• GenXComm

  Participated · Series A · Dec 2017

  GenXComm offers a Network-as-a-Service platform delivering turnkey private 4G LTE and 5G mesh networks for enterprise and industrial customers. Its technology, developed from University of Texas research, combines radio frequency and photonics and enables wireless channels to transmit and receive simultaneously on the same frequencies. The approach aims to produce bandwidth-efficient, secure, interference-free and cost-effective mobile networks with greater coverage than conventional WiFi. GenXComm’s solutions can operate across a variety of spectrum bands, including CBRS, and are deployable for state and federal agencies, industrial and manufacturing environments, transportation and distribution centers, utilities, agriculture, healthcare, large venues and temporary events. The company plans to use new funding to accelerate product development and the commercial launch of its private LTE and 5G offerings. GenXComm commercializes a full‑duplex radio designed to operate reliably under tough real‑world conditions and to enable full‑duplex links for Cable (DOCSIS), Wi‑Fi, 5G and the Internet of Things. Its technology emerged from four years of multidisciplinary research and development at The University of Texas at Austin. The company was founded in 2016 by CEO Sriram Vishwanath and inventor Hardik Jain and is based in Austin, Texas. GenXComm held the initial closing of a $7m Series A funding round to expand its R&D team. The Series A round was led by Intel Capital with participation from existing and new investors. The round could see additional investors join in a secondary closing.

• Lung Therapeutics

  Participated · Series B · Jun 2017

  Lung Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing novel therapies for orphan pulmonary indications. The company’s lead candidate, LTI-01, is being developed to treat Loculated Pleural Effusions (LPE) and completed a Phase I dose-escalation trial in 14 LPE patients that appeared well tolerated and demonstrated evidence of LPE resolution. Its second candidate, LTI-03, has shown potent antifibrotic activity in multiple preclinical models and is ready to enter clinical development for Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF). The recently closed $36 million Series C will fund the advancement and completion of multiple clinical trials, including a Phase II trial of LTI-01 and a Phase I trial of LTI-03. The company has raised $53 million in outside funding to date. Lung Therapeutics is headquartered in Austin, Texas and was formed to leverage decades of research in orphan pulmonary indications. Lung Therapeutics is a clinical-stage pharmaceutical company based in Austin, Texas, focused on developing novel therapeutics for niche, orphan indications in fibrosis, lung injury and lung disease. The company is advancing two lead programs: LTI-03 for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and LTI-01 for pleural effusion with loculation. Led by CEO Brian Windsor, PhD, Lung Therapeutics pursues non-surgical treatment options where current effective therapies are lacking. The company has raised $17M in total outside funding plus $27M in non-dilutive funding awarded for discovery research and development for its drug candidates. It recently closed a $14.3M Series B to support its pipeline. Proceeds are intended to fund ongoing LTI-01 clinical trials in Australia and New Zealand and development activities to advance LTI-03. Lung Therapeutics is developing LTI-01, an injectable fibrinolytic intended to reduce fibrinous scars (loculation) in the pleural cavity to enable fluid drainage without surgery, positioned as a first-in-class therapy for pleural effusion with loculation. Its pipeline also includes LTI-02 for acute lung injury and LTI-03 for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, and the company is seeking orphan drug designations for its clinical programs. The company was formed from research out of Dr. Steven Idell's lab at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Tyler and is led by CEO Brian Windsor. Lung Therapeutics has received significant prior grant funding, including NIH support, to facilitate preclinical development. Financially, LTI closed an initial Series A Preferred Stock financing totaling $1,550,000 (including $550,000 of converted debt) with an additional $1,200,000 committed upon milestone achievement for a total of $2,750,000. The company intends to use the funding to advance LTI-01 toward clinical trials (targeted for 2015 in the press release) and to progress its orphan-drug focused programs.

• Alafair Biosciences

  Participated · Series A · Aug 2016

  Alafair Biosciences has developed the VersaWrap family of surgical products, with VersaWrap™ Tendon Protector (VersaWrap™ TP) recently cleared by the FDA. VersaWrap TP is indicated for management and protection of tendon injuries where there has been no substantial loss of tendon tissue. The company plans to launch VersaWrap TP directly and through partnerships with major medical device companies. Alafair intends to use new funding to aggressively expand sales and marketing efforts and to broaden and accelerate pipeline product development. The company is Austin-based and privately held. Its board now includes ATP Fund managing partner Kyle Cox following the financing. Alafair is developing a film made from naturally occurring sugar molecules intended to keep tissues and organs separate while they heal, targeting post-surgical adhesions. The company says its product is similar to Genzyme’s Seprafilm but offers better handling, greater robustness, elasticity and conformability. It is conducting pilot animal studies and developing additional product formulations while exploring both European and FDA regulatory pathways. Financially, the company has been funded by research grants, including a $104,000 SBIR grant from the NIH. A recent regulatory filing shows it collected a $525,000 equity investment and could raise another $125,000. Alafair was formed in 2011 with technology licensed from the University of Texas and is headed by Dr. Daniel Peterson in Austin, Texas.

• MicroTransponder

  Participated · Equity · Dec 2015

  MicroTransponder is a global medical device company focused on research-based neuroscience solutions to restore sensory and motor function for people with neurological conditions. Its FDA-approved Vivistim Paired VNS System is clinically proven to generate improvement in upper limb function for chronic ischemic stroke survivors after six weeks of in-clinic occupational or physical therapy. Vivistim is an implanted device that a therapist pairs with vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) during high-repetition, goal-oriented therapy tasks to increase neuroplasticity. The company says Vivistim helps stroke survivors regain 2–3 times more upper extremity function. MicroTransponder intends to use the new funds to expand operations and its R&D efforts. The company is headquartered in Austin, Texas. MicroTransponder develops research-based neuroscience solutions and is focused on restoring function for people with neurological conditions that impair sensory and motor function. Its core product is the FDA-approved Vivistim Paired VNS System, which pairs vagus nerve stimulation with rehabilitation therapy to improve upper limb function for stroke survivors. The company says Vivistim generates more improvement in upper limb function than rehabilitation alone after six weeks of in-clinic therapy. MicroTransponder intends to use newly raised funds to support market development and commercialization of Vivistim. Leadership includes CEO Richard Foust and newly appointed COO Prashant Rawat, a named inventor on more than 85 patents and patent applications with over 25 years of medical device experience. Rawat’s role will focus on scaling operations to meet commercial demand, securing additional indications for Vivistim, and advancing development of the next-generation Paired VNS Therapy system. MicroTransponder is a Dallas, Texas-based medical device development company led by CEO Frank McEachern. The company develops and continues to expand neurostimulation programs to treat neurological diseases, including post-stroke motor rehabilitation and tinnitus. Its Vivistim® System is designed to treat stroke patients with upper limb deficit and consists of a small implanted battery and wires that connect to the vagus nerve in the neck. During rehabilitative therapy the device delivers a small amount of neurostimulation to the vagus nerve to strengthen neural pathways in the brain. MicroTransponder closed a $5.5M funding round in October 2015. The company intends to use the funds to commercialize its stroke and tinnitus therapies in Europe in 2016 and to complete additional clinical studies. MicroTransponder, Inc. is a Dallas, TX-based medical device company focused on vagus nerve stimulation therapies and wireless pain platforms. It partners with the University of Texas at Dallas to develop vagus nerve stimulation therapy for various neurological disorders. Initial therapeutic targets are stroke, tinnitus, and chronic pain, and its products include the Vivistim System for post-stroke upper-limb deficits and the Serenity® System for tinnitus. The company is led by CEO Frank McEachern. MicroTransponder intends to use new funding to complete three additional clinical trials for stroke and tinnitus and to continue development of its wireless pain platform. The company completed a $3.39M funding round and previously raised $9.6M in 2010. MicroTransponder is a Dallas, Texas-based medical device company developing a wireless neurostimulation platform for the treatment of chronic pain and other neurological indications. Its initial product is the SAINT™ System for chronic pain. The company announced a $7M Series B financing and was awarded a $2.6M NINDS SBIR FastTrack U44 grant. The grant is a milestone-driven cooperative agreement to support pre-clinical validation of devices for neuropathic pain and manufacturing scale-up. The combined funding has allowed MicroTransponder to hire premier clinical and regulatory expertise and to prepare a series of clinical trials and regulatory filings for the SAINT System. Recent hires include Dr. Evan Rosenfeld as Chief Medical Officer and Vice President of Regulatory Affairs and Brent Tarver as Vice President of Clinical Affairs.

• Aeglea BioTherapeutics

  Participated · Series B · Mar 2015

  Aeglea Biotherapeutics develops engineered human enzymes that degrade specific amino acids to address inborn errors of metabolism and to target abnormal amino acid metabolism in tumors. Its lead candidate, AEB1102 (optimized human Arginase I), is being developed as an enzyme replacement therapy for hyperargininemia and as a systemic arginine‑depleting cancer therapy. The company expected AEB1102 to enter Phase I/II clinical proof‑of‑concept studies as early as the second half of 2015 for both indications. Three additional preclinical candidates include AEB4104 (homocystine degradation for homocystinuria), AEB3103 (cysteine/cystine degradation to increase oxidative stress for hematologic and solid malignancies) and AEB2109 (methionine degradation for solid tumors). Proceeds from the recent financing will support clinical advancement of the lead program and preclinical development of the pipeline. Aeglea was founded in 2013 based on engineered enzymes invented in George Georgiou’s laboratory at The University of Texas at Austin. Aeglea BioTherapeutics is an Austin, Texas–based early-stage drug development company focused on novel cancer treatments. It is developing three drugs invented at the University of Texas that degrade certain amino acids in the circulation to exploit cancer’s metabolic vulnerability and selectively kill tumors. The company is led by President and CEO David G. Lowe, PhD, and is working in partnership with Dr. George Georgiou of UT Austin. Aeglea joined the Austin Technology Incubator (ATI) at the IC2 Institute, University of Texas at Austin. It says the recent financing will fund growth, hiring, research and manufacturing for its lead drug and preparation for the first phase of clinical trials.

No current team members are available.