Massachusetts Biomedical Initiatives (MBI)’s Post

🥇 I am beyond moved to win the W.A. De Vigier Stiftung award 🥇 One of the most emotional feelings in my life 💖 . When I was called out for the last winning prize as one of the six startups, my legs went weak and then it hit me that all the hard work pays off. Simon Ittig with his speech was just right. As a founder you will sometimes question the sense of running your startup, but you just need to trust the process and keep working. As André Hoffmann said that evening: never stop innovating! And this is our promise because the fascination for innovation is what drives us every day! I am extremely grateful to the entire De Vigier Foundation for the belief and the trust in the execution of Treeless Pack’s mission to replace fossil-based materials with bio-based cellulose materials using microorganisms. 🙏 A heartfelt thank you to the whole W.A. De Vigier Stiftung: The management - Hanna Byland, Carmen Lamparter The board - André Hoffmann Theresa Visarius Carolyn J. Lutz Alain Nicod Felix Grisard Wolfgang Heutschi Guy Petignat Pirmin Bischof The De Vigier Family The Selection experts - Christian Brand and Michael Sauter A shout-out goes also to the FERS Stiftung Last but not least, I would emphasize the importance of the whole journey of the competition. We created an amazing group of like-minded entrepreneurs that share the same values and hopefully beyond the prizes and the reputation, the competition will result in long- lasting relationships among the alumni! 🤝 Julia A. Carpenter apheros Alessandro Morra Ascento Kevin Yim, PhD EVIIVE Rajiv Singhal Grensol Group Aris Maroonian Neology Hydrogen Dr. Evan Petkov Optiml Anand V. PEROVSKIA SOLAR AG Mamta Chabria, PhD Tandem Therapeutics Jonas Wüst Tethys Robotics And finally, I would like to thank my amazing co-founder Patrycja Kucharczyk who has been at Treeless from the very beginning. Last: We are 🚀 FUNDRAISING 🚀, so if you want to invest in the future of bio-based materials please get in touch! 🌿 👨🔬 #innovation #motivation #award #DeVigier #founders #fundraising #sustainability #cleantech #materials

As historic MDMA decision nears, even J.P. Morgan eyes psychedelic investments (Behavioral Health Business) https://lnkd.in/eadMJEgJ #mentalhealth #startups #behavioralhealth

We're excited to share that Remepy has successfully raised a $10M Seed round, bringing their total funding to $15M. We are thrilled to be part of this company's journey as their pre-seed investors and to participate in this round as well. A big welcome to the new funds joining, NFX that led the round joined by Vine Ventures, L.P., PsyMed Ventures, Supernode Ventures, and Firstime VC. A big shoutout to the existing investors TechAviv, 97212 Ventures, StageNext Fund, Samsung Next and all the angels on board. Another big welcome to Dr. Danny Bar Zohar, Merck’s Global Head of R&D and Chief Medical Officer, who has joined Remepy's board. His expertise will undoubtedly propel the company's mission forward. Dr. Bar Zohar is joining world-class personas who are already on Remepy's scientific, advisory and company's board such as Former PM Naftali Bennett, Prof. Michal Schwartz, Jessica J. Federer and Jonathan MacQuitty. Remepy is pioneering the "hybrid drugs" category. The company's hybrid drug combine traditional drugs with its “digital molecules.” Digital molecules are therapeutic interventions that trigger physiological effects (aka MOAs, Mechanisms of Action) through the brain. These physiological changes have been known to enhance the effectiveness of traditional drugs. Hats off to Michal Tsur, Or Shoval, Prof. Amir Amedi, Shahar Shelly M.D and the entire Remepy team for reaching finalizing this round and reaching this important milestone. Your dedication and innovative approach are reshaping the pharma and health industries and has incredible potential to improve patient outcomes. For more details on how Remepy is pioneering the hybrid drug category and to learn more about the science behind it, visit Remepy's website (link in the comments)

#PivotalLifeSciences Secures #bioVenturePartners Fund II, at $389m. Fund II will continue Pivotal bioVenture Partners’ core strategy of investing in companies based in #NorthAmerica and #europe developing innovative and impactful #therapeutics. Additionally, the establishment of #Fund II will enable #Pivotal to continue to attract talented leaders to guide and grow these companies in key healthcare and #therapeutic areas. Pivotal bioVenture Partners invests in #companies at all stages from seed stage to publicly listed, with a #preference for leading or co-leading investments and working #alongside #entrepreneurs as company #builders and active board members. Pivotal bioVenture Partners invests both in #established companies developing #transformative #medicines, such as Karuna and Vaxcyte, and in entirely new companies by providing seed #funding and support in company #building. Established in 2017, Pivotal bioVenture Partners is a #venture capital partnership dedicated to investing in #innovative companies developing #therapeutics to address major unmet #medical needs and #improving patient lives. Pivotal Life Sciences Rob Hopfner Peter Bisgaard #pivotallifescience #funding #startup

🎉 Exciting News from CyGenica: Recognized Among Top 10 Biotech Startups in India by Millionaire Backstage! 🎉 We are thrilled to announce a monumental milestone for CyGenica - being featured as one of the Top 10 Biotech Startups of India by Millionaire Backstage. This accolade is a testament to our team's relentless dedication, innovative spirit, and groundbreaking work in the biotech industry. At CyGenica, we are pioneering the future of intracellular therapeutics with our revolutionary drug delivery platform, GEENIE. Designed to transform the pharmaceutical landscape, GEENIE makes intracellular drug delivery effortless, efficient, and extraordinarily targeted. Our approach bypasses endosomes to enhance the therapeutic efficacy of drugs, representing a fundamental advancement in the field. Our achievements extend beyond this recognition. GEENIE is patented in the US and EU, and we've received top innovation awards in both India and Ireland. Furthermore, one of our drug conjugates has been granted orphan drug designation by the US FDA, underscoring our commitment to addressing unmet medical needs. This recognition by Millionaire Backstage is more than an accolade; it's a reflection of our vision, hard work, and the potential impact of our technology on patients worldwide. We are deeply grateful for this honor and motivated to continue pushing the boundaries of biotechnology. A heartfelt thank you to our incredible team, partners, and the biotech community for your support and belief in our mission. Together, we are redefining what's possible in healthcare. #CyGenica #BiotechInnovation #Top10Startups #HealthcareRevolution #GEENIE #DrugDelivery #Biotechnology

ICYMI: I sat down with FogPharma's new CEO Mathai Mammen, M.D., Ph.D. last week during #JPM24 to hear about his plans for the startup. One thing that stood out? He has no interest in pursuing an IPO or acquisition any time soon. Instead, he plans to raise Series E round — something you don't see very often in biotech, these days. #biotech #lifesciences #biopharma #financing #IPO #startups #startupstrategies #CEO #executiveleadership STAT

➜ Parenthood Ventures Parent Tech sector roundup! Siolta Therapeutics, a clinical-stage biotech company founded by Nikole Kimesa and Susan Lynch, PhD, announced the completion of a $12 million Series C financing round to support their goal to developing microbiome-based treatments for maternal and infant health. The round, co-led by SymBiosis and Khosla Ventures, also included TimeVentures, Seventure Partners (Health for Life Capital Fund), and Global Brain Corporation (Kirin Health Innovation Fund/GB-VII). https://lnkd.in/gzStYAHg Family savings/financial education platform Goalsetter, founded by Tanya Van Court has raised $9.6 million in new funding. The company’s Series A extension round, was led by an affiliate of Edward Jones Investment Co and MassMutual through its MM Catalyst Fund, with participation from past investors, including Fiserv and Webster Bank. https://lnkd.in/gSKjFJqn Work & Mother, a provider of lactation suite amenities for commercial office buildings founded by Abbey Donnell, raised $3.5 million in a Seed funding round led by Building Ventures. https://lnkd.in/em69zQiV Our Villie team, an online platform founded in 2021 by member Kimberly Jolasun, successfully completed a $700K pre-seed funding round, with participation from XRC Ventures, a16z Talent x Opportunity, and Fearless Fund. Congratulations, Kimberly! https://lnkd.in/e_dfrTDZ Lalo, a NYC-based baby product brand founded by Gregory Davidson and Michael Wieder, closed a new equity round with Forecast Labs, a consumer venture group that’s a division of Comcast. The amount of the deal was not disclosed. https://lnkd.in/epHRMc_7 For more #ParentTech companies and news - follow us on LinkedIn and head to our website to learn more about how to get involved! #ParentTech #futureofparenthood #founders #startupstories #startups #careeconomy #venturecapital #vc #famtech #entrepreneurship

Investors for Global Digital Therapeutics (DTx) Startups  Through an extensive search and review of publicly available information, 172 startups were selected for detailed analysis regarding their fundraising status. Among these, 94 Digital Therapeutics (DTx) startups have collectively raised $6.859 billion from global investors. These startups include Raft Digital Therapeutics, Mindable Health GmbH, MicroHealth, Vigo Health, SleepUp, Vitadio s.r.o., Neurolief, OPTT Health, Vivira Health, XR Therapeutics, and many others. They are supported by a diverse range of investors, such as aMoon Fund, Expansion Capital, UV-Cap, 7wireVentures, Accelmed Partners, Adage Capital Management, and BCG Digital Ventures, among others. This substantial funding highlights the growing investor confidence and interest in DTx innovations. #dtx #digitaltherapeutics #startup #vc #funding #fundraising #investment

Happy New Year!🎉🏆 💶 2023 SUCCESS STORIES 🎯🥅🎓Neighbors edition Our Neighbors achieved so much in 2023: from raising funds and reaching essential milestones, to winning awards. Here are some of the highlights of the year from our start-ups of the Neighborhood Incubation Program spanning all classes.✨ 🚀Hemerion Therapeutics (class of 21) 🚀Usense (class of 22) 🚀Medetia Pharmaceuticals (class of 22) 🚀Poppins (class of 22) 🚀Okomera (class of 22) 🚀ILONOV (class of 23) 🚀EKTAH (class of 23) 🚀MDsim (class of 23) 🚀Allogenica (class of 23) 🚀MSInsight (class of 23) 🚀kyron.bio (class of 23) Even after the end of their Neighborhood Incubation Program, we continue staying by their sides and we are proud to see them become trail blazers. These start-ups still have much more that they would like to accomplish and we are honored to be a privileged ally. Voisin Consulting Life Sciences (VCLS) ~ Neighborhood, VCLS Innovation Center ~ Sébastien Giraudier, PhD ~ Soraya Sin-Monnot ~ Forum Shah ~ Dominique Nicoli More info here on the Neighborhood Incubation Program: 🔗https://lnkd.in/eMZeuaQp #successstories #startups #innovation #accelerator #incubator #strategy #productdevelopment #regulatory #marketaccess

LucidQuest Strategic Insights (lqventures.com) >>> Gene&Cell Therapy >> In biotech's uneven recovery, 50 startups raised megarounds in first half of 2024: The list of nine-figure financings for private biotechs is starting to look like the scrolling receipts from CVS or Walgreens. If that pace continues, it could top the heydays of 2020 and 2021. In the first half of the year, at least 50 biotechs announced private financing rounds of $100 million or more, according to an Endpoints News tally. Investors sprinted out of the gate this year, announcing 21 megarounds by March 20. The pace accelerated in the second quarter as they mainly put their dollars toward companies already in the clinic, meaning a data readout or big de-risking event is on the horizon. About 15 of the 50 companies were not yet in the clinic at the time of a financing announcement. Most of the venture dollars are supporting research and testing of new medicines across today’s biggest biopharma fields: oncology, obesity, autoimmune and neuroscience. Beacon Therapeutics carried the momentum into the second half of the year. The pivotal-stage gene therapy maker announced a $170 million Series B on Wednesday. The two-month moving average of weekly venture capital volume is up 50% compared to a low in February, according to Tim Opler, an investment banker at Stifel who tracks the industry. “The venture market has been picking up in recent months,” he wrote in his weekly market report on June 16. “Nonetheless, venture funding is going more and more into ‘megarounds,’ and it is not easy for emerging companies lacking superstar management to raise capital.” One of the 50 companies to raise a megaround this year is immunology biotech Alumis, which has since gone public. Another megaround company — ADC maker ProfoundBio — was acquired by Genmab for $1.8 billion. Some of the biotechs on this list could likely entertain similar exits in the near future as the IPO market appears to warm up a little bit and pharma M&A appetite to favor private drug developers over public ones. #lucidquest #genetherapy #celltherapy