Safeguard Scientifics

Safeguard Scientifics is a publicly traded capital deployment firm founded in 1953 and is based in Wayne PA. The firm makes deployments from an evergreen fund and is actively seeking new investments in the healthcare sector. Initial equity placements are typically of $5-1m with the potential for a total allocation of $2-25m over the life of an investment. The firm focuses on North America with a concentration in the Mid-Atlantic and San Francisco Bay Area regions. Deployments are made at a range of stages from early-stage to growth expansion and recapitalization. Safeguard Scientifics prefers to be a sizable minority investor.
Gary Kurtzman
Managing Director 

Science Futures

Science Futures Management is an investment firm based in California USA. In the Life Sciences the firm focuses on biotech therapeutics and diagnostics. The firm typically provides series A financing (equity) in the range of $25K to $5K. The firm is geographically agnostic but generally invests in companies based in the USA and Europe. The firm has no current mandate for the number of allocations it plans to make and will evaluate relevant opportunities as they surface.
Nola Masterson
Managing Director 

Seroba Kernel Life Sciences Ireland

Seroba Kernel is a venture capital firm based in Dublin, Ireland, with representatives in the United Kingdom. The firm has approximately €100M AUM and focuses solely on the life sciences. The firm has 2 funds and plans to raise a third fund in the near future. The firm typically allocates between €5-7M of equity over the life of the investment. The firm primarily invests in companies that are based in Ireland and Europe. Exceptional opportunities in North America will also be considered. The firm is actively seeking new investment opportunities.

Year Founded
2001
Biotech Phase of Development
Medtech Phase of Development
Capital Structure Preference
Investment Stage Preference
Daniel O'Mahony
Partner 

Shire

Shire is an Irish-headquartered global specialty biopharmaceutical company. Originating in the United Kingdom with a large operational base in the United States, its brands and products include Vyvanse, Adderall XR, Intuniv, Lialda, Pentasa, Fosrenol, Replagal, Elaprase, VPRIV, Firazyr and Dermagraft. 

Shire is currently interested in several therapeutic areas for business development opportunities. The company is most interested in the following products: rare disease therapeutics, pre-clinical to on the market; neuroscience therapeutics, on the market; gastrointestinal, on the market; ophthalmology, post proof-of-concept; and hematology; post proof-of-concept.

Jane Daun-Tremblay

Sitka Biopharma Inc. Canada

Sitka Biopharma is a preclinical stage company focused on developing a breakthrough nanoparticle platform technology designed to increase absorption of drugs in difficult-to-penetrate tissues. Initially targeting oncology indications, we are developing our lead candidate to address the absorption challenge of intravesical chemotherapy for bladder cancer, and later intraperitoneal delivery for ovarian cancer.

We have demonstrated preclinical proof-of-concept for our lead candidate using in vivo and ex vivo models for bladder cancer.
Our goal is to complete our IND in 2015 and begin a Phase 1/2a Proof-of-Concept clinical trial in nonmuscle-invasive bladder cancer in 2016.

Partnership Opportunities for Platform Technology:

Our nanoparticle platform technology offers unique benefits over other nano-delivery systems and has the potential to be combined with a variety of different drugs to improve absorption for therapeutic uses in both humans and animals.

Benefits of Sitka's HPG nanoparticle platform include:

  • unimolecular structure
  • small size (8-10 nm)
  • tailored for a high degree of localized drug bioavailability in large surface applications
  • potential utility with a wide variety of drugs and indications

We welcome opportunities to collaborate with biopharmaceutical companies that wish to take advantage of our platform technology.

Year Founded
2013
Biotech Phase of Development
Technology Overview
Our nanoparticle platform technology offers unique benefits over other nano-delivery systems and has the potential to be combined with a variety of different drugs to improve absorption for therapeutic uses in both humans and animals. Benefits of Sitka's HPG nanoparticle platform include: unimolecular structure; small size (8-10 nm) and low viscosity; tailored for a high degree of localized drug bioavailability in large surface applications; potential utility with a wide variety of drugs and indications
Current Financing Needs
Seed private investment of $500,000; can be leveraged 2:1 up to $1.5M via partnership with CVI founded Accel-Rx (www.accel-rx.com)
Current Timeline
IND/Entry into clinic in early 2016
Current Investors
CDRD Ventures Inc (www.cdrdventures.com)
Michael Parr
President & Chief Scientific Officer 

Symbient Product Development United States

Rapid Development of Injection Molded Medical Devices
From Concept Through Transfer-to-Manufacturing

Symbient specializes in engineering research and development, prototyping and design-for-manufacturing of innovative medical devices that use injection molded components. Our highly experienced team consists of mechanical and biomedical engineers, industrial designers, machinists and molding technicians. They leverage our in-house rapid prototyping, and prototype tooling fabrication and injection molding to create proven, manufacturable designs with unmatched speed, efficiency and precision. These designs make up our deep portfolio of over 300 successful devices that have collectively generated hundreds of millions of dollars. They include FDA Class I, II and III devices, developed under our ISO 13485 certified quality management system.

 

Our Services Include:

  • Concept Development
  • Development Engineering
  • Design-for-Manufacturing
  • Industrial Design
  • Project Rescue
  • Design Control per IOS 13485
  • Finite Element Analysis (FEA)
  • Design Verification Testing
  • Test Method Development
  • Transfer to Manufacturing

 

Our In-House Capabilities and Expertise Include:

  • Stereolithography (SLA) Prototyping
  • CNC Machining / Fabrication
  • Prototype Mold Fabrication
  • Prototype Injection Molding of Devices for Testing, Trials and Studies
  • Liquid Injection Molded (LIM) Silicone Prototype Molding
  • Product Reliability Testing
  • Plastics Assembly Expertise: Ultrasonic and Laser Welding, Heat Sealing, Pressure Sensitive Adhesives, Swaging, Snap Fits, Press Fits, Interlocks.
  • Speed: Prototype Molds in as little as 1 week and Modifications in as little as 1 Day
  • Material Selection Expertise, Research and Testing to Ensure All Product Requirements Are Met.

 

Our Portfolio Includes:

  • Diagnostics / Molecular Diagnostics
  • Sample collection / preparation
  • Life Sciences / Microfluidics
  • OTC Consumer products
  • Respiratory
  • Surgical devices and clinical tools
  • Drug Delivery

 

Year Founded
2004
Unique Capabilities

Our Services Include:

  • Concept Development
  • Development Engineering
  • Design-for-Manufacturing
  • Industrial Design
  • Project Rescue
  • Design Control per IOS 13485
  • Finite Element Analysis (FEA)
  • Design Verification Testing
  • Test Method Development
  • Transfer to Manufacturing

 

Our In-House Capabilities and Expertise Include:

  • Stereolithography (SLA) Prototyping
  • CNC Machining / Fabrication
  • Prototype Mold Fabrication
  • Prototype Injection Molding of Devices for Testing, Trials and Studies
  • Liquid Injection Molded (LIM) Silicone Prototype Molding
  • Product Reliability Testing
  • Plastics Assembly Expertise: Ultrasonic and Laser Welding, Heat Sealing, Pressure Sensitive Adhesives, Swaging, Snap Fits, Press Fits, Interlocks.
  • Speed: Prototype Molds in as little as 1 week and Modifications in as little as 1 Day
  • Material Selection Expertise, Research and Testing to Ensure All Product Requirements Are Met.
Lisa Coyne
Business Development Manager 
Luke Helm
Director of Business Development 

Syncona Partners United Kingdom

Syncona Partners, founded in 2012, is an evergreen investment firm based in London, UK. The firm is an independent subsidiary of the Wellcome Trust who invested the initial £200m capitalization. The firm is mandated to invest in companies with the potential to make major breakthroughs in healthcare. The investment size will usually range from £1M – £20M per company. The firm seeks to create sustainable, profitable businesses, to support them with capital over the long term, for the benefit of patients, and to hold an ownership position to create value for the Wellcome Trust. The firm is actively screening new investment opportunities.

Year Founded
2012
Biotech Phase of Development
Medtech Phase of Development
Capital Structure Preference
Investment Stage Preference
Chris Hollowood
Partner 

Tech Coast Angels

Founded in 1997, Tech Coast Angels is the largest angel investor group in the United States. Its members provide funding and guidance to more early-stage high-growth companies in Southern California than any other investment group. TCA members invest in companies in a wide range of industries including life sciences, biotech and health IT. TCA has more than 325 members including its venture capital affiliates in five networks in Los Angeles Orange County San Diego Westlake/Santa Barbara and the Inland Empire. The organization will finance on an opportunistic basis as long as substantial disruptive market opportunities exists. The firm has historically invested in Biotech Therapeutics & Diagnostics, Biotechnology R&D Services, Biotechnology Other, Medical Technology companies with sub sectors of Anti-Infectives, Bioinformatics, CRO (Contract Research Organization), Diagnostic Instrumentation, Diagnostic Services, Drug Delivery, Food, Industrial Biotechnology, Small Molecules, Small Molecule Therapeutics, Wound Care and indications including Diseases of the Nervous System, Infectious and Parasitic Diseases, Neoplasms/Cancer/Oncology, Respiratory.

Websites:
www.greenwingsbiomedical.com
techcoastangels.com

Investor Type
Biotech Phase of Development
Medtech Phase of Development
Capital Structure Preference
Investment Stage Preference
Richard Koffler
Member 

Twin Cities Angels Fund II, LLC United States

Twin Cities Angels is an angel group that was founded in 2006 that is based in Minnesota. The group has raised two funds that are The Twin Cities Angels Fund I and II. The second fund is currently looking to invest in emerging companies. The group typically provides seed and venture capital ranging from $ 25.000 to $2 million to life science companies. The group plans to invest in 4 to 6 companies per year. Twin Cities Angels seeks to invest in companies based in the Twin Cities Area of Minneapolis/St. Paul, the state of Minnesota and within a reasonable distance, such as Western Wisconsin, Northern Iowa, and Eastern Dakotas.

Year Founded
2006
Investor Type
Biotech Phase of Development
Medtech Phase of Development
Capital Structure Preference
Investment Stage Preference
John Alexander
Chairman & Founder 

Wellington Partners Germany

Wellington Partners is a venture capital firm based in Munich, Germany, with an additional office in Zurich, Switzerland. The firm specializes in early-stage and growth capital investments in the Technology and Life Sciences sector. The firm has approximately €800M AUM and is currently investing out of a €100M fund for Life Science companies. Depending on the stage of the company, the firm can allocate up to €10M over the life of the investment. The firm can also lead or co-lead financing rounds of up to €30M or higher with syndicates. The firm focuses on European companies but will consider US-based companies with activities in Europe. The firm is actively seeking new investment opportunities.

Year Founded
1990
Biotech Phase of Development
Medtech Phase of Development
Capital Structure Preference
Investment Stage Preference
Rainer Strohmenger
General Partner