• HAYA Therapeutics

  Participated · Series A · May 2025

  HAYA Therapeutics develops programmable, RNA-guided therapies that target regulatory long non-coding RNAs to reprogram pathological cell states. Its core product approach maps and decodes the regulatory genome using multimodal functional genomics and proprietary computational and machine-learning methods. The company’s lead candidate, HTX-001, is a first-in-class lncRNA-targeting therapy in development for heart failure, initially focused on non-obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (nHCM). HAYA plans to initiate clinical trials for HTX-001 and to expand its pipeline across pulmonary fibrosis, obesity and other age-related and chronic diseases. The company has also formed strategic collaborations, including a partnership with Eli Lilly focused on RNA-based targets for obesity and metabolic disorders. HAYA is headquartered at the Biopôle life sciences park in Lausanne, Switzerland, with laboratory facilities in San Diego. HAYA Therapeutics develops programmable RNA-guided regulatory genome targeting therapeutics that act on long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) to reprogram pathological cell states. Its lead candidate, HTX-001, is in development for the treatment of heart failure, and the company is advancing a pipeline of lncRNA-targeting precision therapies for other tissues and indications. HAYA positions its platform to address rare, common, chronic and age-associated diseases and is extending its work into oncology. The company received an Innosuisse Certificate for Sustainable Growth and 1.5M CHF (approximately $1.64M USD) in non-dilutive funding to support translational studies over the next two years. Those funds will be used to develop a therapy targeting cancer-associated fibroblast-specific lncRNA for aggressive solid tumors. HAYA is headquartered at Biopôle in Lausanne, Switzerland, and maintains laboratory facilities at JLABS @ San Diego. HAYA Therapeutics develops a proprietary regulatory genome discovery platform that identifies tissue-, disease- and cell-specific long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) targets and enables RNA-targeting therapies. The platform is positioned to reprogram disease-driving cell states with the aim of delivering therapies that may have better efficacy and less toxicity than current treatments. HAYA is applying this full-stack platform to discovery and validation of lncRNA targets for obesity and related metabolic disorders. Under a multi-year collaboration with Eli Lilly, the partners will identify, characterize, and validate multiple regulatory genome-derived RNA-based drug targets. The company will receive an upfront payment that includes an equity investment and stands to earn milestone payments and royalties if programs progress. HAYA’s immediate plans center on preclinical drug discovery work within the collaboration to generate candidate targets and advance them toward development. HAYA Therapeutics is a Biopôle-based Swiss startup developing precision medicines and lncRNA-targeting anti-fibrotics using its proprietary DiscoverHAYA drug discovery engine. The company has established a new laboratory at JLABS @ San Diego while maintaining its main headquarters and laboratory facilities in Lausanne. HAYA will use the new funding to grow its team in Switzerland and San Diego and to advance its lead therapeutic candidate that targets a driver of cardiac fibrosis. The lead therapy is being developed to treat non-obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, an orphan indication with limited treatment options. Financially, HAYA closed a $5 million seed extension that brings the total seed financing to approximately $25 million. HAYA Therapeutics develops precision genomic medicines that target tissue- and cell-specific long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) to prevent and reverse fibrosis and other age-related conditions. Its proprietary DiscoverHAYA™ drug discovery engine generates a pipeline of lncRNA-targeting anti-fibrotics for organs including heart, lung, kidney, liver and the tumor microenvironment. The lead program is an antisense oligonucleotide targeting the cardiac-enriched lncRNA Wisper, which in preclinical studies at Lausanne University Hospital demonstrated the ability to halt and potentially reverse cardiac fibrosis. HAYA secured an exclusive license from CHUV for the Wisper asset and is preparing to initiate clinical trials in non-obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. The company is headquartered at the Biopôle life sciences park in Lausanne, Switzerland and is led by a team of lncRNA and fibrosis experts. The CHF 18 million seed financing will be used to advance discovery and development of its organ- and cell-selective therapeutic programs.

• Alleviant Medical

  Participated · Equity · Jan 2025

  Alleviant Medical develops the Alleviant System, a minimally invasive, no-implant atrial shunt designed to relieve excess pressure by creating a temporary connection between the left and right atrial chambers. The procedure is one-time and leaves no permanent implant behind. The Alleviant System has received U.S. FDA Breakthrough Device designation for both major forms of heart failure. The company is running pivotal clinical programs across the full spectrum of heart failure, with ALLAY-HF evaluating patients with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) and on track to finalize enrollment within the next year. The new program, ALLAY-HFrEF, will investigate patients with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) and is planned as a prospective sham-controlled pivotal trial. Alleviant is headquartered in Austin, Texas. Alleviant Medical is developing the Alleviant System, a minimally invasive, implant-free interatrial shunt intended to decompress the left atrium and treat chronic heart failure. The company has FDA Breakthrough Device designation (2021) and received an IDE approval in November 2022 to support clinical investigation. Clinical studies to date have enrolled 38 heart failure patients, showing functional and symptomatic improvement with shunt durability confirmed through six months and sustained improvement through 12 months. Alleviant will use the new financing to fund ALLAY-HF, a global, prospective, multicenter, randomized, sham-controlled, double-blinded, adaptive pivotal trial enrolling 400–700 patients with HFpEF and HFmrEF. The trial’s composite primary endpoint analysis will be conducted at one year and is designed to demonstrate safety and effectiveness of the Alleviant System. The company is headquartered in Austin, Texas and is backed by a syndicate of institutional and strategic healthcare investors.

• Antag Therapeutics

  Participated · Series A · Dec 2024

  Antag Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering and developing therapies for obesity and cardiometabolic diseases via antagonism of the Glucose-Dependent Insulinotropic Polypeptide Receptor (GIPR). Its lead program, AT-7687, is a novel once-weekly subcutaneous peptide GIPR antagonist designed for co-administration with GLP-1 medicines and as a single-agent maintenance therapy. In non-human primate studies AT-7687 plus a GLP-1 produced best-in-industry weight loss and also improved glycemic control and lipid profiles independent of weight changes, reportedly without gastrointestinal side effects. The company plans to use the Series A proceeds to support clinical development of AT-7687 and to accelerate expansion of its pipeline of monthly injectable therapies and combinations beyond GLP-1 receptor agonists. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has accepted Antag’s IND for AT-7687, setting the stage for clinical development to begin early next year. Alexander Hovard Sparre-Ulrich serves as CEO.

• XII Medical

  Participated · Series B · Aug 2024

  XII Medical develops a patient-centric neuromodulation therapy to improve treatment and quality of life for people with obstructive sleep apnea. The company is clinical-stage and its platform is currently limited to investigational use and not available for sale. Led by CEO Garrett Schwab and founded in 2017, XII Medical is based in Union City, California. The company intends to use new funding to further product and clinical development. XII raised $45M in a recently announced financing to support those efforts. XII Medical is a private health technology company focused on treating obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). It is led by President and CEO Garrett Schwab and is based in Union City, California. The company is developing a proprietary, patient-centric solution for people suffering from OSA. XII Medical plans to use new funding to advance the development of that solution. The article does not disclose revenue, users, or other operating metrics. The company previously counted Cleveland Clinic as a founding investor.

• AtaCor Medical

  Participated · Series C · Apr 2024

  AtaCor Medical is a San Clemente, CA-based medical device company advancing extravascular cardiac rhythm management technology. Its core products include a proprietary extravascular temporary pacing lead system and a third-generation EV-ICD lead. The company’s technology aims to provide benefits of traditional transvenous implantable cardiac defibrillation and temporary pacing without placing leads or devices in the heart or vascular system, preserving the heart for future care. AtaCor plans to use the new financing to support an FDA submission for its extravascular temporary pacing lead and to complete a pilot study for the third-generation EV-ICD lead system. Led by CEO Rick Sanghera, management says the investment will advance clinical and regulatory milestones. The company is positioning its novel products to bring them to patients. AtaCor Medical is developing a novel extracardiac pacing system designed to provide cardiac pacing without placing hardware on or inside the heart. The extracardiac lead is intended to be inserted without medical imaging, avoids vascular access, and leaves the heart untouched. The design aims to eliminate bedrest restrictions associated with temporary pacing and to improve patient mobility and post-procedural recovery. The technology has completed early clinical evaluation and the company is developing the system for both temporary and permanent pacing markets. AtaCor plans to use new funding to finish development, build additional clinical evidence, and pursue US and EU regulatory clearances. The company was established in 2014, its management team has over 80 years of combined experience, and the extracardiac pacing system is not yet approved for sale in any geography. AtaCor Medical is developing a novel extravascular substernal cardiac pacing system that requires no hardware to be placed inside or onto the patient’s heart. The substernal lead is inserted without the need for medical imaging, avoids vascular access, and leaves the heart untouched. The design aims to eliminate bedrest restrictions associated with temporary pacing and to improve post-procedural mobility and recovery. The technology is being developed for both temporary and permanent pacing markets and targets treatment of transient and chronic bradycardia, including temporary pacing needs tied to TAVR procedures. The company is not yet approved for sale in any geography. The $8.8M Series A financing will support continued development efforts. AtaCor was established in 2014 and is based in San Clemente, California; its management team brings over 80 years of combined experience in implantable cardiac devices and electrophysiology.

No current team members are available.