Participated · Series A · Aug 2021

Gross-Wen Technologies builds algae-based wastewater treatment systems using a patented revolving algae biofilm (RAB) technology to recover nitrogen and phosphorus from wastewater. The system allows municipalities and industries to retrofit existing treatment plants to address nutrient management economically and sustainably. During treatment the algae consume CO2 and the resulting algae biomass is sold as a slow-release algal fertilizer or used for bioplastic. The company’s technology was developed at Iowa State University and was founded by Dr. Martin Gross and Dr. Zhiyou Wen. Gross-Wen is based in Slater, Iowa. The company raised a $6.5M Series A to accelerate growth in Iowa and expand operations and business reach.

Led · Series A · Sep 2018

Flow Forward Medical is developing the Arteriovenous Fistula Eligibility (AFE) System, a small external blood pump designed to stimulate flow-mediated vein dilation to make more patients eligible for arteriovenous fistula (AVF) creation. The company aims to increase AVF success rates and unassisted maturation, addressing high AVF failure rates and inadequate vein diameter that prevent many patients from receiving preferred vascular access. The article cites that hemodialysis is a lifesaving treatment for more than 2.3 million patients worldwide and notes AVF failure can be as high as 60 percent after conventional placement. Flow Forward highlights that there are currently no FDA‑approved products to increase AVF eligibility or unassisted AVF maturation. The company plans to advance the AFE System into a first‑in‑human clinical trial planned for 2019. Management states the technology could enable more rapid creation of fully mature, reliable, and long‑lasting AVF vascular access sites. Flow Forward Medical is an early-stage company developing the Arteriovenous Fistula Eligibility (AFE) System, a small, minimally invasive external blood pump intended for temporary use to stimulate flow-mediated dilation of peripheral veins prior to AVF surgery. The AFE System aims to increase the number of patients eligible for arteriovenous fistula creation and to improve post-surgical AVF success rates. In early nonclinical studies the company reported more rapid vein dilation, large increases in blood flow, and a significant reduction in vein wall scarring compared with conventional AVF creation. The company plans to use Series A proceeds to continue development of the AFE System, and will use NIH SBIR funding to test peripheral vein dilation in a nonclinical model. Flow Forward is headquartered in Olathe, Kansas, and to date has raised approximately $5.7 million in equity funding.

Participated · Series A · Mar 2018

Artio Medical is a Prairie Village, Kan.-based medical device company developing products for the peripheral vascular, neurovascular, and cardiology markets. Its core products include the recently cleared Solus Gold™ Embolization Device and the Solus Flex™ Embolization Device for peripheral vessel occlusion. The company is developing ten products for the peripheral vascular market, including the Amplifi™ Vein Dilation System to prepare hemodialysis patients for arteriovenous fistula creation. It is also developing four neurovascular products, including the Endura™ Embolization System comprising a detachable balloon and coils for treatment of saccular brain aneurysms. Artio plans to use new financing to commercialize Solus Gold in the U.S. and to advance its broader product portfolio. The company will also expand its engineering and manufacturing capabilities; the new financing brought total capital raised to date to $74m. Artio Medical is a Prairie Village, Kan.-based medical device company led by President and CEO F. Nicholas Franano, MD. It develops devices for the peripheral vascular, neurovascular, and structural heart markets. Its lead products include the Amplifi Vein Dilation System, intended to prepare hemodialysis patients for vascular access site creation, and the Solus Gold Embolization Device, a low-profile flexible catheter assembly with a non-porous, gold balloon-like implant designed for precise placement and immediate vessel occlusion. The Amplifi system has shown promising results in initial clinical testing. The company closed an additional $12M tranche of Series A financing, bringing the round total to $46M. It intends to use the funds to complete the first-in-human clinical study of Amplifi and to prepare for commercialization of Solus Gold. Artio Medical is a Fairway, Kan.-based medical device company focused on developing innovative endovascular products for the peripheral vascular, neurovascular, and structural heart markets. Its core product highlighted in the article is the Solus Gold™ Embolization Device, designed to provide precision placement, immediate occlusion, and rapid sealing of arteries, veins, saccular aneurysms, and other blood-containing structures. The company plans to use newly raised funds to obtain 510(k) marketing clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to market Solus Gold in the U.S. Artio closed an additional $8.8M in Series A financing, bringing total capital raised to date to more than $20M. The raise is intended to support regulatory clearance and U.S. commercialization efforts. The company is led by President and CEO F. Nicholas Franano, MD. Metactive Medical is developing novel medical devices and catheter delivery systems to treat neurovascular, peripheral vascular and structural heart diseases. Its first products enable precise and immediate occlusion and rapid sealing of arteries, veins, saccular aneurysms, left atrial appendages, and para-valvular leaks using detachable implants and highly flexible catheter delivery systems, including the over-the-wire Blockstent Microcatheter. The company closed an additional $1.2M in Series A financing from Mid-America Angels and Serra Ventures, bringing total funding to more than $10M to date. It was also awarded a $1.5M Phase 2 SBIR grant from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NIH) to commercialize the Blockstent Microcatheter for occlusion of peripheral arteries and veins. The new capital and grant will be used to continue development of its platform of embolic products. Metactive is led by President and CEO F. Nicholas Franano and is based in Fairway, Kansas. Metactive Medical develops novel endovascular embolization devices delivered via an over-the-wire microcatheter platform to enable precise, immediate occlusion and rapid sealing of cerebral aneurysms and peripheral vessel segments. The company reports nonclinical data showing immediate, complete and lasting occlusion of large saccular aneurysms with rapid endothelialization of the aneurysm neck, and robust peripheral occlusion device performance. Proceeds from the recent financing will be used to continue development of devices for occlusion of saccular aneurysms and peripheral arteries and veins. Metactive’s first products are intended to be faster and easier for physicians to use and less expensive for payers relative to existing options. The article notes more than 150,000 peripheral vascular embolization procedures and more than 150,000 cerebral aneurysm embolization procedures are performed worldwide each year, indicating substantial market need. F. Nicholas Franano, MD, serves as President and CEO; the company also appointed David Ferrera to its board to support development and commercialization efforts.

Participated · Equity · Jan 2016

RiskGenius builds a platform that leverages AI and proprietary machine learning to interpret, organize and standardize insurance policy language, enabling clause libraries and automated policy workflows. Its product is designed to help underwriters, brokers and regulators understand complex coverages, create underwriting workflows, and streamline policy review with customized business rules. Following a proof-of-concept earlier in the year that produced strong results comparing policies, RiskGenius signed a multi-year commercial use agreement with QBE North America. Under that agreement QBE North America plans to implement the platform across its business units in North America in the first half of 2018 and upload 125,000 policy documents in 2018. The platform is expected to improve QBE’s speed-to-market for new products, provide new insights into coverages, and introduce intuitive automation to the policy review process. The company is led by CEO Chris Cheatham and is based in Overland Park, Kansas. The business recently received a significant strategic investment that supports its commercial deployment. ClaimKit is an Overland Park, Kan.-based company that develops technology solutions for the insurance industry. Led by CEO Chris Cheatham, the company’s original product, Privity, is a claim document management tool used by insurance carriers, attorneys, consultants and accountants. ClaimKit’s second product, RiskGenius, provides nearly instant policy analysis through machine learning by identifying and categorizing insurance clauses in commercial policies. RiskGenius is designed to let insurance professionals collaborate with prospects and customers to identify coverage gaps in existing and proposed policies. The company raised funds to support the launch of RiskGenius. No operating metrics were disclosed in the article.

Participated · Series A · Aug 2014

EyeVerify’s core product, Eyeprint ID, captures a front-facing smartphone image of the sclera and pattern-matches blood vessels to verify identity. The technology is positioned to replace passwords and address weaknesses in voice and face recognition for secure mobile banking. The company says market trends—improved front-facing cameras, password hacks like Heartbleed, and rising privacy concerns—are accelerating adoption. EyeVerify plans to drive adoption across financial services, enterprise mobility management, mobile security, telecoms, healthcare and government sectors. The company is also participating in Wells Fargo’s startup accelerator, which the bank intends to use as a semiannual boot camp for financial-services technology ideas. The new financing brings the company to approximately $10 million raised to date. EyeVerify develops mobile authentication solutions that leverage existing smartphone cameras and a patented vascular "Eyeprint" Verification System to pattern-match blood vessels in the whites of users' eyes. The product provides secure mobile identity protection and access to personal information without requiring additional hardware. The company announced availability of its solution to the banking and financial services sector, including banks, credit unions, investment firms and payment systems. EyeVerify closed a $2.3M Series A financing to accelerate deployments with major customers, add specific features for the financial sector, and grow its marketing and sales team. Backers included existing investors Think Big Ventures and Nebraska Angels and new investor Mid America Angels. Toby Rush is the company's CEO and founder and the company is based in Kansas City, KS. EyeVerify develops an authentication module that uses mobile device cameras to capture an image of a user’s eye in place of entering a password to access a phone. The software targets industries including financial services, transportation, higher education, healthcare, critical infrastructure, hospitality & gaming, and government. The company was founded in January 2012 and is led by CEO Toby Rush and CSO Dr. Reza Derakhshani. EyeVerify commercializes eye-based biometric identification for mobile platforms and is positioning its product for enterprise and regulated-industry deployments. The article reports a $250K investment from Think Big Ventures I as the company's current financing event. No revenue or user metrics are provided in the article.