DSW Ventures’ Post

#California-based #Zafrens Secures $23M in #Funding. Prime Movers Lab spearheaded the #funding round, with additional participation from investors such as BlueYard Capital, KOFA Healthcare, Global Brains, FoundersX Ventures, Possible Ventures, Iaso Ventures, Hawktail, and others. The funds will be utilised by the #business to create an internal #pipeline and maximise ground-breaking Z-ScreenTM platform #applications. Zafrens is an ultra-high #throughput platform that can isolate, #cultivate, photograph, and #sequence millions of cells every day. It is led by CEO Swamy Vijayan. A #pharmaceuticals startup called Zafrens is developing a #technology for ultra-high throughput that allows it to isolate, #cultivate, #photograph, and #sequence millions of cells every day. Zafrens Prime Movers Lab BlueYard Capital FoundersX Ventures Possible Ventures Iaso Ventures Hawktail Kandaswamy (Swamy) Vijayan #zafrens #funding #startup

LucidQuest Strategic Insights (lqventures.com) >>> Gene&Cell Therapy >> The megaround rebound: Private biotechs rack up $100M+ financings: Big money is back. Over the past 12 weeks, biotech startups have raised $100 million-plus megarounds from venture capitalists at a pace that could approach the market’s peak three years ago. This week alone, three startups announced major new financings. Engrail, a neuroscience company in Phase 2, took in $157 million. Two preclinical biotechs, T cell engager player Clasp and in vivo CAR-T startup Capstan, landed $150 million and $175 million, respectively. In total, that makes 21 companies so far this year with nine-figure megarounds on the books. Much of the push is driven by investors who, in the boom years of 2020 and 2021, chased companies that hadn’t put their drugs into the clinic — only to get burned when those projects failed or have lingered in development for years. Raymond Kelleher Now venture capitalists are seeking investments that can fund clinical proof-of-concept data, industry insiders told Endpoints News, which requires more financing. Data provided by DealForma showed that while funding sizes for very early-stage startups have been largely flat, money going toward companies in the clinic, in particular those in Phase 3, has risen substantially. Many startups, meanwhile, just lived through several lean years when money was hard to raise, and are pushing for bigger rounds to keep them going for longer until the next fundraise. “That is an incentive not to leave money on the table,” said Raymond Kelleher, a managing director at Cormorant Asset Management, an investment firm that has participated in megarounds at BioAge Labs, Neurona, Synnovation and BlossomHill this year. There’s also more capital available than ever before, said Ray Camahort, a partner in Novo Holdings' venture investments group, in an interview. Novo has taken part in such rounds as Clasp’s. Ray Camahort Camahort said investors are willing to put more money in a “high-science company like this with very strong academic founders.” They have more money to do it, too. There’s about $39.7 billion in dry powder for life sciences venture deals, according to a PitchBook report from last month. And fundraising by life sciences venture capital funds hit an all-time high last year, in terms of the share of overall venture funds raised, PitchBook says. “Healthcare funds are bigger now. That's not just VC firms, actually the public-private firms, like us. We're certainly as a group bigger than we were five years ago, and then five years before that,” said Roderick Wong, managing partner and chief investment officer at RTW Investments, which took part in the $162 million Series D at Ji Xing Pharmaceuticals, announced in January. “And so the capacity to fund those companies is also bigger… #lucidquest #genetherapy #celltherapy

🔬 Lab-testing startups are gearing up for changes as the FDA rolls out new regulations. While the ruling may hike up development costs, there’s optimism among some entrepreneurs and investors. As highlighted by Brian Gormley, this shift could impact financing opportunities, narrowing the pool of venture capitalists willing to invest. Oriana Papin-Zoghbi, co-founder of PrognomiQ, acknowledges the challenges, particularly in the diagnostics market, where securing venture capital can be tough due to limited focus from investment firms. https://lnkd.in/etiEd4nB

📽 We are happy to share the highlights of the Investment Forum of UAB Archimedes Accelerator where six companies; AEInnova - Alternative Energy Innovations, SL, Distinkt, Disrupt Therapeutics, Nanoligent, Telomere Therapeutics, BioEclosion SL, and four ventures in incubation: NeuroResolving Therapeutics, ResisTest, OneShot, and Alem Therapeutics presented to investors and corporates last week 🚀    UABStartUp team     #venturecapital #deeptech #businessangel #startup #spinoff #startupdeeptech #startupbiotech #investmentopportunity #deeptechfunding #startupfundraising #deeptechInvesting #startupInvestment #accelerator #growthstartup #scaleup

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

🌟 Summer 2024 Startup Trends 🌟 The biotech sector, especially AI-driven drug discovery, is attracting significant investment. Genesis Therapeutics recently raised $200M, highlighting the growing interest in this innovative field. Stay informed and leverage these trends for your startup's success. #StartupTrends #Biotech #AI #Innovation #Carbon3Recruiting #BusinessGrowth #Entrepreneurship

SigTuple, a Bengaluru-based #medicaltechnology business, has raised $4 million (INR 33 crores) in an expanded Series C fundraising round headed by SIDBI Venture Capital. Existing investors, such as Endiya Partners and #healthcareindustry strategic leaders, also participated in the funding. The new funds will be utilised to accelerate SigTuple's worldwide expansion, diversify its product offering, and facilitate regulatory clearances. This recent #investment raises the company's overall funding to $50 million since its launch in 2015. Rohit Kumar Pandey, Tathagato Rai Dastidar, and Apurv Anand founded the artificial intelligence-powered #startup. SigTuple raised $16 million in Series C fundraising in 2015, following a prior $19 million raise. SigTuple has made tremendous progress in the digital pathology space. Its main product, AI100, which uses AI and #robotics to automate manual microscopic reviews, has proven popular in India and has now spread into Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and North Africa. The company is currently preparing to reach the European and #Americanmarkets. In a significant milestone, AI100 gained 510(k) clearance from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in September 2023, making SigTuple the third firm worldwide and the first in India to do so for AI-assisted digital haematology. Tathagato Rai Dastidar, founder and CEO of SigTuple, stated, "While we continue to build on the success of AI100 in India and internationally, 2024 will see two additional major product launches addressing a wide part of the diagnostic business, which will help make SigTuple a global brand emerging from India. We are thrilled to welcome SIDBI Venture Capital as the main investor in this round. Their help will go a long way towards making our dream of going worldwide a reality." In 2024, the business plans to launch two key new items. One is a next-generation gadget that will automate all manual microscopy in #clinicallaboratories, outperforming the AI100. Furthermore, SigTuple intends to penetrate the point-of-care market with a device that uses microfluidic technology and imaging to perform critical tests in minutes. This funding round, as well as #productexpansion plans, demonstrate SigTuple's dedication to revolutionising the diagnostic sector by decentralising diagnostics and entirely automating microscopic examinations of sick samples. https://lnkd.in/fzpnPPW #medtechstartup #strategicleaders #healthcaresector #digitalhematology #FoodandDrugAdministration #diagnosticindustry #leadinvestor #nextgeneration #clinicallabs #microfluidictechnology #MedicalAI #HealthcareInnovation #Startups #FundingNews #SigTuple #MedicalTech #HealthTech #BengaluruStartups SigTuple SIDBI Venture Capital Ltd

We our excited to share the expansion of the Discovery Park Ventures life sciences fund from £1m to £3m, allowing us to invest in more #StartUps and #SpinOuts, plus follow-ons and larger stakes 🧪 Discovery Park Ventures has made 9 investments so far, with ophthalmology company Optceutics Limited being our 7th. We'll be announcing our 2 newest investments shortly 💸 Mayer Schreiber, Chair of Discovery Park Ventures and CEO of Discovery Park, commented: “Our portfolio of investments is making strong progress, and we are delighted by the support our investors have shown us with this second tranche of funding. It is the first step in Discovery Park Ventures’ planned expansion, and we look forward to working with regional investment groups and other funds as we grow.” DPV has plans to further expand the fund up to £25m in the next three years with a focus on companies developing novel and disruptive technologies that have strong collaborative relationships with Discovery Park. VisusNano Ltd Vitarka Therapeutics BoobyBiome Oxford Medical Products Neobe Therapeutics Ignota Labs #LifeScience #Investment #VC #StartUp #Funding #Innovation #AI #BioTech #Technology #Science #DiscoveryPark #DPV

Oriana Papin-Zoghbi, CEO + Co-Founder of AOA Dx was recently interview by The Wall Street Journal to discuss the latest FDA move to increase regulation of laboratory tests. Check out the full article by Brian Gormley to learn more about how the impact this may have on startups, venture capital, and more:

Gene&Cell Therapy >> The megaround rebound: Private biotechs rack up $100M+ financings: Big money is back. Over the past 12 weeks, biotech startups have raised $100 million-plus megarounds from venture capitalists at a pace that could approach the market’s peak three years ago. This week alone, three startups announced major new financings. Engrail, a neuroscience company in Phase 2, took in $157 million. Two preclinical biotechs, T cell engager player Clasp and in vivo CAR-T startup Capstan, landed $150 million and $175 million, respectively. In total, that makes 21 companies so far this year with nine-figure megarounds on the books. Much of the push is driven by investors who, in the boom years of 2020 and 2021, chased companies that hadn’t put their drugs into the clinic — only to get burned when those projects failed or have lingered in development for years. Raymond Kelleher Now venture capitalists are seeking investments that can fund clinical proof-of-concept data, industry insiders told Endpoints News, which requires more financing. Data provided by DealForma showed that while funding sizes for very early-stage startups have been largely flat, money going toward companies in the clinic, in particular those in Phase 3, has risen substantially. Many startups, meanwhile, just lived through several lean years when money was hard to raise, and are pushing for bigger rounds to keep them going for longer until the next fundraise. “That is an incentive not to leave money on the table,” said Raymond Kelleher, a managing director at Cormorant Asset Management, an investment firm that has participated in megarounds at BioAge Labs, Neurona, Synnovation and BlossomHill this year. There’s also more capital available than ever before, said Ray Camahort, a partner in Novo Holdings' venture investments group, in an interview. Novo has taken part in such rounds as Clasp’s. Ray Camahort Camahort said investors are willing to put more money in a “high-science company like this with very strong academic founders.” They have more money to do it, too. There’s about $39.7 billion in dry powder for life sciences venture deals, according to a PitchBook report from last month. And fundraising by life sciences venture capital funds hit an all-time high last year, in terms of the share of overall venture funds raised, PitchBook says. “Healthcare funds are bigger now. That's not just VC firms, actually the public-private firms, like us. We're certainly as a group bigger than we were five years ago, and then five years before that,” said Roderick Wong, managing partner and chief investment officer at RTW Investments, which took part in the $162 million Series D at Ji Xing Pharmaceuticals, announced in January. “And so the capacity to fund those companies is also bigger than it used to be.” Roderick Wong Another… #lucidquest #genetherapy #celltherapy