Participated · Series A · Jan 2025

Alesta Therapeutics is a Leiden, Netherlands–based biotech focused on developing orally active small-molecule therapies for underserved rare diseases. The company is advancing two lead programs: ALE1, an oral candidate for hypophosphatasia (HPP) that inhibits a novel target to reduce inorganic pyrophosphate (PPi), and ALE2, a GCN2 inhibitor aimed at tRNA‑mutation forms of Charcot‑Marie‑Tooth (CMT). ALE1 was in‑licensed from 1cBio and has shown preclinical PPi reduction across multiple animal models; it is undergoing GLP toxicology studies with clinical studies expected to start in 2025. ALE2 has supporting preclinical data and is being advanced toward clinical development to address chronic neurotoxicity driven by the integrated stress response. The company is led by CEO Ilan Ganot with senior scientific and medical leadership in place and collaborates with academic partners and disease advocacy groups. Alesta announced an oversubscribed €65 million Series A in January 2025 to fund advancement of ALE1 toward clinical proof of concept and to accelerate development of ALE2.

Participated · Seed · Nov 2022

Luminopia is a commercial-stage company pioneering a new class of treatments for neuro-visual disorders with its lead product, Luminopia, a software-based therapeutic for amblyopia delivered through a virtual reality headset. The FDA approved Luminopia via the De Novo pathway in October 2021, and a 510(k) clearance in November 2022 expanded the list of compatible headsets. The therapy uses dual-acting algorithms to modify TV shows and movies in real time (700+ hours of content) to promote weaker-eye usage and produced a 1.8-line mean improvement in visual acuity over three months in a Phase 3 pivotal trial. Luminopia is prescription-only, currently being prescribed at top eye institutes and private practices and is dispensed through a retail pharmacy. The company is preparing a full commercial rollout later this year and is an Innovation Partner of Boston Children’s Hospital, which holds equity. The recent financing is intended to support commercialization and scale adoption among eye-care professionals and patients aged 4–7 indicated for treatment. Luminopia develops a software-only, prescription digital therapeutic that runs on commercially available head‑mounted displays and uses proprietary algorithms to modify TV shows and movies in real time to promote weaker-eye usage. The lead product is FDA‑approved via the De Novo pathway (Oct 2021) and had a subsequent 510(k) clearance (Nov 2022) to expand compatible headsets; its Phase 3 pivotal trial demonstrated safety and efficacy and was published in Ophthalmology. The therapy is indicated to improve visual acuity in children aged 4–7 with amblyopia associated with anisometropia and/or mild strabismus and is intended for at‑home, prescription use alongside refractive correction. Luminopia provides 700+ hours of licensed content and delivers a binocular therapeutic effect, distinguishing it from monocular approaches like patching or atropine. The company plans a staged rollout to pediatric ophthalmologists starting this month, followed by a broader launch in the second half of 2023, with prescriptions distributed through an online retail pharmacy. The company recently completed an oversubscribed seed extension financing to support commercialization and broader market launch. Luminopia builds a prescription therapeutic that alters TV video in real time when viewed through a VR headset to promote usage of a weaker eye in children with amblyopia. The company has secured content deals with Sesame Workshop, Nickelodeon, DreamWorks and NBC to supply over 100 hours of modified programming. In a randomized controlled trial of 105 children, the treatment group improved by 1.8 lines on a standard eye chart versus 0.8 lines in the comparison group, with some children gaining two or more lines at 12 weeks. Adherence was high in the trial: children completed 88% of prescribed minutes and 94% of parents said they were likely or very likely to use the treatment instead of an eye patch. Earlier pilot data (including a small cohort of 10 children) showed roughly three-line improvements and informed the pivotal study. Luminopia submitted pivotal trial data to the FDA via the De Novo pathway last March and is anticipating a regulatory decision by the end of the year, with a potential product launch early next year if cleared. The company has about four employees and has raised roughly $12 million to date from investors including Sesame Ventures and angel backers such as Robert Langer and Jeffrey Dunn.