Participated · Series B · Apr 2019

Satsuma Pharmaceuticals is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical developing STS101, a dihydroergotamine (DHE) nasal powder for the acute treatment of migraine. STS101 is a novel investigational drug–device combination designed for intranasal administration with a pharmacokinetic profile optimized for consistent and robust clinical efficacy. The company has applied proprietary nasal delivery, dry-powder formulation, and engineered particle technologies to create a compact, simple-to-use, self-administered, non-injectable DHE product. STS101 completed extensive pre-clinical optimization and a Phase 1 clinical trial. Satsuma intends to use the financing to support Phase 3 development and, in consultation with the FDA, has established key elements of its Phase 3 program, including the design of the Phase 3 efficacy study to support an NDA. The company plans to initiate a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled Phase 3 trial in the third quarter of 2019. Satsuma is led by John Kollins and maintains operations in South San Francisco, California and Research Triangle Park, North Carolina. Satsuma Pharmaceuticals is advancing STS101, a migraine therapy that combines dihydroergotamine (DHE) with a proprietary dry‑powder nasal formulation and delivery technology. The nasal formulation and delivery tech were created and developed over the past 15 years by SNBL and are intended to enable rapid absorption with high bioavailability. The company plans to use the Series A proceeds to accelerate development of its lead product candidate, STS101. John Kollins is co-founder, president and chief executive officer. Satsuma is based in South San Francisco, California. The company closed a $12m Series A financing to fund its near-term development plans.

Participated · Series A · Feb 2015

WAVE Life Sciences uses a proprietary synthetic chemistry platform to design stereopure nucleic acid therapeutics that precisely target underlying causes of rare genetic disorders. Its pipeline spans multiple oligonucleotide modalities, including antisense, exon-skipping and single-stranded RNAi, and includes allele-specific programs aimed at gain-of-function orphan diseases. The company says its stereopure chemistry eliminates complex stereoisomer mixtures to improve activity, stability, specificity and immunogenicity while reducing safety risks. WAVE is advancing candidates for Huntington’s disease and Duchenne muscular dystrophy and plans to file its first INDs by the end of 2016. Financially, the company recently completed an oversubscribed $66 million Series B preferred stock financing to fund continued platform development and pipeline advancement. WaVe Life Sciences develops stereopure nucleic acid therapeutics using a platform that produces single, precisely defined oligonucleotide structures with purportedly enhanced pharmaceutical properties versus conventional mixtures. Its chemistry is programmable during synthesis and applies across antisense, siRNA, mRNA and microRNA modalities. The company's pipeline includes antisense and exon-skipping drug candidates targeting diseases across multiple therapeutic areas and enables allele-specific targeting. WaVe plans to advance its programs through preclinical development and to continue strengthening its core technology capabilities. It maintains R&D facilities in Boston and Japan and was founded by Gregory Verdine and Takeshi Wada. The company recently closed an $18 million Series A to fund advancement of its pipeline.