Participated · Equity · Mar 2026

Founded by Sandra Velasquez and launched in 2020, Nopalera describes itself as a modern Mexican lifestyle and beauty brand built for the "modern beauty explorer." Its product lineup includes signature fragrances, hair care, bath and body products, and candles. Nopalera sells through Ulta.com, Ulta Mexico, Ulta Middle East, Credo Beauty, Mecca, Amazon, hundreds of independent retailers nationwide, and its own website. The founder began the brand in 2019 while in New York City and has positioned the company around Latino cultural representation in beauty. The company recently raised $4 million in growth capital led by Morgan Stanley's Next Level Fund to accelerate retail expansion and product development. The new financing also added Morgan Stanley to Nopalera's board of directors.

Participated · Series B · Aug 2022

Avenda Health, based in Culver City, CA and led by CEO Shyam Natarajan, develops AI-enabled tools for prostate cancer care. Its core product, iQuest, is a deep-learning patient management software that maps a patient’s cancer in 3D and uncovers disease hidden within traditional MRI mapping. The FocalPoint System, powered by iQuest, provides an in-office ultrasound-guided soft tissue ablation option intended to preserve quality of life by sparing healthy tissue. FocalPoint is FDA cleared for soft tissue ablation, while iQuest and its use with FocalPoint are for investigational use only and not FDA cleared. The company says its software gives physicians precise, patient-specific information to support treatment decisions. Avenda plans to use new funding to accelerate adoption of iQuest and to continue clinical evidence development. Avenda Health is a biomedical device company based in Santa Monica that has developed a fiber-optic laser device to treat prostate tumors. The device is designed to ablate prostate tumors without compromising urinary or sexual function. The company was launched in June 2017 and was founded by Shyam Natarajan (CEO), Brittany Berry-Pusey (COO), and Dr. Leonard S. Marks (CMO). Avenda closed a funding round in which it sold $3,325,000 in securities to 18 investors, according to an SEC filing released April 11. The article does not report revenue, user metrics, prior financings, or commercialization status. Leadership includes Natarajan, an adjunct UCLA bioengineering professor who previously served as program manager of the UCLA Business of Science Center.

Participated · Seed · Jun 2022

De Oro’s core product, the NexStride, is a self-contained, attachable gadget that provides two external cues — a metronome-like ding and a laser-projected line — to trigger alternate neural pathways and reduce freezing in people with Parkinson’s. The unit mounts to a walker or cane with a stretchy loop and includes a corded controller and hardware dials to set volume, tempo, and laser position. The company chose a manual operation model after user and clinician feedback, and customer polls and clinical referrals indicate improved confidence and mobility among users. NexStride competes with devices like the U-Step but differentiates on portability and the ability to attach to users’ preferred mobility aids; De Oro keeps manufacturing in the U.S., which raises costs. The retail price is $500 and is not yet broadly covered by insurance, though veterans can obtain units through the VA and the Parkinson’s Wellness Fund may cover partial or full costs for some buyers. De Oro plans to use recent funding to scale operations and expand distribution so more people can access the device.

Participated · Seed · Feb 2022

Wavely Diagnostics builds a smartphone-based diagnostic app that turns a phone into an acoustic tool to detect fluid in a child’s ear, enabling data-driven virtual pediatric ear infection care. The process is non-invasive, requires no additional hardware or special training, and is designed to give parents and providers reliable answers from home. The platform completed a phase I pilot and is currently in a phase II pilot with a leading U.S. health system. Wavely plans a broad public app store launch in late 2023 and intends to expand its diagnostics to enable nearly 70% of acute pediatric visits to shift to virtual care. Financially, the company has secured investor and grant funding totaling $6.35M to date, including a $1.8M Phase II SBIR grant for remote diagnostics awarded by the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities. The company is currently offering the app to healthcare systems for pilots while preparing for wide-scale commercialization. Wavely Diagnostics is building smartphone-based digital diagnostics that turn a phone plus a paper funnel into a non-invasive acoustic tool for pediatric assessment, starting with ear infections. Its first product helps parents determine signs of possible ear infection and connects families to virtual physicians who can prescribe treatment. The app is designed to be user-friendly and requires no special hardware beyond a simple paper funnel. Wavely intends to expand the telehealth-integrated platform to offer additional virtual pediatric care solutions beyond ear infections. The company is preparing a commercial launch in spring 2022 and aims first at parents and at-home consumers, then at healthcare partners. Financially, Wavely has raised seed capital and received non-dilutive grant funding to advance product development.