• Spiral Therapeutics

  Led · Series B · Apr 2026

  Spiral Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biotech company focused on developing therapies for inner ear disorders, including hearing loss and balance disorders, and advancing its MICS™ (Minimally-Invasive Cochlear System) drug delivery platform. The company’s lead program, SPT-2101, produced a statistically significant reduction in overall vertigo in patients with Ménière’s disease, and Spiral is preparing for a registrational clinical trial. Spiral’s pipeline also includes neurotrophic approaches and other hearing loss programs enabled by precision cochlear delivery. Recent financing will fund continued development of SPT-2101 and expansion of the MICS™ platform. Spiral announced an R&D collaboration with Advanced Bionics to evaluate sustained local drug delivery at the time of cochlear implantation. The company is based in South San Francisco.

• Convergent Dental

  Led · Equity · Apr 2023

  Convergent Dental’s flagship product, Solea®, is an FDA-cleared all-tissue CO2 dental laser that enables anesthesia-free, blood-free, and suture-free procedures. The company positions Solea as a technology that improves efficiency, patient experience, and clinical outcomes while enabling new procedures and increased patient flow. Convergent pairs the laser technology with success support to help dentists adopt and integrate the device into practice workflows. The company announced a new financing package to accelerate broad-based adoption of Solea and to support profitable growth. Management stated the capital infusion is expected to fully finance the company to profitable growth and beyond. Convergent Dental is privately owned and is based in Waltham, Mass. Convergent Dental develops the Solea all-tissue laser, which enables virtually any cavity to be treated without anesthesia and allows soft-tissue surgeries with little to no anesthesia, bleeding, or sutures. The company also recently launched Solea Sleep, a painless, non-surgical 5-minute treatment for snoring that tightens soft-palate tissue. Convergent is led by CEO Michael Cataldo and is based in Needham, MA. It raised capital to expand its product portfolio and increase investment in market development. The company’s current financing activity indicates a focus on commercial and market expansion rather than disclosed operating metrics. Convergent Dental develops Solea, the world’s first computer-aided CO2 laser system (9.3 micron) cleared by the FDA for both hard and soft tissue dental procedures. Solea enables virtually anesthesia-free and blood-free procedures, delivering a quieter, faster, and more precise experience than traditional dental tools. The product is gaining traction in the dental community, with Solea sales nearly doubling in Q4 2014 as practitioners adopted the technology. Many Solea dentists report performing six or more additional procedures per day, representing revenue gains of 25–40 percent for practices. Convergent plans to invest in continued product innovation, sales, and implementation to scale with growing market demand. The company is privately managed and positions Solea as a tool that improves patient experience while providing a compelling ROI for dentists. Convergent Dental is a privately held dental device and technology company that develops Solea, the world’s first computer-aided CO2 laser cleared by the FDA for both hard and soft tissue procedures. Solea uses a unique 9.3 µm wavelength that, according to academic research cited by the company, can cut enamel without patients experiencing pain; Solea dentists report that 95% of procedures are performed without anesthesia. The system is designed to replace drills and needles for a majority of dental procedures, aiming to reduce patient fear and increase access to oral healthcare. The device features a familiar foot pedal and handpiece similar to traditional drills, enabling clinicians to become proficient after one day of training, plus a touchscreen and computer controls that optimize the beam for tissue type. Convergent Dental is based in Natick, Massachusetts, and is positioning the company for rapid commercial growth as dentists adopt Solea. Convergent Dental, based in Natick, Mass., develops Solea, a computer-aided 9.3µm CO2 dental laser system cleared by the FDA for both hard- and soft-tissue use in the oral cavity. Solea is the first 9.3µm CO2 CAP dental laser cleared for hard tissue indications and builds on an earlier soft-tissue clearance. The system uses pulsed energy, patented technologies, computer-controlled mirrors that move 10,000 times per second, and a variable-speed foot pedal to enable fast, precise, virtually silent and vibration-free cutting. Convergent positions Solea as capable of replacing drills and needles for a vast majority of procedures and says it cuts faster and more precisely than erbium and other CO2 soft-tissue lasers. An external dental researcher quoted in the announcement said research indicates Solea’s wavelength can deliver about six times faster cutting speed versus erbium lasers. The company says the recent FDA clearance and its technology will set a new standard for speed and precision in dental hard- and soft-tissue procedures. Convergent also announced completed funding rounds to support continued product research, development, and market growth.

• Glaukos

  Participated · Series F · Feb 2013

  Glaukos is a Laguna Hills-based company developing a medical device for treating glaucoma. Its core product is a stent designed to relieve eye pressure during cataract surgery. The company is focused on minimally invasive surgical treatment for glaucoma patients. Financially, Glaukos announced a $30M Series F funding round. No operating metrics or revenue figures were provided in the article. Additional strategic or product plans were not specified in the article. Glaukos is developing a medical device for the treatment of glaucoma. The company is based in Laguna Hills. On February 3, 2011, Glaukos raised $29.5M in a Series E round. The funding was led by Meritech Capital Partners, which contributed $16M, and included all prior investors. Prior investors listed in the round include Domain Associates, Frazier Healthcare Ventures, Interwest Partners, Montreux Equity Partners, Orbimed Advisors, and Versant Ventures. The Glaukos management team has previously been involved with firms such as Allergan, Advanced Medical Optics, Bausch & Lomb, Edwards Lifesciences, and Chiron.

• Bionano Genomics

  Participated · Series B · Jul 2012

  BioNano Genomics is a San Diego, CA-based developer of the Irys genome mapping platform. The Irys platform provides researchers and clinicians an organized, actionable picture of a genome, including how components are ordered, arranged, and interact. The company works with institutions in life science, translational research, molecular diagnostics and personalized medicine. Led by President and CEO Erik Holmlin, Ph.D., BioNano intends to expand commercialization to grow the installed base and utilization of Irys and to develop new platforms and technology innovations. The firm completed a $53M Series C to support those plans, and added board members in conjunction with the financing. BioNano Genomics is developing a system for human genome analysis that uses imaging of molecules to directly observe native genomic structure. The company says its technology enables direct observation of native genomic structure through molecular imaging. It announced a $10M funding round to commercialize that system. The funding is intended to support commercialization efforts for its human genome analysis platform. The startup is led by Erik Holmlin, Ph.D., and is San Diego-based. BioNano Genomics develops the Irys platform, a scalable system for structural variation analysis and de novo assembly of next-generation sequencing data. Irys uses a proprietary chip to uncoil and confine long DNA molecules, enabling researchers to view long strands of DNA. Researchers at UCSF demonstrated Irys' utility in a Nature Biotechnology paper by accurately mapping and analyzing structural variation in the human major histocompatibility complex. The company and UCSF authors highlighted applications in studies of new pathogens, complex metagenomics, and cancer genomes where copy number and structural variation are abundant. BioNano raised $10 million in a Series B-1 equity financing from existing investors and is completing product development ahead of a commercial launch anticipated by the end of 2012. BioNanomatrix develops and commercializes nanoscale, single-molecule imaging and analysis technology for large biological molecules, with a focus on whole-genome analysis. The company has introduced the nanoAnalyzer 1000 System and reported placing a number of systems with early-access users after its debut at the American Society of Human Genetics. Its platform is designed to reduce time and complexity for genome analysis and to provide additional structural-variation data not easily addressed by current methods. Ongoing development includes a NIST-ATP-funded project aimed at sequencing the human genome at a cost of $100 and work supported by the National Institutes of Health. Management has signaled a push toward commercialization and plans to establish a stronger West Coast presence to expand business opportunities and recruitment. The company recently completed a $23.3 million Series B equity financing to support these efforts. BioNanomatrix develops a nanoscale whole-genome imaging and analysis platform for single-molecule genomic analysis. The company is preparing to commercialize its first NanoAnalyzer system, with a beta site launch planned for Q2 2010. It received two supplemental Phase II SBIR grants from the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) totaling $833,490. The awards were made under the NIH BECON II nanotechnology initiative, an interdisciplinary, multi-institute SBIR consortium. These supplemental grants bring BioNanomatrix's Phase II NHGRI funding to more than $2.8 million. The funds will be used to support further commercial development and to prepare for the NanoAnalyzer beta launch.

No current team members are available.