Participated · Equity · Jul 2024

Magenta Medical is focused on developing miniaturized blood pumps intended to provide minimally invasive support to the native heart during acute episodes of dysfunction. Its lead product, the Elevate™ percutaneous left ventricular assist device (pLVAD), is in clinical trials for at least two indications: high-risk percutaneous coronary interventions (HR-PCI) and cardiogenic shock. The company plans to use the new funding to advance its U.S. clinical programs across multiple mechanical circulatory support (MCS) indications and to pursue FDA approval for the Elevate System in HR-PCI patients. Magenta is led by CEO Dr. David Israeli and is based in Kadima, Israel. The company positions its technology to support patients at risk of dangerously low blood pressure and compromised organ perfusion during acute cardiac events. Magenta Medical is a Kadima, Israel–based company developing miniaturized blood pumps to provide minimally-invasive support to the native heart. Its lead product, the Elevate percutaneous left ventricular assist device, is currently in clinical testing. The company intends to secure FDA approval for at least two indications: patients undergoing high-risk coronary interventions and patients with cardiogenic shock. Magenta plans to use new funding to advance the clinical programs of Elevate in the United States toward its first FDA approval. The company was founded by serial entrepreneurs Professor Ehud Schwammenthal and Yosi Tuval, who previously founded Ventor Technologies. Magenta is led by CEO Dr. David Israeli. Magenta Medical develops a catheter-based flow pump inserted on the venous side to help kidneys eliminate salt and relieve fluid buildup in heart-failure patients. The device delivers therapy for up to 24 hours and does not leave a permanent implant. Company executives say the therapy aims to reduce hospital readmissions and ICU stays tied to deteriorating kidney function. Magenta’s technology is already in clinical trials in Europe, and the current funds will be used to obtain a CE Mark. The firm plans to share European trial data with the FDA to determine a U.S. regulatory pathway and hopes to reach agreement with the agency on that clinical pathway. Magenta was founded in October 2012 by a cardiologist and a mechanical engineer; David Israeli is the company’s CEO. Magenta Medical develops novel therapeutic approaches to the treatment of congestive heart failure. The company is described in the article as pioneering a new therapeutic approach for CHF, a condition characterised as an epidemic in the Western world. Magenta was founded in October 2012 by CEO Prof. Ehud Schwammenthal and mechanical engineer Yosi Tuval and is based in Tel Aviv, Israel. The company raised $4M in seed funding from Pitango Venture Capital. As part of the investment, Pitango partner Dr. David Israeli will join Magenta's board of directors. No additional financial terms or use-of-proceeds details were disclosed in the article.

Participated · Series A · Jan 2021

NewAmsterdam Pharma is a clinical-stage company focused on research and development of therapies for cardiometabolic diseases. Its lead program is obicetrapib, a small-molecule cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP) inhibitor that targets Apolipoprotein B (ApoB) and LDL‑c to reduce atherosclerotic risk. A Phase 2b study (TULIP) showed obicetrapib significantly reduced ApoB-containing particles and was well tolerated; two Phase 2b trials are underway with targeted completion in Q2 2021. The company plans to initiate a large Phase 3 development program in Q4 2021 to support regulatory and clinical objectives. NewAmsterdam acquired Dezima Pharma from Amgen in April 2020, including rights to obicetrapib. The company completed a $196M Series A to fund the full Phase 3 program; it was founded in 2019 by Forbion and John Kastelein and is headquartered in Naarden, the Netherlands.

Participated · Series A · Aug 2020

ImmPACT Bio is a clinical-stage company based in Los Angeles developing logic-gate-based chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapies for cancer and autoimmune diseases. Its lead autoimmune candidate, IMPT-514, is a CD19/CD20 bispecific CAR T-cell therapy designed to deeply deplete autoreactive B cells as a one-time treatment with the potential to replace chronic immune suppression. IMPT-514 shares the same CAR construct as IMPT-314, which is under development for certain non‑Hodgkin's lymphomas. The company is evaluating IMPT-514 in an open-label Phase 1b/2 dose-escalation trial in refractory lupus nephritis (LN) and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), with initial efficacy and safety data expected in the second half of 2024. IMPT-514 has received FDA Fast Track designation for active and refractory LN and SLE, and preclinical work showed efficient manufacture from heavily immunosuppressed patients, potent autologous B-cell elimination, and a moderate cytokine profile. In February 2024 ImmPACT Bio was awarded an $8 million grant from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) to support the ongoing Phase 1b/2 development of IMPT-514. ImmPACT Bio is a clinical-stage company developing logic-gate-based chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapies for cancer patients. Led by president and CEO Sumant Ramachandra, M.D., Ph.D., MBA, the company focuses on CAR T platforms designed to prevent antigen escape and reduce on-target off-tumor toxicities. Its technologies also aim to overcome the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment. The company’s technology is based on work by Yvonne Chen and Antoni Ribas at UCLA and Gideon Gross at the MIGAL‑Galilee Research Institute. ImmPACT intends to use newly raised funds to expand the curative potential of cell therapies and to address biological challenges that have limited efficacy in hard-to-treat tumor types. The company is based in Camarillo, California and is at the clinical stage of development. ImmPACT Bio USA is a Camarillo, California–based company, founded out of the FutuRx incubator in Ness Ziona, Israel, developing novel engineered T-cell therapies for cancer. Its lead programs focus on targeting loss of genes in solid tumors using engineered T cells. The company was founded based on insights from Prof. Gideon Gross (Migal Research Institute), who collaborated with Prof. Zelig Eshhar on early CAR T technologies, and is led by CEO Rick Kendall, Ph.D. ImmPACT is advancing a set of engineered T-cell therapeutics rather than traditional CAR T constructs. The company closed a Series A equity financing in 2020 to support its development efforts. No operating metrics were disclosed in the article.

Participated · Series B · Oct 2019

Arcellx is a Gaithersburg, Md.-based clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company advancing a pipeline of adaptive and controllable cell therapies. Its platform (ARC-SparX) underlies cell therapy candidates including CART-ddBCMA and ACLX-001/ACLX-002. CART-ddBCMA is a BCMA-specific CAR-modified T-cell therapy currently in Phase 1 with a pivotal trial anticipated to begin in 2022. The company plans to use newly raised funds to develop CART-ddBCMA and to initiate clinical trials for ACLX-001 (multiple myeloma) and ACLX-002 (acute myelogenous leukemia). Financially, Arcellx completed a $115M Series C financing. The company is led by Chairman and CEO Rami Elghandour. Arcellx is a biopharmaceutical company developing an ARC-T + sparX intelligent cell therapy platform. The proprietary platform uses sparX soluble proteins to bind one or more tumor antigens and engage a universal receptor on engineered Antigen-Receptor Complex T cells (ARC-T), forming a sparX+ARC-T+tumor complex that mediates tumor killing. The company is advancing a pipeline that includes a bivalent BCMA-targeted ARC-T for multiple myeloma and a CD123-targeted therapy for acute myeloid leukemia, plus earlier-stage programs targeting solid tumors and diseases outside oncology. Arcellx positions the approach as improving safety and efficacy relative to conventional CAR-T therapies while broadening patient access and enabling scalable, efficient manufacturing. The company plans to begin clinical testing of its lead BCMA-targeted therapy in the coming months. Arcellx is based in Montgomery County, Maryland, and recently raised $85 million in a Series B to fund clinical and earlier-stage development.