The Venture Codex

Participated · Series A · Oct 2017

EchoPixel develops True 3D Viewer, an interactive virtual reality software that converts DICOM image data into life‑size, manipulable virtual patient anatomy for diagnosis and surgical planning. The system lets physicians move, turn, dissect and cut open virtual anatomy to interact with images as if they were physical objects. EchoPixel's True 3D is used in clinical and research settings at institutions including UCSF, Stanford, the Cleveland Clinic, the Lahey Clinic and Hershey Medical Center. The company is led by founder and CEO Sergio Aguirre and Executive Chairman Ron Schilling, PhD, and is based in Mountain View, California. EchoPixel closed an $8.5M Series A and plans to use proceeds to expand its commercial, R&D and regulatory organizations. EchoPixel’s core product is a real-time, interactive 3D imaging system that converts CT, MRI and ultrasound scans into manipulable, hologram-like images viewable with 3D glasses and a special display. The system lets doctors virtually examine anatomy from any angle, zoom in on small structures, and 3D print models for planning. Clinical trials reported finding up to 90% more congenital heart defects in newborns while reducing exam time by 40%, and a separate trial cut device sizing time from 40 minutes to 2 minutes. EchoPixel is already FDA-cleared and plans to pursue regulatory approvals in Europe and Asia. The company sells three-year subscriptions to its technology at $25,000 per year. EchoPixel operates from Palo Alto, California and competes with companies such as Surgical Theater and RealView.

Participated · Series A · Jan 2016

Lodo Therapeutics was launched by Accelerator Corporation to advance a metagenomics-driven, culture-independent platform that discovers genetically encoded small molecules from uncultured soil bacteria and the human microbiome. The company holds a license from The Rockefeller University to practice and expand Sean Brady’s discovery platform and aims to develop therapeutics across infectious disease, oncology, metabolic disorders and rare diseases. Early programs build on Brady’s prior work in antibiotics and include efforts against tuberculosis and drug-resistant infections. Lodo plans to advance drug candidates toward the initiation of human clinical trials, working in partnership with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. David Pompliano, Ph.D., will serve as interim chief scientific officer alongside co-founder Sean Brady. Lodo’s offices and labs will be based at Accelerator’s facilities in the Alexandria Center for Life Science in New York City.

Led · Seed · Jan 2016

TARA Biosystems develops induced pluripotent stem cell–derived human cardiac tissue and a cardiac tissue engineering platform for translational drug discovery. Its platform enables researchers to evaluate drug safety and efficacy endpoints in vitro and generate highly translatable preclinical data. The technology supports broad phenotypic analysis of healthy, gene-edited, patient-derived, and drug-induced models of human cardiac disease at scale. It captures integrated physiologic endpoint measurements including contractility, electrophysiology, calcium signaling, structure, and genomic, proteomic, and metabolic profiles. The company announced a $10 million Series A2 financing to scale its platform and advance its drug discovery programs. TARA says the funding will support expanded infrastructure and pharma partnerships to accelerate a portfolio of novel cardiac disease drug candidates. Founded in 2014 and headquartered in New York City, the company focuses on producing human-relevant in vitro biology to improve translational outcomes. Tara Biosystems provides physiologically-relevant in vitro human cardiac tissue models (“heart-on-a-chip”) for toxicology and drug discovery applications. Its cardiac tissues are produced from human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes matured to an adult-like phenotype and interrogated to deliver direct measures of cardiac functionality, including contractile force. The technology is based on research from the laboratories of Columbia University Professor Gordana Vunjak-Novakovic and University of Toronto Professor Milica Radisic, who are scientific co-founders. The company raised $2.25M in seed funding. It intends to use the funds to build commercial operations in New York City.

Participated · Series A · Jan 2016

Petra Pharma is developing small-molecule inhibitors targeting enzyme pathways implicated in cancer and metabolic diseases, operating under a multiyear research alliance with Weill Cornell Medicine, which is a stakeholder. The company was co-founded by Lewis Cantley and Nathanael Gray, both noted researchers in cancer biology and kinase inhibitor discovery. Petra’s scientific approach focuses on interrogating novel enzyme targets involved in cell division, growth, trafficking and signaling to create next-generation therapies. Accelerator Corporation will oversee Petra’s early operations under its investment and management model, providing business management and scientific oversight. The company plans to concentrate on achieving key value-building scientific milestones to translate discoveries into clinical candidates. Petra’s offices and labs will be located within Accelerator’s facilities at the Alexandria Center for Life Science in New York City.

Participated · Series A · Dec 2015

Orig3n is a Boston-based biotech research company focused on genetics and regenerative medicine. It provides consumers access to genetic information to enable proactive, personalized health choices and conducts R&D into cell therapies. The company invests in cellular science to develop personalized therapies for repairing tissue damage and disease. Orig3n maintains a large allogeneic bank of cells that is HLA-matched to 90% of the U.S. population, which underpins its regenerative-medicine programs. It plans to use recent funding to expand domestically and internationally and to continue R&D to advance its regenerative treatments. As of the Series B, Orig3n has raised over $50 million since its 2014 founding. ORIG3N focuses on genetics and regenerative medicine, offering a line of direct-to-consumer genetic tests while advancing cellular science to develop personalized therapies. The company operates what it describes as a fully-matched allogeneic cell bank and is intensifying research into cell therapies. ORIG3N emphasizes community‑driven, patient-fueled research and cultivates engagement through events and educational initiatives. Management says the company is increasingly consumer-facing and aims to accelerate the future of regenerative medicine. ORIG3N was founded in 2014 and is positioning its research and community assets to support therapeutic development. Financially, the company has raised over $30 million in capital to date. Orig3n is a Boston, MA-based biotech company that develops a disease-modeling platform targeting rare and genetically inherited diseases using iPSC-derived differentiated cells. The company closed a $12.5m Series A financing to advance its programs. It will use the funds to launch LifeSystems™ cellular models created from its LifeCapsule™ bio-repository. Orig3n launched the LifeCapsule bio-repository, a living database and large bank of induced pluripotent stem cells to which anyone can contribute. The platform is intended to advance screening projects and deliver data to inform therapeutic decisions, aiming to replace trial-and-error approaches to treating disease. Orig3n was founded in 2014 by Robin Y. Smith. ORIG3N, based in Boston, MA, is developing a disease-modeling platform targeting rare genetically inherited diseases. Led by CEO and co-founder Robin Y. Smith, the company’s core product is the Life Capsule™, a bio-repository open to public contribution. The Life Capsule collects a small amount of blood and reprograms cells into induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). These iPSCs are used for disease modeling outside the body to support critical medical research and potential individualized therapy. The company intends to use the newly raised funds to expand its Life Capsule offering. ORIG3N recently raised $3.1M in funding from institutional backers.