Led · Series A · Apr 2024

Corner Therapeutics is a US developer of immune therapies and vaccines focused on creating vaccines that confer lifelong protection from cancer and infectious diseases. The company uses an antigen-agnostic technology intended to enable the immune system to engineer long-living, disease-fighting T cells. Corner is applying this approach to both oncology and infectious-disease targets, with specific efforts toward HIV, influenza and COVID-19. Grant funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is supporting the company’s infectious-disease work. Corner raised $54 million in a Series A to advance its vaccine programs and technology.

Participated · Series B · Apr 2021

Mighty Networks provides a platform for creators and brands to create and monetize communities through memberships, events and live online courses. Its flagship Business Plan targets new creators for digital subscriptions, while Mighty Pro offers branded iOS, iPad and Android apps for established brands. The company operates as a SaaS business and reported strong 2020 growth: ARR climbed 2.5x, annual customer growth rose 200%, and payments (subscriptions and course sales) grew 400% year over year. Mighty Networks counts more than 10,000 paying creators, including notable creators and organizations. The product added live events last year and the pandemic accelerated adoption as businesses moved offerings online. The company plans to use the new capital for product development across media types, expanded payment options and entry into new markets. Mighty Networks is a Palo Alto, Calif.-based SaaS platform that helps creators, niche entrepreneurs, and businesses build branded communities with content, online courses, groups, events, and subscription commerce. The product uses proprietary algorithms and smart technology to connect the most relevant people by location, interests, and topics. Anyone can create a Mighty Network for free and upgrade to paid tiers (Mighty Brand/Business or Mighty Pro) as they scale. The company offers features to add unlimited groups or online courses and to bypass custom development for brand-building. Mighty Networks was founded in 2011 and is led by founder & CEO Gina Bianchini. The company says it will use the new funding to expand operations and broaden its business reach. Mightybell, founded by Gina Bianchini (former Ning cofounder and CEO), offers a polished platform for authors to publish step-by-step guides called Experiences and for users to follow them incrementally. Experiences can include photos, text, tips, participant comments, and a grid of fellow travelers; the product emphasizes social sharing and progress prompts. The service is available as a website and an iOS app and includes analytics for both users and creators, such as funnel visualizations and supporter tracking. Mightybell supports monetization: creators can charge for premium Experiences, with Mightybell taking a 25% cut and handling payment processing. The company also charges a one-time $1 fee to create an Experience to deter spam and encourage higher-quality content. As of the article, Mightybell has nine employees and has recently completed seed funding to support the product.

Participated · Series C · Jan 2021

Affinivax is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company pioneering the Multiple Antigen Presenting System (MAPS™) platform to induce broad B‑cell and T‑cell immune responses. The company is developing MAPS vaccines against multiple pathogens, including a lead pneumococcal candidate, ASP3772, and programs targeting Klebsiella pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus, and Clostridium difficile, as well as exploratory SARS‑CoV‑2 and melanoma efforts. ASP3772 includes 24 pneumococcal polysaccharides and two conserved proteins; it was safe and highly immunogenic in a Phase 1 study in adults 18–64, has a completed Phase 2 in adults 65–85 with analyses ongoing, and an ongoing Phase 1 in toddlers. Affinivax was founded in 2014 with seed investment from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and holds an exclusive license to the MAPS technology from Boston Children’s Hospital; the company is based in Cambridge, Mass. The company’s S. aureus MAPS vaccine is being optimized for manufacturing and IND‑enabling preclinical studies with the goal of IND submission and clinical evaluation. Preclinical data from a lead S. aureus candidate demonstrated induction of B‑cell, Th1 and Th17 responses that reduced mortality, prevented skin abscesses, cleared gastrointestinal carriage, and prevented dermonecrosis in models. Affinivax pioneers a proprietary MAPS™ (Multiple Antigen Presenting System) platform, licensed from Boston Children’s Hospital, that links polysaccharide and protein antigens using a biotin–rhizavidin approach to elicit both B‑cell and T‑cell responses. Its lead candidate, ASP3772, is a Streptococcus pneumoniae vaccine containing 24 pneumococcal polysaccharides and two conserved proteins; ASP3772 was safe and highly immunogenic in a Phase 1 study in adults 18–64. A Phase 2 study in adults 65–85 has completed enrollment with data analyses ongoing, and a Phase 1 study in toddlers 12–15 months is underway. Affinivax is also developing a next‑generation pneumococcal MAPS vaccine and programs targeting healthcare‑associated bacterial pathogens including Klebsiella pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus, and Clostridium difficile, plus exploratory programs for SARS‑CoV‑2 and melanoma. The company was founded in 2014 and initially seeded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Proceeds from its recent financing will be used to advance the MAPS vaccine pipeline across these indications. Affinivax leverages its proprietary MAPS technology to design vaccines that present both polysaccharide and protein antigens to induce broad B- and T-cell responses. Its lead program, ASP3772, a MAPS pneumococcal vaccine including 24 serotypes, has completed Phase 1 testing (safe and highly immunogenic) and is in a Phase 2 study nearing completion. The company is advancing ASP3772 toward Phase 3 and plans to expand the clinical program to include an infant indication. Affinivax is also developing first-in-class MAPS vaccine candidates targeting hospital-associated infections (Klebsiella pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Clostridium difficile, and Staphylococcus aureus) and is exploring MAPS applications against viral diseases and cancer. The company has a partnership with Astellas Pharma to support certain programs, has grown to over 70 employees, and has previously been funded by non-dilutive grants and early investments from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Affinivax is advancing a proprietary Multiple Antigen Presentation System (MAPS) vaccine platform to develop next-generation vaccines. MAPS enables high-affinity binding of protective polysaccharides and proteins in a single vaccine and is designed to provide broader protection than current conjugate vaccines. The platform aims to protect against invasive disease, colonization, and transmission and has the potential to cover all pneumococcal serotypes. MAPS also offers a simpler, more cost-efficient manufacturing approach. The company has achieved preliminary preclinical proof-of-concept for several MAPS vaccines and is advancing its lead Streptococcus pneumoniae candidate toward IND submission and proof-of-concept clinical testing. Financially, Affinivax has received funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to support its development work, including an initial $4.0M and an additional $2.5M follow-on investment. Affinivax is a biotechnology company developing novel vaccines built on its Multiple Antigen Presenting System (MAPS) platform. The company intends to use MAPS to combine protective polysaccharides and proteins in a single vaccine to induce broad immune responses. Its initial focus is a lead program targeting Streptococcus pneumoniae (pneumococcus). Affinivax launched with $4M in funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which has committed additional funding contingent on future milestones. The company secured an exclusive license from Boston Children's Hospital to the MAPS-related intellectual property initially developed by Richard Malley, M.D., its scientific founder. Steven B. Brugger serves as President and CEO, and Frances K. Heller was appointed to the board.

Participated · Series A · Dec 2020

SomaLogic develops and commercializes a proprietary proteomics platform built around its SOMAmer protein-binding reagents, which blend attributes of monoclonal antibodies and traditional aptamers. Its flagship SOMAscan assay currently deploys 1,310 different SOMAmer reagents to quantify proteins across a broad concentration range using small sample volumes from multiple biological matrices. These capabilities provide researchers and clinicians with powerful tools for protein biomarker discovery, diagnostics development, and pharmaceutical innovation. The company is led by Chief Executive Officer Byron Hewett and Founder & Chairman Larry Gold, PhD. SomaLogic plans to expand its portfolio of life-science tools and clinical diagnostic products that leverage its core technology. To finance this growth, it is arranging up to $60.5 million in combined debt and equity financing from Visium Healthcare Partners, strengthening its balance sheet for continued R&D and commercialization efforts.

Participated · Series B · Aug 2020

Palmetto is a technology-enabled clean energy platform that manages the end-to-end residential solar process, handling sales, design, engineering, permitting and fulfillment. Its platform uses automated workflows, predictive algorithms, and local intelligence data to reduce soft costs and accelerate installations. The company is expanding its software and technology offerings to help individuals, small businesses, and large corporations access and grow in the clean energy economy and recently released features to improve installation timelines and consumer adoption. Palmetto runs programs such as Get-Solar, Give-Solar, and describes itself as a triple bottom line, fully distributed organization. The company positions its platform to enable established consumer brands to expand into clean energy and drive decarbonization at scale. Palmetto announced a $150 million investment from TPG Rise Climate to support growth and product development. Palmetto operates a clean energy marketplace and tech services platform that simplifies residential solar for homeowners by sourcing installers and managing transactions through proprietary software. Its platform coordinates survey, design, engineering, financing, permitting, maintenance, and active system monitoring. The company uses a third-party network of trained sales specialists and certified technicians to handle customer acquisition and installation, reducing the operating expenses of a vertically integrated provider. Palmetto plans to use new capital to grow its marketplace of independent contractors and to invest in technology, people, and resources. Management says these investments are intended to maintain and over time improve operating efficiencies and expand the company’s addressable market. The company is led by CEO Chris Kemper and is based in Charleston, SC. Palmetto is a Charleston, S.C.-based clean technology software and fulfillment platform that builds and deploys simplified software systems to help consumers understand their energy spend. Led by founder and CEO Chris Kemper, the company combines software, fulfillment and services. The company intends to grow its product lines and expand into a wider range of services. It plans to expand the team with emphasis on R&D, software and data science. Palmetto will also build out its customer services. In May 2020 the company completed a $29M Series B financing backed by multiple strategic and venture investors. Palmetto operates a clean-technology software and fulfillment platform that helps deploy residential solar, storage, energy efficiency, and in-home IoT products. Its core software product, Alchemy, enables solar sales partners to generate custom proposals in less than 30 minutes and brokers access to financing, policy insights, installation services, and fulfillment. Since its founding in 2009 the firm has structured, financed, and developed clean energy projects across four continents and 22 countries, though it now focuses solely on the residential sector in North America. Palmetto says installation of products sourced through its platform can reduce homeowners' electric bills and carbon footprints. The company is based in Charleston, South Carolina, with offices including Charlotte, San Francisco, and Salt Lake City. Palmetto recently raised $6 million to broaden the reach of Alchemy and scale distribution through a large network of solar dealers.