Chiesi Ventures

Chiesi Ventures is a Venture Capital firm formed by a partnership between the Italian Pharmaceutical company Chiesi and US based VC firm Pappas Ventures. The firm is currently looking to make seed and venture stage investments into companies ranging anywhere from $2K to $5 million initially and up to $8 million over the life of the investment. The firm is actively seeking investment opportunities throughout the United States and Europe and could make as many as 2-4 new investments over the next year.
Art Pappas
Partner 

CitareTx Investment Partners

CitareTx founded in 2008 is a venture development and investment firm based in Houston Texas. The firm provides investment and incubation services to start-up and early-stage medical device companies. The firm provides seed capital (equity) ranging from $5K to $2M with follow-on capital of up to $5M. The firm also considers investment opportunities with smaller than typically accepted venture capital market size thresholds. The firm is geographically agnostic but prefers companies to be based in Texas. The firm is actively seeking new opportunities.

Jeffery Sheldon
General Partner & Managing Director 

CloSys Corporation United States

We have developed the CloSys Hemostatic Device (HD)  - a highly differentiated technology for vascular closure after an interventional cardiology or peripheral procedure.  CloSys HD is unique in that it facilitates rapid closure but leaves NO foreign material behind in the patient.  It does this using a patented technology that eliminates heparin (anti-coagulant) from a small amount of the patient's blood and re-infuses this back to the puncture site and around the entire artery.  The de-heparinized blood rapidly and safely forms a clot to seal the artery naturally.  There are several other unique attributes of this product.  First  - it is the only product that will also seal "backsticks" or inadvertant punctures that go through the other side of the artery.  Backsticks are a leading cause of retroperitoneal hemorrhage.  Second - it preserves immediate re-access at the same site in the advent of an emergency.  

There is also an important economic value proposition offered by CloSys HD.  It will have a very low cost of goods so it could be sold for a price that will allow high margins to the manufacturer and cost savings to the hospital.  

We are approximately 25% of the way through a US pivotal trial and to date all performance and safety endpoints have been met.  There is a highly experienced management team and exceptional Board of Directors now associated with the company.    

Year Founded
2005
Main Sector
Medtech Subsector
Indication
Medtech Phase of Development
Technology Overview
CloSys HD consists a simple to use two component system. One component is a "wall locater" that is deployed inside the artery to achieve temporary hemostasis. The other component is a syringe with a special "reactor" in the tip that contains glass beads coated with a proprietary polymer. Blood withdrawn through the sheath passes through the reactor in the syringe which instantaneously removes heparin from the blood. The de-heparinzed blood is re-infused and forms a clot at the puncture site and around the artery.
Alliance & Collaborations
Rex Healthcare (part of UNC) in Raleigh, NC. Cardiovascular Institute of the South in Lafayette, LA, Deborah Heart and Lung in Brown Mills, NJ, and Mt. Sinai Medical Center in Miami, FL
Supporting Metrics or Evidence
Early results from an IDE trial. In this key performance endpoints of time to hemostasis and time to ambulation are being met. Safety endpoint of no unanticipated adverse events being met too. Results from two earlier studies performed in Europe as well numerous GLP and bench test reports have demonstrated effectiveness and safety.
Current Financing Needs
$4 million to complete trial, submit, obtain regulatory approval
Current Timeline
Approximately 10 months to complete enrollment and follow up, 2 to 3 months to write report, tie up loose ends at study sites and submit to the FDA. Approval time and questions ranges from about 4 months to 9 months.
Current Investors
Mostly angel investors and several smaller institutions such as Iowa Lakes Capital, University of St. Thomas Norris Fund, and Blankney Group from Milwaukee
IP Status
10 issued patents in the US, 3 issued patents in Europe and Canada, one provisional patent filed in the US
Recent Milestones
New members adde to the Board of Directors, meeting with FDA to re-classify to a Class Ii device
Management Team Highlights
Kevin Dillon - CEO and Director, Mary Lach - CFO, Kelly Elliot - Clinical Study Director, John Erb - Director, Warren Watson - Director, Christopher Barys - Director, Steven Zenz - Director, Bruce Johnson - Chairman and Director
Kevin Dillon
Kevin Dillon
CEO 

Correlation Ventures United States

Correlation Ventures is a venture capital firm that founded in 2010 and is based in San Diego, California with an additional office in Palo Alto, California. The firm currently has approximately $165 million in total assets under management. The firm typically makes investments ranging from $0.25 million to $5 million over the life of the company, and the first investment will be not larger than $2.5 million. The firm’s preferred capital structure is convertible preferred equity or convertible loan. Correlation Ventures will consider invest in any industry segment at any stage, but there must be at least one other venture capital firm making their first investment in the company in this round. The firm only invests in US-based companies. 

Correlation is extremely opportunistic when it comes to investments in the life sciences space; with that being said the firm's specified sectors and sub sectors of interest may or may not be an area in which Correlation Ventures is currently looking to allocate capital to. The firm has made a number of investments in companies in the life sciences space, and has mainly invested in companies in the biotech therapeutics and diagnostics space. The firm's current portfolio includes biotech therapeutics and diagnostics firms developing products targeting endocrine, metabolic, and nutritional diseases, musculoskeletal system and connective tissue, neoplasms, cancer, and oncology, genitourinary system, and infectious and parasitic diseases.

Year Founded
2010
Investor Type
Medtech Phase of Development
Capital Structure Preference
Investment Stage Preference
David Coats
Managing Director 

Cydan

Cydan is an orphan drug accelerator that was founded in 213 and is based in Cambridge MA. The firm has raised $26 million dollar to derisk therapeutic assets targeting orphan indications (excluding oncology). The firm looks to option/in-license assets and form subsidiary companies around them. Cydan then derisks the assets conducting all the necessary IND enabling activities. Cydan?s investment syndicate including NEA Pfizer Ventures Lundbeck Venturefonds Bay City Alexandria then has the option to fund the NEWCo Series A round to human proof of principle Cydan is also performing due diligence on companies that are interested in receiving investment from the company's syndicate. Cydan is currently considering pre-clinical and clinical assets worldwide.
Chris Adams
CEO 

Deep Knowledge Ventures Hong Kong SAR China

We are a Hong Kong-based venture fund management company focusing on mid- to long-term advanced technology investments at early stage. Through our partnership with the top analytical companies utilizing machine learning and large panel of experts, we can construct complex decision trees showing risk and return at every stage of company evolution. We routinely invest in both private and public companies specializing in biotechnology, drug discovery, personalized medicine, Big Data analysis, industrial expert systems and artificial intelligence. 

Mr Charles Groome
Mr Charles Groome
LinkedIn logo Venture Partner 
Mr Dmitry Kaminskiy
Mr Dmitry Kaminskiy
LinkedIn logo Senior Partner 

Diamond BioFund Taiwan

Diamond BioFund is an evergreen fund that was established in 2013 and is based in Taipei City, Taiwan. The fund is operating from a committed capital of USD 300 million. The fund makes equity investments in early- to late-stage private businesses. Typical allocations range from USD 1.5 million to north of USD 10 million. The fund likes to lead investments in Taiwan-based businesses and co-invest in businesses overseas. The fund is currently seeking new opportunities in Taiwan, Greater China, Southeast Asia, US, Canada, and EU.

Diamond BioFund takes a generalist approach when considering life science opportunities, including therapeutics (small molecule and biologics), medical devices, diagnostics, healthcare services, and nutraceuticals. The fund is seeking cutting edge, innovative, and platform technology. In therapeutics, the fund considers all stages from preclinical through pre-IPO. In medical devices, the fund prefers later stage projects with proof of concept. The fund is open to all disease indications.

Investor Type
Biotech Phase of Development
Medtech Phase of Development
Capital Structure Preference
Investment Stage Preference
Winston Town
Vice President 
Haolin Sung
LinkedIn logo Director 

Easton Capital United States

Easton Capital Investment Group is a venture capital firm based in New York. Easton Capital invests broadly in the life science sector, and considers investment opportunities globally. The firm is likely to make 4-6 allocations in the next 6 months. Allocations typically vary from $250,000 to $5 million, in the form of equity or convertible debt. Allocations are typically made at the venture stage of development, but may be made in seed rounds if a company already has proof of their product's efficacy.

Investor Type
Biotech Phase of Development
Medtech Phase of Development
Capital Structure Preference
Investment Stage Preference
Lisa Rhoads
Managing Director 

Enso Ventures United States

Enso Ventures is a Venture Capital firm that was founded in 2010 and based in London with an additional office in New York. The firm is looking to provide equity capital to high growth companies in the life science space. The firm is currently interested in companies located in Europe, Russia and the US and is looking to make approximately 2-3 investments over the next 6-9 months.

Sergei Petukhov
Partner 

Excel Venture Management United States

Excel Venture Management is a venture capital firm that was founded in 2008 and is based in Boston, Massachusetts. The firm has managed one fund with committed capital of $125 million, and the firm is currently raising the second fund. Excel Venture Management seeks to make equity investments into life science companies from early to late stages. The typical investment size ranges from $3 million to $ 5million. The firm plans to invest in 4-5 companies over the next 6-9 months and prefers to invest in companies based in US.

Year Founded
2008
Investor Type
Medtech Phase of Development
Capital Structure Preference
Investment Stage Preference
Eric Zimmerman
Kevin Liang