Senti intends to develop therapies tailored to individual biology and to partner with other companies to address additional diseases. The company recently completed a major financing to support these efforts.

Participated · Seed · Oct 2017

ZUZU Hospitality offers a platform for revenue management and distribution that helps independent hotels compete with global chains. The company has developed an AI revenue management product called RevMate using a dataset from over 3,000 hotels across Southeast Asia and India. ZUZU says its existing hotel partners have seen an average 8x return on investment, and Wavemaker highlighted 30–40% growth in occupancy rates tied to the technology. The firm plans to use new capital to accelerate product development, expand data capabilities, and scale go-to-market efforts. ZUZU remains loss-making but reported revenue growth from $1.28 million in 2021 to $7.18 million in 2023, per DealStreetAsia’s DATA VANTAGE. The company cites McKinsey estimates that AI could generate over $400 billion in annual value across travel and hospitality, supporting its market opportunity. ZUZU Hospitality Solutions is a Singapore-based travel technology startup offering revenue platforms to help independent hotels maximize revenue. The company plans to invest in AI tools to enhance pricing, automate guest management, and improve partner experience. With the new funding it aims to double the number of hotel partners and reach 5,000 partners by the end of 2024, with particular emphasis on India. Management framed the raise as validation of investor confidence after the company sustained operations through the pandemic. The statement also cites a recovering Southeast Asian online travel market as a tailwind for growth. Zuzu combines software and hands-on services to help independently owned small hotels outsource bookings, marketing, revenue management and dynamic pricing while preserving each property's own brand. The team checks in with hotels every one to two days to revamp online marketing content, find new distribution channels and collect guest reviews through Zuzu’s site. Most hotels on the platform prefer a revenue-sharing payment model, aligning Zuzu’s incentives with its clients. The company claims hotels can see a 60% to 100% increase in online bookings after signing up. Since launching last July, Zuzu has signed more than 150 hotels across Taiwan, India and Thailand and plans to expand further in Asia. Financially, the startup has raised $2 million in a seed round plus angel investments, bringing total capital raised to $3 million.