Participated · Seed · Aug 2021

pumpspotting offers a tech-enabled, community-centric lactation program that helps organizations implement comprehensive baby-feeding support and compliance with federal, state, and city laws. The platform is delivered as an employee benefit and as a commercial solution for guests, customers, fans, patients, and visitors. pumpspotting has served more than 70,000 parents since its founding, and the product emphasizes continuous community support and expert guidance for feeding journeys at work, home, and on-the-go. The company has expanded beyond workplace programs into retail and community partnerships and is launching pumpspotting Healthcare to serve health-care environments. pumpspotting positions its offering as a way for employers to attract, retain, and support parents while meeting new legal requirements such as the PUMP Act and the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act. Customers and partners cited in the article include DraftKings, Consigli Construction, Ally Logistics, the Portland Sea Dogs, and the Waukesha County Breastfeeding Coalition. pumpspotting provides software and services that support nursing, pumping, and breastfeeding parents, offering access to feeding experts, evidence-based content, and personalized encouragement. Its platform creates safe places to nurse and pump worldwide and connects a virtual community of parents 24×7. The company’s solutions are deployed by employers, retailers, universities and other partners. pumpspotting has supported a virtual community of more than 40,000 baby-feeding parents. The company raised $1.15M in seed funding and intends to use the proceeds to accelerate growth in the B2B channel. pumpspotting was founded in 2015 by CEO Amy VanHaren and is based in Kittery, Maine.

Led · Seed · Aug 2021

TOP the organic project is a women-owned period-product company that makes 100% certified organic-cotton tampons and pads, marketed as hypoallergenic and free from synthetics, toxins, pesticides, dyes and fragrances. Its tampons use a trademarked Planticator®, a plant-based applicator designed to replace traditional plastic applicators. The brand operates a give-back model to address period poverty, having donated nearly 750,000 period products, and supports food banks and school districts through philanthropic partnerships. Since founding in 2018, TOP has expanded into about 1,500 retailers nationwide, including Sprouts, HEB, Wegmans and Target.com, and has reported triple-digit year-over-year growth. With the newly announced $2 million seed extension (part of $3 million raised since founding), the company plans to expand retail presence and product offerings, bolster marketing, and grow its team. TOP has also launched partnerships with Imperfect Foods and rolled out a First Period Gift Box for teens and parents to drive education and accessibility.

Participated · Series B · Sep 2015

Cognition Therapeutics uses disease-relevant screening and novel chemistry platform approaches to produce a pipeline of new small-molecule drug candidates targeting protein misfolding diseases of the nervous system. Its lead clinical candidate is a highly brain-penetrant, orally bioavailable small-molecule receptor antagonist that blocks memory deficits in Alzheimer’s disease models. The company is led by CEO Dr. Hank Safferstein. Cognition completed a $12M Series B financing to support its programs. The proceeds will be used to advance its lead Alzheimer’s program into Phase 1 clinical studies by the end of 2015. The company is based in Pittsburgh, PA. Cognition Therapeutics is a drug discovery company developing disease-modifying therapies for central nervous system disorders, with a focus on Alzheimer’s disease. The company uses proprietary, biologically-relevant screening technology across biology and chemistry platforms to discover novel drug targets. Its platforms have produced compounds that selectively block soluble Abeta oligomer–induced toxicity on synapses without affecting normal Abeta expression or function. Mechanism-of-action studies have revealed strategies to target receptors and pathways central to Alzheimer’s pathology. The company was founded in 2007 and is led by CEO Hank Safferstein, Ph.D., J.D. Financially, Cognition Therapeutics has received multiple financings, including a recent $138K funding commitment and prior Series A1 financing. Cognition Therapeutics is a Pittsburgh-based drug discovery company focused on novel small molecules intended to block the central toxicity of proteins in Alzheimer’s and other neurodegenerative diseases. The company has developed multiple screening strategies to identify candidate compounds that target disease pathways. Led by President and CEO Hank Safferstein, Ph.D., J.D., Cognition aims to advance its lead compounds toward Investigational New Drug (IND) candidate status. Financially, the company recently closed a $2.5M Series A1 financing comprised of new investment and conversion of convertible debt. The proceeds are earmarked to bring compounds to IND-candidate readiness. In conjunction with the financing, Dr. Nada Jain of Golden Seeds and Mark Breedlove of Keystone Profiles joined the company’s board of directors. Cognition Therapeutics focuses on detecting Abeta proteins implicated in Alzheimer’s and developing molecules to block their harmful effects. The company is developing tests to identify those proteins and therapeutic molecules intended to stop or reverse Alzheimer’s-related degeneration. Cognition says its discoveries could also be applied to other neurodegenerative diseases. The underlying advancements are licensed from California State University Channel Islands. Cognition moved to Pittsburgh about two years ago from California. The company has raised $1.2 million in a Series A to further study its tests and treatments.

Led · Equity · Mar 2015

Bounce Imaging, based in Boston, MA, develops the Explorer, a small rugged ball equipped with six cameras that syncs wirelessly to a smartphone or tablet. The device is designed to capture photos and document intel in dark, hard-to-reach, or dangerous spaces. The Explorer features a shock-absorbing rubber outer shell, cameras providing 360-degree panoramic visibility, white strobing lights, and near-infrared LEDs to illuminate dark rooms. According to the report, Bounce Imaging has raised $1.25 million. Investors named in the articles are MIT Alumni Angels of Northern California and Maine Angels.

Participated · Series B · Jul 2014

Siamab Therapeutics (formerly Sialix) has refocused on developing monoclonal antibodies to hinder tumor growth and advance cancer immunotherapy. The company targets tumor-associated carbohydrate antigens (TACAs), abnormal glycans on cancer cell surfaces, and says it has identified highly specific antibodies that can kill tumor cells and inhibit progression. Its technology was licensed from glycobiology researcher Ajit Varki at the University of California, San Diego, and Siamab maintains corporate headquarters in Cambridge while doing lab work in San Diego. With the latest funding the company is developing in vivo data for its first program and building an IND-enabling data package, with the aim of entering the clinic in the next couple of years. Financially, Siamab completed a $6 million Series B that began last year, with an additional $2 million tranche announced recently largely from angel investors.