Participated · Series B · Aug 2025

Strand Therapeutics is developing programmable mRNA-based therapeutics that combine self-replicating and circular RNA modalities with genetically programmed logic circuits to enable precise, controlled payload delivery. Its platform is designed to localize and durably express therapeutic payloads, including IL-12, to reprogram the tumor microenvironment and stimulate systemic anti-tumor immunity. The lead program, STX-001, is a self-replicating mRNA encoding IL-12 that is in a Phase 1/2 clinical trial (IND cleared December 2023) and presented early human data at the 2025 ASCO Annual Meeting showing multiple RECIST responses, complete responses, prolonged disease stabilization, and a favorable safety profile. Strand also presented preclinical data for STX-003, a first-in-class systemically administrable, tumor-targeting mRNA therapy programmed to avoid off-target delivery including liver avoidance, at AACR and ASGCT. The company emphasizes a computational design engine and modular platform intended to expand into immuno-oncology, cell therapy, autoimmune diseases, and other indications, and to enable partnerships and licensing opportunities. Strand Therapeutics engineers programmable, long-acting mRNA therapeutics delivered in nanoparticles to control the location, timing, intensity, and duration of protein expression in patients. Its platform programs genetic logic circuits so mRNA senses microRNA signatures and restricts expression to target cells, aiming for improved efficacy and safety versus first-generation mRNA. The company is developing a pipeline of multifunctional mRNA candidates, including a lead programmable mRNA therapy for solid tumor immuno-oncology. Strand plans to advance that lead candidate into Phase 1 clinical trials next year and to further develop a systemic delivery mechanism to target tumor sites and immune cells. The company will expand its biology, bioengineering, bioinformatics, manufacturing, automation, and G&A teams to support clinical and delivery development. Strand is headquartered in Boston and has announced a Series A financing totaling $97 million to support these efforts. Strand Therapeutics develops programmable, long-acting self-replicating mRNA therapeutics designed to enable precise control of location, timing, intensity, and duration of therapeutic activity. Its platform combines self-replicating mRNAs with genetically programmed logic circuits that sense and classify cell-type expression signatures to deliver multi-functional treatments in a single mRNA drug. The company’s initial focus is cancer immunotherapy, with plans to begin clinical trials of its first candidate in 2022 and ambitions to address solid tumors and hematological malignancies. Strand is also developing programmable mRNA for generation of cell therapies intended to be re-doseable and off-the-shelf to expand patient access. The company has a licensing collaboration with BeiGene to develop and commercialize its multi-functional mRNA technology for solid tumor immuno-oncology. Financially, Strand announced an oversubscribed $52M Series A and has raised $66M in total to date. Strand Therapeutics is an early-stage biotechnology company building programmable, “smart” mRNA therapeutics using synthetic biology innovations developed at MIT. The company says it created a bespoke programming language to enable mRNA therapies that can make sophisticated decisions and dynamically respond to their microenvironment. Scientific co-founders include MIT professors Ron Weiss and Darrell J. Irvine; operational co-founders are Jacob Becraft (CEO) and Tasuku Kitada (President). Strand is initially targeting immuno-oncology and plans to extend into other disease indications as the platform matures. The company will use its latest financing to hire at its Cambridge, Massachusetts headquarters, grow its pipeline of engineered gene therapies, and further develop its synthetic biology platform. Strand is a resident company of Johnson & Johnson Innovation, JLABS.

Participated · Series A · Apr 2025

Grove Biopharma pioneers a proprietary Bionic Biologics platform that integrates precision polymer chemistry, medicinal and peptide chemistry, AI/ML‑driven computational chemistry, and protein engineering to design fully synthetic, cell‑penetrant molecules. The platform is intended to engage large intracellular targets and disrupt or degrade protein‑protein interactions that traditional modalities cannot reach. Grove’s pipeline initially focuses on oncology and neurodegenerative diseases, leveraging cell permeability to access intracellular disease pathways. The company’s lead effort targets androgen receptor signaling for castrate‑resistant prostate cancer and has shown in vivo proof‑of‑concept while advancing toward an IND submission. Grove originated as a spinout from Northwestern University and is based in Chicago, embedded in the city’s emerging life‑sciences ecosystem. Proceeds from the recent financing will be used to further develop the platform and drive lead oncology programs toward the clinic. Grove Biopharm is a Northwestern University and UC San Diego spinout developing a novel class of 'protein-like polymers' to make drugs targeting Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, multiple sclerosis and other difficult-to-treat conditions. The company raised $4 million in a seed round led by Portal Innovations. Other investors in the round include Morningstar founder Joe Mansueto, Michael Polsky's family office Skydeck Capital, and Walder Ventures. As part of the investment, Portal's John Flavin will join Grove Biopharma’s board. Grove was co-founded by Nathan Giannesch, CEO Geoff Duyk, and president and COO Paul Bertin. Portal Innovations is based in Fulton Labs in Chicago's Fulton Market, and Grove joins a growing Chicago biotech cluster that includes Jaguar Gene Therapy, Evozyne and CiRC Biosciences. Flavin called the platform a "revolutionary innovation" at the interface of materials engineering, biology, chemistry, and data science.

Led · Seed · Oct 2024

Paladin provides remote-control, drone-agnostic software that dispatches drones to 911 calls (drones can be airborne within about 90 seconds) so dispatchers can view live feeds and triage incidents. Its platform is designed to work with any drone and to be easy for public safety teams to operate from a central location, even when roads, cell service, or internet are down. The company has added capabilities to drop supplies (like Narcan or life vests) and to spot and navigate around other aircraft. Paladin was started by Divy Shrivastava, formally launched in 2018, and began selling in 2021 after work in the Thiel Fellowship. It has landed contracts with dozens of public safety departments and is active in dozens of cities, and says revenue is nearly doubling quarter over quarter. The company says its software only activates in response to 911 calls, is compliant with drone regulations in all 50 states, and can help clear an estimated 10–25% of 911 calls that don’t require a response. Paladin Drones provides software that dispatches drones (currently compatible with DJI hardware) to emergency scenes to give first responders a live feed and map hazards before arrival. The platform aims to close the information gap from unreliable 911 calls by arriving within 30–90 seconds, compared with average emergency response times of 8–15 minutes. Paladin's system is designed to let responders scope dangers, locate hotspots, and gather analysis ahead of on-site entry so teams can act immediately when they arrive. Co-founders Divyaditya Shrivastava and Trevor Pennypacker launched the company out of Y Combinator after Shrivastava learned from firefighters that 911 calls often provide unreliable locations. The startup is running a pilot with the Memorial Village police department near Houston, Texas. The company announced a $1.3 million seed round and says it plans to work with local, state, and federal authorities while building privacy safeguards (recording the sky en route and only panning down on site).

Participated · Series B · Oct 2023

Founded in 2020, Iambic Therapeutics integrates pioneering AI models, such as its Enchant multimodal transformer and NeuralPLexer structure predictor, with automated chemistry to run weekly design-make-test cycles. The platform is used to generate differentiated development candidates and has already delivered new drugs into human trials with what the company claims is unprecedented speed. Its lead asset, IAM1363, has shown anti-tumor activity and a favorable safety profile in HER2-wild-type and HER2-mutated cancers, and is now part of a clinical collaboration with Jazz Pharmaceuticals. Additional internal programs targeting KIF18A and CDK2/4 are expected to enter the clinic soon. Iambic is also engaged in a technology-enablement collaboration with Revolution Medicines that pairs proprietary data with NeuralPLexer capabilities. The company advances both wholly owned and partnered pipelines aimed at addressing urgent unmet needs. Backed by a recent oversubscribed financing of more than $100 million, Iambic is positioned to expand its pipeline, partnerships, and platform innovations.