Participated · Series C · Mar 2020

VIDA offers the VIDA Intelligence Portal, an AI-powered platform that supports clinical trial decentralization and improves site recruitment, onboarding, staff training, image data management and data quality. Five months after launching the Portal, demand expanded VIDA’s network to more than 1,000 sites and drove substantial increases in bookings and annual recurring revenue. The company also markets VIDA Insights, a complementary data-driven solution authorized for use in Japan in April 2022 to aid lung care teams at the point of care. VIDA is using product and commercial momentum to accelerate innovation and broader adoption in the biopharma market for clinical data intelligence. Leadership additions and planned strategic senior hires are intended to support rapid commercial growth and operational scale. The company is actively showcasing its solutions at industry conferences to drive awareness and adoption. Vida Diagnostics develops AI-powered CT imaging software and services to aid early detection, evaluation and treatment planning for patients with or at risk of respiratory and lung diseases. Led by CEO Susan A. Wood, Ph.D., the company targets conditions including emphysema, COPD, asthma, interstitial lung disease and lung cancer. Its software and services are FDA cleared, CE-marked, Health Canada licensed and TGA registered for clinical use in the US, EEA, Canada and Australia. Vida plans to use the funds to accelerate development and commercialization of its solutions and to impact patient care for both traditional respiratory diseases and emergent COVID-19 conditions. The company received a $2M second close from OSF Ventures that augmented an $11M tranche announced the prior month, completing a $13M Series C funding round. Based in Coraville, Iowa, Vida is focusing on broader commercial adoption of its AI imaging solutions. Vida Diagnostics develops AI-powered CT imaging software and services to aid early detection, evaluation, and treatment planning for patients with or at risk of lung diseases. Its core product is the LungPrint® solution suite, which the company plans to commercialize more broadly and expand clinically. The company raised an $11M initial close of its Series C financing to accelerate commercialization and expand LungPrint’s clinical portfolio. Vida’s offerings are FDA cleared, CE-marked, Health Canada licensed and TGA registered for clinical use. The technology targets conditions including emphysema, COPD, asthma, interstitial lung disease and lung cancer. The company is led by Susan A. Wood, Ph.D., CEO. Vida Diagnostics develops AI-powered lung analysis software called LungPrint, a fully automated analysis of inspiratory chest CT scans that flags lung density abnormalities indicative of emphysema or interstitial lung disease. The company positions its solution to improve patient outcomes, elevate quality of care, and lower overall health care costs by addressing the growing burden of pulmonary disease. Vida entered a strategic partnership with UnityPoint Health Ventures to develop and commercialize LungPrint and drive adoption across clinical settings. The partnership grants Vida access to UnityPoint Health’s multi-state network of hospitals and clinics and to clinical experts who will inform the company’s product roadmap and commercialization efforts. Vida also secured non-dilutive funding from the Iowa Economic Development Authority. The company is led by CEO Susan A. Wood, Ph.D., and is based in Coralville, Iowa. Vida Diagnostics offers a lung informatics solution that combines image analysis services (Precision Services) with software visualization and analytics (VIDA|vision). The product suite spans diagnostic and therapeutic planning applications for pulmonary disease management. VIDA|vision provides airway mapping software to guide bronchoscopic biopsy for suspected lung cancer and delivers advanced, clinically-validated measures to inform treatment selection for severe emphysema patients. The company serves clinicians treating lung cancer, COPD, and asthma. Vida intends to use the financing to hire additional personnel and enhance its clinical software and services. The company is led by President and CEO Susan A. Wood, Ph.D., and also maintains an office in Minneapolis, MN.

Participated · Equity · May 2018

RenovoRx is a clinical‑stage biopharmaceutical company developing RenovoGem, an oncology drug‑device combination delivered via its proprietary TAMP platform. Its lead program is the pivotal TIGeR‑PaC Phase III study in locally advanced pancreatic cancer, with a primary endpoint of a 6‑month overall survival benefit and secondary endpoints assessing reduced side effects versus standard intravenous chemotherapy. The first interim analysis (26th event) was completed in March 2023 with the Data Monitoring Committee recommending continuation; a second interim analysis is expected at the 52nd event in late 2024. Data from the program have been presented at major oncology meetings, and the company plans a second late‑stage CouGar Phase III study in bile duct cancer. RenovoRx has identified additional potential indications (NSCLC, uterine tumors, glioblastoma, sarcoma) but will require more funding to pursue them. The company says the recent financing bolsters its balance sheet to advance late‑stage programs and reach near‑term clinical milestones. RenovoRx develops the RenovoCath, a dual-balloon infusion catheter designed to isolate blood flow and deliver chemotherapy directly to pancreatic tumors without identifying local blood vessels. The company received FDA clearance for RenovoCath in 2014, a CE Mark in 2015, and expanded FDA labeling in 2017. Based on early feasibility data, the targeted intra-arterial approach suggested an improved survival benefit versus historical controls for locally advanced pancreatic cancer. The FDA granted RenovoCath an Orphan Drug Designation and approved an Investigational New Drug (IND) application enabling the company to proceed directly to a pivotal Phase III study. Enrollment has begun in a randomized Phase III trial comparing intra-arterial chemotherapy via RenovoCath to systemic chemotherapy in ~300 patients at up to 20 U.S. sites, with overall survival as the primary endpoint and safety and quality of life as secondary endpoints. The announced financing will be used to support ongoing product development and these clinical trials. RenovoRx, founded in 2009 and based in San Jose, California, develops novel catheter technologies to deliver fluids to the peripheral vascular system. Its system enables direct, localized delivery of fluids, including radiopaque material and therapeutic agents, to selected sites. The company is led by CEO Marta Gaia Zanchi, COO/CTO Kamran Najmabadi, and CMO Ramtin Agah. In January 2014 RenovoRx closed a $1.15M Series B financing to advance its program. Management says the proceeds will be used to support important milestones and to meet clinical need for its system in 2014. The financing reflects continued investor interest as the company progresses toward clinical objectives.

Participated · Seed · Sep 2014

Zephyrus Biosciences commercializes an scWestern system that performs Western-blot–style protein analysis on thousands of individual cells using microfluidics. The technology emerged from over five years of research in Professor Amy Herr’s lab at UC Berkeley and was published in Nature Methods in June 2014. The company holds an exclusive license from UC Berkeley and is led by founders Drs. Kelly Gardner, Josh Molho, and Amy Herr. Zephyrus’s team includes biologists and engineers with prior industry experience at companies such as Applied Biosystems, Caliper Life Sciences, Affymetrix, Agilent, Millipore and Illumina. The announced financing will support development and commercialization of the scWestern system. Zephyrus is affiliated with QB3, BayBio, StartX Med, and Berkeley SkyDeck.

Participated · Series B · May 2014

Gemmus Pharma is a San Francisco biotechnology company developing host-targeted treatments for influenza, led by CEO Daryl Faulds, PhD. The company is advancing GP1681, an orally available eicosanoid for moderate to severe influenza symptoms. Founded in 2007, Gemmus focuses on modulating the host response to infectious disease rather than direct antiviral mechanisms. It is a member of the QB3 network at UCSF Mission Bay. The company intends to use the new funds to complete production and toxicology studies in support of an IND filing by the end of the year.

Participated · Series A · Aug 2011

Hive Media develops social media games that allow fans to extend engagement with hit movies, TV series and brands across Facebook, iPad and mobile devices. The company targets shows with significant brand recognition, large ardent fan bases, and high-profile marketing and ad-sales programs. Led by CEO Brian Laing, Hive Media has already released a game based on the television show Deadliest Catch. The company raised $1.5M in Series A funding and plans to use the proceeds to develop a game based on Animal Planet and to grow its Deadliest Catch title. Backers in the round include investors from Keiretsu Forum, The Angels' Forum, Band of Angels and Golden Seeds. The financing is aimed at supporting product development and growth on social and mobile platforms.