Led · Equity · May 2024

PURMX Therapeutics is a clinical‑stage drug discovery venture developing unmodified, natural microRNA–based nucleic acid therapeutics. Its lead program, MIRX002 (miR‑3140‑3p formulated with peptide carrier A6K), is in a physician‑led Phase I trial for malignant pleural mesothelioma at Hiroshima University Hospital, Kinki University Hospital, and Hyogo Medical University. MIRX002 was discovered using Hiroshima University’s functional RNA screening platform and the company holds rights to multiple microRNA assets. The company uses A6K under a licensing agreement with Three‑D Matrix to protect and deliver RNA in vivo. PURMX plans to accelerate global clinical development of MIRX002, pursue indication expansion beyond mesothelioma, advance systemic administration programs, and continue generating new RNA seeds via its screening platform. The company was founded in January 2021 and is headquartered in Hiroshima; cumulative funding to date is approximately ¥1.2 billion (~$7.8M). PURMX Therapeutics is a Hiroshima University–founded drug discovery venture focused on developing nucleic acid medicines that use natural microRNA as active ingredients. Its lead program, MIRX002, combines a potent anti-tumor microRNA discovered via Hiroshima University's screening platform with the A6K carrier licensed from Three‑D Matrix. MIRX002 is currently being evaluated in a physician‑led Phase I clinical trial at Hiroshima University for malignant pleural mesothelioma and is the first-in-human microRNA therapeutic trial in Japan. Preclinical data in mesothelioma mouse models showed marked tumor shrinkage and major survival benefits after one to three intrathoracic doses, and data suggest potential eradication of cancer stem cells. The company intends to expand MIRX002 into additional cancer indications, advance other microRNA pipelines, create new RNA seeds using its screening platform, and develop novel formulations applicable to broader indications. The company will use newly raised funds to support these clinical and R&D activities.

Led · Equity · Mar 2023

Abound is a UK-based fintech specialising in AI-driven lending that leverages real-time financial data via Open Banking insights. Its proprietary platform, Render, uses AI-driven cashflow underwriting to assess borrowers, reduce default rates, and offer more competitive loan rates than traditional credit-score-based methods. The company offers loans ranging from £1,000 to £20,000 with APRs between 8.0% and 29.8% and repayment terms of up to eight years. Abound secured a £250M financing facility from Deutsche Bank that increases its total lending capacity to £1.6B. The company achieved profitability just three years after its launch in 2024. Leadership says Abound plans to expand as Open Banking adoption grows internationally and to increasingly provide its technology to other lenders as part of a diversified funding strategy. Abound provides AI-driven credit decisions by scanning customers’ bank transaction data via its proprietary Render platform, using Open Banking to assess repayment capacity. The company was founded in 2020 by Gerald Chappell and Dr. Michelle He and is based in London. Abound has issued over £300 million in loans to date and plans to expand into prime lending in the UK while rolling Render out globally. It currently has a 65-person team and aims to double headcount to 130 this year. The business combines debt origination with technology-enabled underwriting to target more affordable consumer lending solutions. Abound uses Open Banking and artificial intelligence to underwrite and deliver consumer loans between £1,000 and £10,000 with terms up to five years. The company is the consumer arm of Fintern Ltd and uses proprietary Render technology to power its smart lending. Founded in 2020 and led by CEO Gerald Chappell and Dr Michelle He, Abound has served over 150,000 customers to date. The business has been growing 30% month-on-month. Abound intends to use new funding to expand the number of customers it lends to, grow headcount, and develop a business-to-business offering. Its product and growth metrics position it to scale both consumer and B2B channels.

Participated · Seed · Feb 2023

Sending Network is a DePIN project building SendingMe, a decentralized application that combines chat, social features, and trading to give users control of their social layer. The platform integrates messaging, social interactions, and transactions in a single dApp. Sending Network completed a $7.5 million financing round structured as a SAFE that closed in October of last year. Investors in the round include Nomad Capital, Symbolic Capital, Web3.com Ventures, Galxe, SWC Global, Balaji Srinivasan and Gabby Dizon. The team plans multiple testnets this year and aims to launch mainnet in Q1 2025, according to co-founder Mason Yang. Sending Labs is building a Web3 communications stack and launched beta versions of two flagship products, SendingNetwork and SendingMe. SendingNetwork is a developer-focused SDK that helps teams build secure, fully decentralized dApps with in-app/cross-app chat, notifications, wallet or Decentralized ID (DID) logins, and NFT/token-based transacting. SendingMe is an encrypted decentralized group chat platform for users, creators, and community managers that supports smart contract-powered payments, P2P swaps, airdrops, gifting, auctions, and token-gated memberships to enable creator monetization. The company centers end-to-end decentralization and user-led data ownership, offering community management and social toolkits that leave users in control of identification, data, and assets. Sending Labs secured $12.5 million in seed funding alongside the beta launch, backed by a syndicate led by Insignia Venture Partners, MindWorks Capital, and Signum Capital with participation from K3 Ventures, Lingfeng Innovation Fund, UpHonest Capital, and Aipollo Investment. Co-founders Joe Yu and Mason Yang previously built Dolphin at MoboTap, growing it to over 200 million users prior to its 2014 acquisition, and are applying that experience to improve Web3 user experience and accessibility.

Led · Series A · Feb 2023

Fable Food develops mushroom-based meat alternatives using the fruiting bodies of shiitake and agaricus mushrooms rather than mycelium. The company emphasizes natural umami flavor and a chitin cellular structure that can mimic the texture of animal meat. Its go-to-market strategy focuses on partnerships with top chefs and foodservice channels across restaurants, premium quick-service chains, meal-kit companies and value-added manufacturing for retail. Fable has begun international expansion into the UK, US, Singapore, New Zealand and Canada and will launch mushroom burger slider patties at STK Steakhouse as the chain’s first plant-based option. Management says the latest funding will be used for research and development and to develop additional mushroom-based products. The team positions mushrooms as having taste and texture advantages versus soy- and pea-based alternatives amid broader industry headwinds. Fable Food develops mushroom-based meat alternatives built around shiitake mushrooms to recreate meat-like taste and texture. Its initial portfolio includes substitutes for pulled pork, braised beef and beef brisket plus a line of ready-made meals. The company emphasizes minimal processing and ingredients, leveraging co-founder Jim Fuller’s chef/chemical-engineer/mycologist expertise (its braised beef uses shiitake, seven other ingredients, salt and pepper). Fable’s products are sold at Australian retailers including Woolworths, Coles and Harris Farm Markets and are served in restaurants such as Grill’d (136 locations); they are also available in Singapore and the U.K. The startup plans a U.S. launch by the end of the year via partnerships with restaurants and meal-kit companies. It intends to expand its product line to mushroom-based substitutes for pork, chicken, lamb and other animal proteins while keeping much of its pipeline under wraps.

Participated · Seed · Jan 2023

Wristcheck operates a luxury watch trading platform that enables collectors to purchase, trade, and learn about high-end timepieces while cultivating a secure, welcoming community. The company was co-founded by Austen Chu and Sean Wong and is headquartered in Hong Kong. Since its 2020 founding, Wristcheck has positioned itself as a destination for watch enthusiasts and aims to further cement its role as a leading platform in watch culture. The platform emphasizes authenticity, community-building, and connections between collectors and pop culture influencers. Financially, the company has raised approximately $13.6 million to date from institutional backers. Recent messaging highlights strategic alignments with influential partners to expand the company’s cultural and commercial reach. Wristcheck operates a consignment platform for secondhand luxury watches, eschewing inventory costs and letting buyers place bids while showing sellers net proceeds. The marketplace charges 8% to sellers and 4% to buyers, positioning itself as a more transparent alternative to traditional auction houses. The company has built a community of roughly 80,000 members, with 43% of customers under 30, and says it has sold multiple watches that transacted for over $1 million; it does not disclose revenue. Headquartered in Hong Kong, Wristcheck sees advantages from the city's tax regime and proximity to Shenzhen for engineering hires, and over 15% of consigned pieces now come from overseas. With new capital, the startup plans to develop a proprietary image-recognition tool to authenticate watches, cross-check stolen-watch registries, and build an engine for real-time and historical price data. It is actively recruiting a CTO to build out its AI infrastructure and expand its digital product set.