The Venture Codex

Participated · Seed · Jun 2026

Channel Robotics is developing a patented handheld AI-enabled endoscopic robotic platform designed to deliver robotic-level dexterity through existing flexible endoscopes. The company aims to expand access to advanced endoscopic procedures by avoiding large capital-intensive robotic systems and enabling use across hospitals, ambulatory surgery centers, and community practices. Channel plans to continue prototype refinement, expand engineering and product development, and advance manufacturing and quality systems ahead of regulatory submission. Management targets an FDA submission in 2027 and is preparing for commercial launch following regulatory clearance. Financially, Channel has raised a total of $4.6 million across a $2.1 million Seed and a $2.5 million Seed+ led by True Ventures, which will fund the company’s near-term development and regulatory milestones. Founded by Dr. Philip Weissbrod and Dr. Michael Yip, the company emphasizes practical, scalable robotic solutions that integrate into existing clinical workflows.

Led · Seed · Jan 2023

Porter operates a technology-driven care coordination platform focused on quality and risk adjustment, connecting plan members to the resources, services, products, and education they need to live at home. The company uses technology and AI to streamline care coordination, remove barriers to follow-up treatment, improve patient outcomes, and drive compliance for risk adjustment programs. Porter’s services reach across the U.S. and serve a covered patient population of over two million, helping members from diverse backgrounds with a wide range of health conditions. The platform is positioned to support payors and providers by simplifying care navigation and enhancing member experience. Leadership cites plans to increase investment in the company’s technology and to expand its geographic footprint. Eir Partners provided legal counsel through McDermott Will & Emery for the transaction. Porter provides a healthcare IT and services platform that connects members with navigable content, a curated marketplace, coverage information, and an online health community. Its virtual Care Guide Team, driven by AI analytics, helps members navigate the healthcare delivery system and secures support for care at home. Led by founder and CEO John Criswell, the company bundles technology and clinical services to enable care coordination and quality optimization. Porter intends to use new funding to strengthen its position as a technology and clinical services platform for care coordination and quality optimization, benefitting patients and payors. The platform emphasizes personalized services and information to match each member’s unique needs.

Led · Seed · Jul 2021

Liatris develops scalable inorganic nanocomposite thermal insulation designed to be non-combustible, easy to install, economical, and environmentally friendly. Its core product roadmap includes high-performance R‑10/inch building insulation and a new effort to create flexible insulation for high-temperature industrial and non-combustible building uses. The company has received selective federal support, including a $1M NSF Phase II SBIR award (March 2022) and a $1.6M DOE BENEFIT award (October 2021) to advance its materials. Since winning the Sto Building Materials Challenge in 2019, Liatris has raised $4M in follow-on funding from collaborative research awards and investor funding, including an oversubscribed $1M seed round closed last July. Liatris is expanding R&D capacity by leasing a 4,880 sq ft Class A lab in Rockville, MD and adding six full-time employees to support the new projects. The company plans to scale lab infrastructure and training through collaborations with state and local programs as it moves toward commercializing its insulation products. Liatris is developing a board-based insulation that will be fully non-combustible per the ASTM E136 standard and made primarily from low-carbon inorganic materials. Its first product is a non-flammable insulation board for which lab samples have demonstrated >R-5 per inch, comparable to high-performance foam. The company intends to use the $1M seed to scale up pilot samples of this product. R&D to date has been funded by Sto (which has a purchase order in place), the National Science Foundation’s SBIR program, and the Maryland Industrial Partnership (MIPS). The patented technology was developed by Dr. Arthur Yang, Liatris’s CTO. Liatris is led by co-founder and CEO Frank Yang and is based in Bethesda, Maryland.

Led · Seed · Jan 2021

Rose Health provides a HIPAA-compliant mental health patient monitoring app and provider dashboard powered by patent-pending AI and natural language processing that produces a proprietary "Rose score." The platform is informed by clinical trials and research at Johns Hopkins and is positioned to detect speech and emotion markers tied to depression and mood disorders. The company plans to use new funding to support customer acquisition, new feature development, creation of a child/adolescent version of the platform, and an employer program pilot with the Visiting Nurse Service of New York. Visiting Nurse Service of New York (VNSNY) will serve as both investor and early client, planning to integrate the app with its services. Rose says the product supports remote patient monitoring for depression and anxiety and cites evidence-based studies showing positive outcomes. The company targets the estimated 43 million Americans experiencing mental illnesses.