Participated · Equity · Aug 2023

Instylla develops next-generation liquid embolics for peripheral vascular embolotherapy and interventional oncology, with its first product Embrace HES designed for controlled, complete, and persistent embolization. The company is led by CEO Amar Sawhney and was founded in 2017 by Incept LLC. Instylla’s HES Hypervascular Tumor Pivotal Study is enrolling patients in the US and Canada to evaluate the Hydrogel Embolic System versus standard of care, and the HALT Study is enrolling to study Embrace HES for embolization of arterial bleeding. The company intends to use the proceeds from the recent financing to support ongoing prospective clinical trials and early commercialization. Instylla is based in Bedford, MA. Instylla develops the Hydrogel Embolic System (HES™), a water‑based liquid injected via standard catheters that fills target vessels and solidifies into a soft, occlusive, absorbable hydrogel causing immediate and persistent flow stasis. The company is led by CEO Amar Sawhney and was founded by Incept LLC in 2017. Instylla recently closed a $25.4M Series B financing to fund its clinical and regulatory plans. Management intends to use the proceeds to conduct several prospective clinical trials, including a pivotal trial in the United States, in preparation for market entry. The HES is not approved for sale in the United States. The financing also includes board additions as part of the round.

Participated · Series C · Dec 2019

Imperative Care is a commercial-stage medical technology company focused on advancing treatments for thromboembolic disease, including ischemic stroke and other vascular diseases caused by blood clots. Its commercially available product portfolio includes the Zoom Stroke System, the Symphony Thrombectomy System, and the Prodigy Thrombectomy System, which have been used in more than 78,000 procedures. The company is also developing the Telos endovascular robotic platform, currently in development and not approved for sale. Imperative Care said the $100 million convertible note financing will support commercialization of its existing stroke and vascular portfolios, next‑generation product development, and clinical evidence generation. The company is based in Campbell, Calif., and announced a new board appointment tied to the financing.

Participated · Series C · Oct 2017

Claret Medical is a privately held medtech company that developed the Sentinel dual-filter cerebral protection system, the first FDA-cleared device for transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR). The company has commercialized Sentinel across Europe, selected Asia Pacific countries and recently in the U.S., where it completed a controlled commercial release. Claret has conducted a structured clinical program including three randomized studies and more than 2,300 patients, and reports that over 5,000 patients have benefited from its technology. The company highlights data showing Sentinel reduces periprocedural TAVR stroke by 70 percent. Claret plans to use new financing to support market access programs, research and development of next-generation products, and expansion of its commercial organization to build on U.S. commercialization. Claret Medical develops the Sentinel Cerebral Protection System (CPS), a filter-based device that captures and removes embolic debris released during transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) and other procedures. The company is focused on addressing stroke risk during TAVR through product development and clinical research. Sentinel CPS received Investigational Device Exemption (IDE) approval earlier this year and has been used in more than 800 procedures worldwide to date. Claret is embarking on the SENTINEL pivotal U.S. trial to evaluate reductions in number and size of new ischemic brain lesions and potential neurocognitive benefits, and plans two additional studies of structural heart procedures. The company is privately held and headquartered in Santa Rosa, California. Claret Medical is a California-based medical device company that makes the Montage Dual Filter embolic protection system, designed to capture embolic debris during transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) procedures. The device won CE Mark approval in the European Union earlier in the year. Published research enrolled 40 TAVI patients and reported the filter captured debris traveling toward the brain in 75% of patients, with captured particles ranging from 0.55 mm to 1.8 mm and consisting largely of fibrin likely from native aortic valve leaflets or the aortic wall. Financially, Claret has raised $3.6 million so far through a private offering of convertible promissory notes participated in by 28 unnamed investors. The company launched the financing in July 2012 and said it aims to raise a total of $4 million, needing another $375,000 before the offering expires in August 2015. Claret Medical is a Santa Rosa, Calif.-based medical device maker focused on embolic protection during vascular procedures. The company landed a CE Mark for its Montage system to protect against brain embolism in vascular surgery. Montage is described as the first filtration system to protect both carotid arteries simultaneously and is delivered during intravascular procedures such as transcatheter aortic valve intervention (TAVI). The catheter can remove potentially stroke-causing embolic material from the body. Claret recently raised $3.38 million in a Series A private equity offering, according to an SEC report. Clinicians quoted in the article said the CE Mark approval is an important step that could potentially reduce stroke rates in TAVI and other vascular procedures.

Participated · Series B · Jan 2015

Apama Medical is a privately held medical device company based in Campbell, CA, focused on next‑generation atrial fibrillation technologies. It offers a catheter-based solution for AF ablation targeted at the electrophysiology market. The company was incubated out of Shifamed, LLC and is supported by an existing National Science Foundation grant. Leadership includes CEO Amr Salahieh and Executive Chairman Gregory D. Casciaro. The article notes the electrophysiology market for AF ablation was expected to reach $1.7 billion in 2017. Financially, Apama closed an $11.0M first tranche of a planned $17.5M Series B financing, and investor representatives will join the board.