Asset Management Ventures
Richard Simoni
Managing PartnerBaird Venture Partners
Momei Qu
Senior AssociateBand of Angels
Brian Frenzel
MemberMichael Bates
Member, Board of DirectorsBaxter Ventures
Baxter Ventures is the strategic venture arm of Baxter International Inc. that was formed in 2011 and is based in Deerfield, Illinois. The firm is currently making equity investments out of a $200 Million fund with allocations generally falling in the $3-$5 million range. The firm is looking in invest in companies who have previously or are currently in the process of securing investment from other institutional investors. The firm is willing to look globally for investment opportunities and plans to make approximately 2 new investments over the next 6-9 months.
Priyanka Rohatgi
DirectorBecton Dickinson (BD)
Albert Lauritano
Director Strategic Technology PartnershipsBionure Inc.
Bionure is a late-preclinical company focused at developing First-in-Class SGK agonists for the treatment of orphan ophthalmological diseases.
Bionure's main candidate is BN201, a small molecule, new chemical entity, first-in-class drug that promotes neuroprotection and remyelination by means of a novel MOA.
Our main therapeutic focus is Optic Neuritis (ON), an acute, inflammatory disease of the optic nerve that qualifies for orphan status. BN201 has been granted orphan designation for the treatment of ON and the patent has been granted.
Preclinical efficacy studies have been performed in several animal models and a pre-IND meeting has been held with the FDA to validate our preclinical and clinical development.
BN201 is now through the regulatory toxicology studies to enable IND by Q2 2015.
Albert Zamora
Managing Partner CEOBioScience Managers
BioScience Managers is a venture capital life science investment firm headquartered in Melbourne, Australia. The group makes equity investments from $3M-5M and anticipates about 6 new investments this year. BioScience Managers invests globally.
BioScience Managers will invest in companies across the life science space, including therapeutics, diagnostics and medical technology. The group does not invest in service providers. BioScience Managers considers all subsectors and indications, including orphan indications. The group will consider technology either in or prepared for human clinical trials and is open to all classes of devices. BioScience Managers seeks investments in novel technology and is not looking to gain share of an existing market.
Jeremy Curnock Cook
Managing DirectorAmanda Gillon
Investment AnalystMatt McNamara
CIOBrace Pharmaceuticals
Brace Pharmaceuticals is based in Rockville, MD, and is a strategic investment company formed by Brazil-based pharma company EMS S/A. Brace investment structure varies depending on a company’s development stage; for early-stage opportunities Brace typically makes equity investments and may syndicate with other investors, whereas for clinical-stage opportunities Brace is more likely to form strategic partnerships that involve rights to an asset. Brace is open to considering therapeutic opportunities globally, but only if the company is pursuing the US market.
Brace Pharmaceuticals invests in therapeutics; about 80% of the firm’s investments are in clinical-stage assets, with a preference for companies with some human proof-of-concept data; the remaining 20% of investments are made in preclinical opportunities. Drug-device combinations will also be considered, but Brace does not invest in diagnostics. The firm will invest in both small and large molecules, and has a strong preference for investing in orphan drugs and other niche disease areas. It is preferred that indications have validated clinical endpoints and can be studied using small trials. Indications that require large clinical trials, including as cardiovascular diseases and primary care indications (such as influenza) will not be considered.