Participated · Seed · Oct 2023

Modofi Bio specializes in direct DNA modification to develop therapeutics that target tumor-associated DNA repair defects. The company is based in New Haven, Connecticut, with offices and laboratories at the Elm City Bioscience Center near Yale. It raised an additional $4.3M in seed funding. Investors in this round included existing backers Connecticut Innovation, HighCape Capital, Advantage Capital (Ironwood), and the National Brain Tumor Society, plus new investors Pathway BioVentures, The Sontag Foundation, and BrightEdge (the impact investment arm of the American Cancer Society). Modofi Bio intends to use the funds to advance its lead molecules toward IND-enabling studies and phase I clinical trials. The company’s core approach is exploiting tumor-associated DNA repair defects through direct DNA modification. Modifi Biosciences develops small-molecule therapeutics that directly modify DNA to selectively target tumors with defects in DNA repair, notably loss of MGMT expression. The company’s core platform has been validated in vitro and in vivo in preclinical glioma and other cancer models, showing selective anti-tumor activity and a favorable therapeutic index. Modifi Bio’s lead approach targets cancers lacking MGMT, a defect present in substantial subsets of colon, small cell lung, and non-small cell lung cancers, suggesting broader applicability beyond brain tumors. Founders and scientific leadership include researchers from Yale, and the company is based at the Elm City Bioscience Center in New Haven. The team highlights that their molecules are structurally similar to previously FDA‑tested drugs but are designed to overcome resistance mechanisms. With recent non-dilutive funding and a completed seed round, the company is positioning its assets for IND‑enabling work and first clinical translation.

Participated · Series C · Nov 2021

Wellinks delivers a predictive cardiopulmonary care solution that pairs virtual chronic disease management with its proprietary, FDA-cleared Spire Remote Patient Monitoring (RPM) system. Its Health Tags provide passive, continuous monitoring designed to identify physiologic changes and predict clinical deterioration up to one week before symptom onset. Wellinks and UMass Chan Medical School collaborated on the Healthy at Home program, which the company says showed participants had more than 60% lower odds of 30-day hospital readmission and trends toward fewer ED visits and shorter hospital stays. The company plans to use recent Series B proceeds to expand commercial reach, including into rural and underserved communities, and to apply its technology and care model to additional conditions such as congestive heart failure. Wellinks intends to leverage accumulating real-world clinical data to strengthen decision support and enhance its predictive capabilities. The company is headquartered in New Haven, Conn.

Participated · Series B · Mar 2021

Cybrexa Therapeutics is a New Haven, CO-based oncology-focused biotechnology company led by President & CEO Per Hellsund. The company is developing a new class of therapeutics via its alphalex™ Peptide Drug Conjugate (PDC) tumor-targeting platform. Its lead candidate, CBX-12 (alphalex™-exatecan), is a novel treatment for solid tumors that carries a highly potent topoisomerase I inhibitor payload in the same class as the payloads used by ADCs ENHERTU® and TRODELVY™. Unlike those ADCs, CBX-12 is designed to target cancer cells independent of antigen overexpression, which the company says should expand the addressable patient population. Positive GLP toxicology results for CBX-12 will guide dosing for the planned Phase I trial. Cybrexa completed a $25M Series B and intends to use the funds to advance CBX-12 into the clinic, with first patient dosing in the Phase 1 study expected in the first half of 2021. Cybrexa Therapeutics develops a new class of cancer therapeutics using its proprietary alphalex™ tumor-targeting platform. The company’s lead candidate is CBX-11 (alphalex™-rucaparib), which is in preclinical development. Cybrexa intends to advance CBX-11 into clinical development with plans to initiate clinical development by 1Q 2020. The company also plans to progress additional programs in its preclinical pipeline. Cybrexa is led by President & CEO Per Hellsund. To date the company has raised $21.1M in total capital. Cybrexa is focused on developing a new class of small-molecule DNA repair inhibitors termed Tumor Specific Drugs (TSDs) that directly target the tumor microenvironment. The company’s approach leverages a tumor-localizing peptide technology originating from a research laboratory at Yale. Its founding team includes Per Hellsund, Kevin Didden and Kevin Rakin, with additional scientific founders Ranjit Bindra, M.D., Ph.D., and Peter Glazer, M.D., Ph.D., from the Yale School of Medicine. Cybrexa intends to use recent financing to complete the build-out of its facilities and to continue development of its TSD programs. The company is commercial-stage in infrastructure build-out but remains in the therapeutic development phase for its lead programs. The current reported financing provides runway specifically targeted at facility completion and ongoing preclinical/clinical program advancement.

Participated · Equity · Jun 2018

ZipLine Medical develops and commercializes non-invasive wound closure products centered on its Zip® Surgical Skin Closure system. The company sells its flagship Zip devices across surgical specialties including orthopedics, cardiovascular, and emergency medicine, and reports usage in over 500,000 cases in more than 30 countries. It is expanding its product portfolio with ZipStitch™, an over-the-counter laceration closure device, and PreLoc® Wound Closure for chronic wounds such as diabetic foot ulcers. ZipStitch—based on the same clinically proven technology—won a 2018 Medical Design Excellence Award in the Over-the-Counter and Self-Care Products category and is available for purchase online. The company intends to use new financing to continue worldwide commercialization and support these product launches. ZipLine Medical was founded by Amir Belson, M.D., and is headquartered in Campbell, CA. ZipLine Medical is a medical device company that developed the Zip® Surgical Skin Closure device, a cost-effective, noninvasive skin-closure system delivering suture-like outcomes at the speed of staples. The company intends to accelerate worldwide commercialization and expand global sales and marketing following its recent financing. Clinical studies (knee arthroplasty at Hospital for Special Surgery and a pacemaker study at UCSD) showed fewer wound complications versus staples, procedure-time savings versus sutures, and suture-like cosmetic outcomes. The Zip device has been used in over 25,000 surgical procedures and is sold in over 30 countries. ZipLine estimates its addressable market at $4 billion worldwide; its devices are classified by the U.S. FDA as Class I, 510(k) Exempt and have received CE Mark. Founded by Amir Belson and headquartered in Campbell, CA, the company plans to leverage favorable clinical results and key opinion leader support to grow commercial adoption. ZipLine Medical develops the Zip® Surgical Skin Closure, a noninvasive device designed to deliver suture-like outcomes at the speed of staples while reducing surgical-site infection risk and hospital costs. The devices are classified by the U.S. FDA as Class I, 510(k) Exempt and have received CE Mark. Because skin closure is common to nearly all surgical procedures, ZipLine says its product has applicability across multiple medical specialties. The company estimates an addressable market opportunity of $4 billion worldwide. ZipLine is headquartered in Campbell, Calif., was founded by Amir Belson, MD, and is led by President and CEO John Tighe. Management plans to use proceeds from the Series C extension to expand sales and marketing activities and to support geographic expansion, including into China. ZipLine Medical is an emerging medical device company developing cost-effective, noninvasive surgical skin-closure devices (Zip™) intended to provide suture-like cosmetic outcomes with the speed of stapling and reduced surgical site infection risk. Its Zip™ Surgical Skin Closure devices are classified by the U.S. FDA as Class I, Exempt and have applicability across multiple medical specialties. The company estimates its addressable market at $4 billion worldwide. Preliminary randomized, controlled clinical data presented at the Mount Sinai Winter Symposium showed similar cosmetic outcomes versus traditional sutures and a 57% reduction in wound closure procedure time. ZipLine was founded in 2009 by Amir Belson, M.D., and is headquartered in Campbell, Calif. Proceeds from the recent financing will be used to expand sales and marketing efforts. ZipLine Medical is an emerging medical device company that has developed the PRELOC (Pre-placementRE-aligning Low-tensionClosure) platform for noninvasive surgical skin closure. PRELOC is designed to provide a suture-like outcome with the speed of staples via a simple, easy-to-learn and easy-to-use device. The company says the platform has broad applicability across numerous medical specialties because skin-closure is a common denominator of almost all surgeries; initial target applications include C-section, laparotomy, pacemaker/ICD implant, laparoscopic port, orthopedic, and excisional skin biopsy closure. ZipLine cites a $4.2 billion worldwide market opportunity covering most surgical procedures involving skin incision. The company is headquartered in Campbell, Calif., and in Q3 2011 appointed John R. Tighe as President and CEO. ZipLine closed a $5M Series B in Q3 2011 and has total funding of $6M; proceeds are being used to complete product development and establish commercial operations.

Participated · Series C · Sep 2017

Cheetah Medical develops and sells 100 percent non-invasive fluid management monitoring technologies for use in critical care, operating room and emergency department settings. Its core product, the CHEETAH Starling SV, provides immediate, dynamic assessments of fluid responsiveness to guide clinician treatment decisions. The company reports its systems are used in more than 400 hospitals in the U.S. and in 30 countries worldwide, and cites research linking effective fluid management to shorter ICU stays and lower costs. Cheetah intends to use new capital to retire debt and to invest in sales, marketing and clinical efforts as it works to become a standard of care in management of critically ill patients. Financially, the company secured a $20 million senior secured term loan with $18 million funded at closing and a $2 million tranche available in Q1 2019 subject to milestones. SWK characterized the financing as minimally dilutive, flexible capital to help grow commercial operations and broaden adoption of its hemodynamic monitoring solution. Cheetah Medical, based in Newton, Massachusetts, develops 100% noninvasive hemodynamic monitoring technologies for use in critical care, operating rooms, general care floors, and emergency departments. Its core products—the CHEETAH NICOM and STARLING SV—use a proprietary algorithm to deliver accurate hemodynamic profiles that help clinicians guide volume management and resuscitation decisions. The company cited a recent University of Kansas Medical Center study demonstrating value from stroke-volume–guided resuscitation for sepsis patients as a driver of expected demand. Cheetah says investments in U.S. sales and marketing are already driving "exciting revenue growth" and plans to use new capital to expand its commercial footprint and field presence in the United States. The technologies are positioned to enable more confident therapy decisions, improve patient outcomes, and drive economic efficiencies. Cheetah Medical develops the CHEETAH NICOM Hemodynamic Management System, a non-invasive platform to measure key hemodynamic parameters. The system is currently available in more than 60 countries, including the United States. Leadership includes Chris Hutchison (President and CEO) and Stephen Reeders (Chairman). Financially, the company secured an initial $5M investment provided by growth equity firm HighCape Partners. That $5M represents an extension of a previously announced $9M fundraising round that closed in February 2014. No other financial metrics or future plans were disclosed in the article. Cheetah Medical manufactures a management system that offers a non-invasive means to measure key hemodynamic parameters based on its proprietary bioreactance technology. The company is based in Newton Center, Massachusetts and its system is available in more than 60 countries. On Feb. 25, 2014, Cheetah Medical closed a $9M round of funding. The round was led by Fletcher Spaght Ventures with participation from Springfield Investment Management, MVM Life Science Partners, Robert Bosch Venture Capital and Ascension Health Ventures. The company intends to use the funds to expand its sales and marketing activities in the U.S. and internationally. The business is led by Stephen Reeders and Chris Hutchison (President and CEO, Chairman). Cheetah Medical develops NICOM, a noninvasive hemodynamic monitoring system built on its patented BIOREACTANCE technology. NICOM is FDA cleared and has received a CE Mark. The system is deployed for Goal Directed Fluid Management in over 100 hospitals in the U.S. and is used in other international markets. The company completed a $14.5M financing to support its commercialization efforts. Management said it will use the capital to accelerate NICOM’s commercialization in the U.S. and internationally. The company has appointed Chris Hutchison as President and CEO and William T. Denman, MBChB, FRCA as Chief Medical Officer.