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Ventac Partners is a dedicated life science investment and consulting firm with offices in Europe, USA and Asia. Ventac Partners has a strong track record in founding new innovative companies, fund raising and supporting M&A transactions.

All partners are experienced and hands-on life science entrepreneurs with proven track-record in successfully starting, funding, growing and expanding international life science companies.

Vigilant Biosciences, Inc. (“Vigilant”) is an oncology-focused company providing early intervention for better outcomes. Our initial products include a quantitative lab assay as well as an oral rinse and test strip kit for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC).  The products are scheduled for product launch in 2015 to compete in the $3.9B US and $10.2B global HNSCC markets.

Unmet Clinical Need

 It is estimated that some $3.9B will be spent treating the 50,000+ people in the U.S. that are diagnosed with oral cancer in 2014.  Currently, a visual and physical examination is the “gold standard” for oral screening followed up with biopsy, but 2/3 of cases are diagnosed at Stage III or Stage IV with this method.  However, early intervention yields 80% - 90% cure rate representing a potential savings of $2B if the oral cancer is diagnosed at Stage I/II or earlier.  What is missing is a simple, specific and cost-effective test that can screen and aid in detection for early stage oral cancers.

The Solution 

The Vigilant oral cancer risk assessment kit is formulated to detect proteins specific to oral cancer captured by an oral rinse. Competitively priced, the test kit’s ease-of-use will be championed by clinicians; its specificity to minimize false positives and to detect oral cancer early will be championed by patients and doctors, and its cost-effectiveness will be championed by all.

Technology  

U.S. Patent #8,088,591 issued in early 2012 for broad method claims to associate certain key biomarkers specific for oral cancer as part of the technology portfolio exclusively licensed to Vigilant from the University of Miami.  Additional U.S. and international patent applications subject to the licensed portfolio are pending.

Competitive Advantage

The current “gold standard” for screening is a visual/manual oral examination given by the dental professional as part of the annual checkup standard of care followed up with biopsy for suspicious lesions.  However, over 2/3 of all oral cancers are identified at Stage III or Stage IV.  Vigilant seeks to revolutionize the oral cancer screening market by providing an easy-to-use, HNSCC specific test that allows for detection even before visual symptoms present.

Currently, there are several light-based systems and limited lab tests attempting to address the need for earlier intervention.  Light based systems include spectroscopic and chemiluminescent-based (light-based aid requiring use of acid or dye) offerings.  Lab based systems include liquid cytology or HPV tests.  Insufficient and inconclusive clinical data exists to support widespread acceptance of current offerings as screening or diagnostic aids and tools for HNSCC.  With respect to the light-based systems additional drawbacks of these systems include that:  (1) They address “abnormalities” in general versus HNSCC specifically; (2) They can require a significant upfront capital investment; (3) They are labor intensive and disruptive to business operations for dental practices; (4) Some are invasive requiring tissue excision; and (5) Results can be subjective depending on the examiner.  Lab-based system drawbacks include lack of proven clinical utility with its results and the costs.

The Vigilant solution overcomes these drawbacks by:  (1) detecting protein markers specifically for oral cancer; (2) requiring no significant capital investment; and (3) providing “easy-to-use” and “low touch” instructions to provide immediate and objective results.

VisionScope Technologies (VSI) is an early stage medical device company utilizing state of the art video hardware, micro-optics (1.4mm) and advanced computational software to bring arthroscopic imaging to the surgeon’s office. The company’s VisionScope Imaging (VSI) system brings gold standard accuracy into the clinic, providing surgeons with direct visualization of patients’ joint space – views that could previously only be achieved in the operating room – providing better outcomes at a lower cost to both MRI and OR based diagnostics.

 Benefits of VSI:    

·     High definition quality of a VSI diagnostic can eliminate the need for a MRI and rule out OR based diagnostic surgery

·     More detailed and accurate than a MRI for joint conditions

·     Significantly reduces the cost of care for individuals and overall healthcare systems

·     Patient centric exam – the patient participates in treatment discussion

Vital Venture Capital, founded in 2007, is a venture capital firm with offices in: Simsbury, CT; Bethesda, MD; Philadelphia, PA; Naples, FL; and Lincolnshire, IL. The firm focuses on B2B, SaaS software, medical devices, and diagnostics. The firm seeks opportunities that provide some degree of investment loss protection through strong intellectual property. The firm’s target investment size is $1-3M for each portfolio company spread over 1-3 rounds. The firm invests in companies that are based in the US. The firm is actively seeking new investment opportunities.

Volcano Capital is a family office/venture capital firm based in New York. The firm manages an evergreen fund that operates free from the constraints of traditional venture capital funds. The firm seeks to make seed, venture, and growth equity investments in early to mid-stage medical device companies, but will also consider secured debt to help revenue generating companies with short term cash flow issues. The firm will also consider pre-seed investments. The firm can allocate anywhere from $1M to $10M per company, but generally allocates around $8M. The firm typically does 3 rounds of financing with an initial investment of around $3M. The firm is geographically agnostic, but highly prefers to invest in companies that are based in the US. The firm seeks to make about 3-4 allocations in the next 6-9 months.

Volcano Capital is currently looking for medical device companies with a strong emphasis on products with a 510(k) regulatory pathway. In terms of subsectors, the firm is looking for products specifically in the areas of interventional radiology and cardiology, spine/orthopedics and minimally invasive surgery. The firm is generally opportunistic in terms of indication.

Our clients are early-stage biotechnology, medical device, diagnostics and pharmaceutical service companies. When we begin working with a client they are frequently looking to complete proof-of-concept studies, secure intellectual property and other critical preliminary tasks. Typically we raise the first round ($1 - $5 million of capital) needed to accomplish these milestones, usually, but not always from angel investors. After key milestones have been achieved using that money, we generally follow by raising a second round of $5-20 million, usually institutional money, for development and growth

By working this way, we increase our clients' success rate raising capital and building their companies and the returns to the investors we bring into those companies. We have raised over $80 million in early stage funding for our clients (in Seed, Series A and Series B rounds) and delivered realized returns, so far, over $500 million—a realized return to date of over 6X—to the investors who provided that early stage capital, with a number of the companies still driving towards an exit that may increase that figure. Realized (cash-on-cash) internal rates of return for a hypothetical investor who participated in each round of financing offered by WG&A to date exceeds 65% annually.

Western Oncolytics is developing a novel immunotherapy to treat a wide range of solid tumors.  Our therapy is an oncolytic vector with multiple therapeutic transgenes that both stimulate the immune system and remove local tumor immune inhibition.  The vector is engineered to avoid the immune system itself, thus overcoming a major drawback in competing designs.  It is the only therapy in the world with these leading attributes.  Western Oncolytics' therapy works in combination with other treatments, e.g. checkpoint inhibitors, and is capable of systemic (intravenous) delivery. 

Our team comprises the leading scientists, clinicians, and regulatory experts within our field, including entrepreneurs who successfully exited companies with earlier technologies.  In comparison animal testing measuring tumor growth and survival, our therapy performed far better than earlier, clinically-proven oncolytic therapies.

Western Oncolytics is currently raising investment to complete preclinical development and a planned clinical trial. 

Westwood & Wilshire is a premier provider of executive search services to the Pharmaceutical, Biotechnology, Medical Devices and Diagnostics sectors.  Services include:

-Direct Hire Executive Search
-Interim Executive Search and Consultant Placement
-Board of Director and Advisory Group Development

Our clients range from Venture Capital-backed portfolio start ups to Fortune 500 Big Pharma. Our success encompasses executive level placements across Clinical, Medical, Regulatory, R&D, Quality and Commercial.

WuXi Venture Fund is the corporate venture arm of WuXi AppTec, a multinational CRO based in Shanghai China with multiple offices across China and the United States. The fund makes equity investments into technology and life science companies to enhance or leverage WuXi AppTec's platform capabilities. The investment size will be varied based on a case-by-case basis. The firm invests in life science companies across the globe with an emphasis in China and the US.

Xalud Therapeutics is developing novel, non-opioid therapies for the treatment of neuropathic pain and osteoarthritis. Our lead product, XT-101, has shown exceptional efficacy in the leading rodent models of pain and in canine patients with neuropathic pain and osteoarthritis. XT-101 has an excellent safety profile -- it does not cause sedation, dizziness, numbness, addiction or tolerance.  7 and 28 day GLP toxicology studies have been completed with excellent results.  Xalud intends to file an IND for a Phase I/IIa trial in mid-2015 and, pending funding, initiate clinical trials thereafter.

Xalud's approach to treating pain is fundamentally different than conventional approaches. XT-101 causes the body to produce the natural anti-inflammatory IL-10.  In neuropathic pain, the use of this broad spectrum anti-inflammatory reduces inflammation around the spinal cord and reduces aberant pain signaling.  In gold-standard rodent models, a single injection of XT-101 completely eliminates neuropathic pain for 12 weeks.  We have also tested XT-101 in canine patients with severe osteoarthritis that has been resistant to standard treatments.  In these patients, XT-101 has provided long lasting pain relief resulting in dramatically increased mobility and activity levels and increased joint flexibility.

To date, Xalud's efforts have been supported by over $6 million of grant funding from the NIH, the DOD, and disease foundations.  We seek to raise $6 to $10 Million to fund our initial clinical trial or trials.  These will be placebo controlled Phase I/IIa trials in actual patients.  Because XT-101 has an extended duration, we expect that these trials will provide the safety, efficacy and biomarker data necessary to support a robust Phase II program.