Participated · Series B · Feb 2026

Kainova Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on modulating G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) to improve patient outcomes in immuno-oncology and inflammation. The company’s lead program is a clinical-stage, Treg-depleting anti-CCR8 antibody that management says offers differentiated competitive features. A second program, currently at the pre-IND stage, is a first-in-class biased antagonist of PAR2 aimed at inflammatory pathways. By advancing these assets, Kainova seeks to build a diversified pipeline of GPCR-targeting therapies that can address multiple high-value indications. The firm operates across North America, France, and Australia, leveraging global clinical infrastructure. Proceeds from its recent Series B financing will be used to move its GPCR programs further into clinical development. No revenue, patient enrollment, or other operating metrics were disclosed, reflecting its pre-commercial status.

Participated · Series B · Sep 2023

Deka Biosciences, based in Germantown, MD and led by CEO Dr. John Mumm, develops disease-specific Diakines designed to target the accumulation of dual and complementary cytokines into affected tissues to improve pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics. The company recently received an FDA notice to proceed for its IND to evaluate DK210 (EGFR) and is continuing clinical trials. It closed a $20M Series B2 financing to support advancement of its pipeline and drug product manufacturing. Management says the funds will be used to advance clinical programs and scale drug product manufacturing. Detlev Biniszkiewicz, Ph.D. of MPM BioImpact will join Deka’s board as part of the raise. Deka Biosciences is an early-stage biotech developing novel cytokine therapies (Diakines™) to treat cancer and inflammatory diseases such as Crohn’s, psoriasis, rheumatoid arthritis and sepsis. Its Diakines™ are disease-specific therapeutic proteins designed to maximize patient benefit through improved pharmacokinetics/pharmacodynamics via targeted delivery of dual and complementary cytokines to affected tissues or cells. The company applies precision medicine to ensure treatment of patients most likely to benefit from and respond to cytokine therapies. Deka intends to use the newly raised funds to advance research, expand talent acquisition, and further develop its platform. Specifically, the company plans to file an Investigational New Drug (IND) application for its lead oncology program and advance the lead compound into Phase I clinical trials. Deka raised $20M in a Series A from strategic and venture investors to support these initiatives.

Participated · Series A · May 2022

Domain Therapeutics focuses on discovery and development of novel therapeutics targeting GPCR-mediated immunosuppression in cancer. Its lead clinical program is an EP4R antagonist, DT-9081, and the company is advancing two additional GPCR programs including an anti-CCR8 antibody toward IND filing. Domain leverages proprietary platforms to identify first-in-class GPCR assets and is also working on biomarkers and tissue/protein expression strategies to select responsive patients. The company operates across France and Canada and has previously delivered a GPCR drug candidate in collaboration with Merck KGaA. Proceeds from the announced financing will fund clinical development of DT-9081, IND-enabling work for the two additional programs, and progression of its discovery-stage pipeline. Domain Therapeutics is a Strasbourg, France-based biopharmaceutical company specialized in discovery and development of new drug candidates targeting G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) in neurology, oncology and rare diseases. Led by CEO Pascal Neuville, the company identifies and develops allosteric modulators and biased ligands. It leverages an innovative business model with three revenue-generating pillars: collaborations with pharma for discovery, out-licensing of its bioSens-All™ technology, and creation of asset-centric vehicles to develop its internal preclinical pipeline. Domain recently closed a €6m non-dilutive debt financing to expand its proprietary drug portfolio and prepare the next round of financing. The financing was provided by the French Public Investment Bank, Banque Populaire Alsace Lorraine Champagne, Credit Industriel et Commercial (CIC) and Caisse d’Epargne Grand Est Europe. The company intends to use the funds to advance its programs and strengthen its position ahead of future fundraising. Domain Therapeutics focuses on discovery and early development of drug candidates that target membrane receptors, using allosteric modulators and biased ligands. Its core technologies include the bioSens-All™ platform and other proprietary approaches to identify and develop candidates. The company operates three revenue-generating pillars: collaborations with pharma for discovery, out-licensing of bioSens-All™, and creating asset-centric vehicles to develop internal preclinical candidates. In 2018 it executed these pillars via a multitarget collaboration with Boehringer Ingelheim, a license of bioSens-All™ to BMS, and the acquisition by Lundbeck of Prexton Therapeutics. Founded in 2008 and led by CEO Pascal Neuville, Domain Therapeutics is based in Strasbourg, France. The company recently secured €3.5M in funding from existing shareholder Seventure Partners to accelerate its next growth phase. Domain Therapeutics, led by CEO Pascal Neuville, is a biopharmaceutical company based in Strasbourg, France and Montreal, Canada focused on discovery and early development of small molecules targeting G protein‑coupled receptors (GPCRs). The company’s current program centers on metabotropic glutamate receptor type III (mGluR3) positive allosteric modulators (PAMs), which Domain found to demonstrate in vitro neuroprotective effects mediated by production of growth factors. Stimulating these growth factors is essential for neuron survival, underpinning the program’s rationale for Parkinson’s disease. Throughout the rest of the year Domain plans to identify the most favorable mGluR3 PAM leads to advance into proof‑of‑concept studies in Parkinson’s disease models. Financial support for the program has come from The Michael J. Fox Foundation (MJFF), which previously funded initial stages in 2012. The company received a second MJFF grant to support continued lead selection and preclinical proof‑of‑concept work. Domain Therapeutics is a Strasbourg, France-based biopharmaceutical company dedicated to the discovery and early development of small molecules targeting G-Protein Coupled Receptors (GPCRs). Led by CEO Pascal Neuville, the company discovers allosteric modulators using its proprietary DTect-All (TM) technology. Its pipeline comprises new chemical entities, ranging from hits to optimized leads for indications including schizophrenia, Parkinson’s disease and diabetes. The company plans to add some 30 high-throughput screening assays to its existing portfolio. Historically engaged in contract research for the pharmaceutical industry, Domain Therapeutics intends to use the new funds to transition toward collaborations and strategic alliances with existing clients and new partners to discover GPCR-targeting drugs. The company completed a €2m financing committed by a mix of new and existing investors.

Participated · Seed · Mar 2022

ArrePath combines proprietary AI/ML with experimental chemistry to accelerate antibacterial drug discovery. Its platform couples virtual and experimental compound design and testing to identify novel compounds with the attributes required to progress. The company has identified antibiotic hits active against three clinically novel targets and is advancing lead program AP-001 toward development candidate nomination and eventual Phase 1 studies. Recent non-dilutive funding awards from PACE and CARB-X, together with its latest financing, support these development efforts. The new financing will also back expansion of novel compounds active against non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) and programs targeting the outpatient UTI market and hospital-avoidance strategies. ArrePath is headquartered in Princeton, N.J. ArrePath applies a proprietary AI/ML platform and deep phenotypic imaging to discover new classes of anti-infective small molecules with mechanisms distinct from current antibiotics. Its lead program is designed to be active against multidrug-resistant Gram-negative pathogens, including E. coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae. The company plans to advance the lead candidate through IND-enabling studies with a potential first clinical indication of complicated urinary tract infections caused by MDR organisms. Development includes a dual delivery approach—both intravenous and oral—to support use across healthcare settings. ArrePath was awarded a £1 million non-dilutive grant from PACE to support these activities. The company is based in Princeton, N.J. ArrePath develops a proprietary ML-based platform that decodes complex bacterial behavior (so-called 'bacterial autopsies') to identify and optimize anti-infective agents with novel mechanisms of action. The platform couples imaging and machine learning to enable rapid identification and differentiation of compounds early in discovery. Proof-of-concept work from the company’s scientific founder, Zemer Gitai, was published in Cell in June 2020 and has identified compounds with novel dual mechanisms. ArrePath is a Princeton University spin-out and holds an exclusive option to license related intellectual property and novel compounds generated by the platform. The company recently appointed Dr. Lloyd Payne as President and CEO; he brings more than 25 years of scientific and business leadership in anti-infective discovery, including leadership roles at Evotec and founding Euprotec. The new funding is intended to advance initial leads, expand discovery efforts, and enhance the company’s imaging platform and application of machine learning.

Participated · Seed · Feb 2022

HAYA Therapeutics develops programmable, RNA-guided therapies that target regulatory long non-coding RNAs to reprogram pathological cell states. Its core product approach maps and decodes the regulatory genome using multimodal functional genomics and proprietary computational and machine-learning methods. The company’s lead candidate, HTX-001, is a first-in-class lncRNA-targeting therapy in development for heart failure, initially focused on non-obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (nHCM). HAYA plans to initiate clinical trials for HTX-001 and to expand its pipeline across pulmonary fibrosis, obesity and other age-related and chronic diseases. The company has also formed strategic collaborations, including a partnership with Eli Lilly focused on RNA-based targets for obesity and metabolic disorders. HAYA is headquartered at the Biopôle life sciences park in Lausanne, Switzerland, with laboratory facilities in San Diego. HAYA Therapeutics develops programmable RNA-guided regulatory genome targeting therapeutics that act on long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) to reprogram pathological cell states. Its lead candidate, HTX-001, is in development for the treatment of heart failure, and the company is advancing a pipeline of lncRNA-targeting precision therapies for other tissues and indications. HAYA positions its platform to address rare, common, chronic and age-associated diseases and is extending its work into oncology. The company received an Innosuisse Certificate for Sustainable Growth and 1.5M CHF (approximately $1.64M USD) in non-dilutive funding to support translational studies over the next two years. Those funds will be used to develop a therapy targeting cancer-associated fibroblast-specific lncRNA for aggressive solid tumors. HAYA is headquartered at Biopôle in Lausanne, Switzerland, and maintains laboratory facilities at JLABS @ San Diego. HAYA Therapeutics develops a proprietary regulatory genome discovery platform that identifies tissue-, disease- and cell-specific long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) targets and enables RNA-targeting therapies. The platform is positioned to reprogram disease-driving cell states with the aim of delivering therapies that may have better efficacy and less toxicity than current treatments. HAYA is applying this full-stack platform to discovery and validation of lncRNA targets for obesity and related metabolic disorders. Under a multi-year collaboration with Eli Lilly, the partners will identify, characterize, and validate multiple regulatory genome-derived RNA-based drug targets. The company will receive an upfront payment that includes an equity investment and stands to earn milestone payments and royalties if programs progress. HAYA’s immediate plans center on preclinical drug discovery work within the collaboration to generate candidate targets and advance them toward development. HAYA Therapeutics is a Biopôle-based Swiss startup developing precision medicines and lncRNA-targeting anti-fibrotics using its proprietary DiscoverHAYA drug discovery engine. The company has established a new laboratory at JLABS @ San Diego while maintaining its main headquarters and laboratory facilities in Lausanne. HAYA will use the new funding to grow its team in Switzerland and San Diego and to advance its lead therapeutic candidate that targets a driver of cardiac fibrosis. The lead therapy is being developed to treat non-obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, an orphan indication with limited treatment options. Financially, HAYA closed a $5 million seed extension that brings the total seed financing to approximately $25 million. HAYA Therapeutics develops precision genomic medicines that target tissue- and cell-specific long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) to prevent and reverse fibrosis and other age-related conditions. Its proprietary DiscoverHAYA™ drug discovery engine generates a pipeline of lncRNA-targeting anti-fibrotics for organs including heart, lung, kidney, liver and the tumor microenvironment. The lead program is an antisense oligonucleotide targeting the cardiac-enriched lncRNA Wisper, which in preclinical studies at Lausanne University Hospital demonstrated the ability to halt and potentially reverse cardiac fibrosis. HAYA secured an exclusive license from CHUV for the Wisper asset and is preparing to initiate clinical trials in non-obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. The company is headquartered at the Biopôle life sciences park in Lausanne, Switzerland and is led by a team of lncRNA and fibrosis experts. The CHF 18 million seed financing will be used to advance discovery and development of its organ- and cell-selective therapeutic programs.