2Flo Ventures

📣 Thank you to Michael Best & Friedrich LLP for sponsoring the 2Flo Ventures Health Equity Investing Symposium 2024! Michael Best is a full-service law firm with more than 350 lawyers and technical professionals who work in collaborative, interdisciplinary practices to serve clients worldwide. Learn more about their values here: https://lnkd.in/gBcVNxYe 🤝 We appreciate Michael Best's support of 2Flo Ventures and for making this impactful symposium, convening leaders nationwide to advance health equity, possible! Register today! bit.ly/3Wy1K5V #HealthEquity #InvestingInChange #2FloVentures #MichaelBest #2FloEquity

⭐️ #Chicago’s own 2Flo Ventures led by Paul Burton, JD, MBA and team = accelerating equitable #innovation in #healthcare. They invested in diverse healthcare entrepreneurs and support innovative companies to close gaps in health outcomes for underserved communities. ✅ World Business Chicago is a proud partner for the annual #HealthEquity Investing Symposium by 2Flo Ventures! 💡The one-day symposium will bring together experts, innovators, and startup entrepreneurs to discuss the importance and opportunities of investing in health equity. The focus: to address health disparities, and foster collaboration that will shape the future of healthcare. ⬇️ Learn more and register via link in comments.

Thankful for the support of World Business Chicago in advancing health equity! #HealthEquity

📣 2Flo Ventures Health Equity Investing Symposium 📣   We are excited to announce the 2Flo Ventures Health Equity Investing Symposium, generously sponsored by Latham & Watkins, CBRE, Michael Best & Friedrich LLP, and Cooley LLP with support from the Chicago Biomedical Consortium, Portal Innovations, LLC, Fulton Labs, Trammell Crow Company and WIB-Chicago. This event will unite industry experts, innovators, and thought leaders to delve into the vital significance of investing in health equity. Participate in a day of discussion featuring the Venture Engine Industry Showcase in Life Science and Biotech, powered by the Illinois Science and Technology Coalition in partnership with TechNexus Venture Collaborative, World Business Chicago, and the Illinois Growth and Innovation Fund. Don’t miss this opportunity to be part of a unique platform dedicated to driving change in health equity. We hope to see you there! Register now: https://bit.ly/3Wy1K5V

📣 Advisor Appreciation 📣 🙌 We are incredibly proud to spotlight the achievements of Ramona Burress PharmD, an invaluable Strategic Advisor at 2Flo Ventures. Ramona is a recognized leader in healthcare delivery, drug development, and community engagement. 🚀 Ramona’s career journey has been marked by her unique ability to bridge the gap between scientific innovation and those who benefit from it. She has a profound understanding of the impact of social determinants of health (SDOH) on patient experiences and outcomes, and her work consistently reflects this insight. 🤝 We are honored to have Ramona Burress as an Advisor at 2Flo Ventures. Her expertise, passion, and commitment to health equity are invaluable assets to our mission. ➡ Read about her impact here: https://bit.ly/3WXCxTN

Welcome Harrison Esterly!

🙌 Join us in welcoming Owen Shelton, PhD to the 2Flo Ventures team! 📚 Owen has a rich background as a neuroscientist, having spent his graduate career studying how the nervous system generates movement. He completed his thesis in the lab of Vicki Tysseling at Northwestern University. He used a mouse model of spinal cord injury to understand how spasm presentation varies across populations with different SCI severities. 💡 After earning his doctorate, Owen joined the Chicago Biomedical Consortium as an Entrepreneurial Fellow, where he works to foster a collaborative biotech entrepreneurship environment in Chicagoland that yields more equitable health outcomes. As a Venture Fellow with 2Flo Ventures, Owen seeks to further hone his business acumen to complement his scientific background. 🚀 For Owen, being a champion of health equity involves cultivating awareness of how current healthcare systems disproportionately affect the health outcomes and quality of life of groups of individuals and intentionally steering the course of biotech innovation to mitigate or, ideally, reverse historical inequalities. 🤝 We’re glad to have you with us, Owen!

🎉 Venture Fellow Friday — Harrison Esterly 📚 Harrison is a graduate student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, pursuing a PhD in Chemistry. His research uses infrared spectroscopy to investigate protein aggregation related to type II diabetes. Additionally, Harrison has earned a graduate business certificate, which has equipped him with a solid understanding of the foundations of value creation within startups. 💡 Harrison’s passion for the startup ecosystem is driven by his deep-seated belief that innovation is key to advancing society. He views health equity as a means to broaden access and optimize outcomes while prioritizing individual health needs. Harrison is particularly interested in the potential of artificial intelligence to democratize high-quality personalized healthcare, although he emphasizes that AI must be complemented by comprehensive monitoring and physical health interventions. 🚀 During his fellowship at 2Flo Ventures, Harrison aims to contribute by identifying promising medical devices and biotechnologies that can significantly improve patient outcomes. He is eager to support 2Flo in its mission to invest in BIPOC-led companies, and those serving underserved communities, helping bridge gaps in health equity and ensure everyone can attain optimal health. 🤝 We are thrilled to have you with us, Harrison! We're eager to see the great things you'll accomplish with the team!"

📣 2Flo Ventures Portfolio Company, Vivacelle Bio, Inc. Initiates Phase 3 Trial for Lead Asset VBI-S to Treat Patients with Hypovolemia Due to Septic Shock "Septic shock results from whole body infection resulting in lower blood pressure and is associated with a third of all hospital deaths in the U.S., making it both the most significant cause of hospital-related mortality and the most expensive. Globally more deaths are caused from sepsis than cancer each year (11M vs. 9.6M) including 3.4M children." The potential success of this trial can be instrumental in saving lives across the planet! Read more here: https://lnkd.in/gpcKi3uQ #HealthEquity #2FloVentures

🎉 Venture Fellow Friday — Ishmael Qawiy PharmD, MBA   🙌 Ishmael Qawiy, PharmD, MBA, is a dedicated healthcare professional with over a decade of experience in public health and clinical pharmacy practice. His recent fellowships with Chicago Blend and HBCUvc underscore his unwavering commitment to health equity and social impact. Ishmael was a pivotal Technical Advisor and Pharmacist at Vital Strategies in New York. His role involved overseeing clinical trial supplies and managing pharmacy operations in 7 countries and 11 sites across Asia, Africa, and Europe, demonstrating his leadership and management skills. Now, as a managing partner at Collaborative Enterprises, he focuses on empowering founders to create meaningful social change.    🚀 At 2Flo Ventures, Ishmael supports the team with due diligence and community engagement efforts. He is keenly interested in early-stage life science companies that tackle healthcare disparities, with a particular focus on chronic disease management.   💡 For Ishmael, health equity is about guaranteeing that the most underserved communities receive quality care and necessary resources to thrive. Despite progress in healthcare, people of color frequently encounter substandard treatment, which intensifies disparities and diminishes their quality of life. Overcoming these inequities is not just a goal but a path to transformative change.   📚 He is a proud alumnus of Florida A&M University, College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Rutgers Business School. In his free time, he enjoys reading, traveling, and spending quality time with family and friends.   🤝 Welcome to the 2Flo Ventures team! We appreciate your contributions.