H.I.G. BioVentures
Enoch Kariuki
Vice PresidentHealth Beacons
Health Beacons is an early stage medical device company that is revolutionizing the standard of care for marking and surgically removing non-palpable breast tumors. Physicians are actively seeking an alternative procedure and are enthusiastic about ours, which employs RFID markers that are read with handheld readers, because it addresses all the shortcomings of the current method. We have a fully functional prototype that has been used successfully in almost 40 human cases and are working on our 510K submission. Investment to date has been from founders, friends and family. We are currently seeking $1.5M in an equity round to support regulatory clearance, and will require another $2-3M for commercialization which is planned for Q1 2016.
Nancy Confrey
HealthQuest Capital
Sofinnova Ventures was founded in 1974 and is based in Menlo Park, CA. The firm has approximately $1b of assets under management, and makes life science investments from two fund families; the main Sofinnova Ventures fund and Sofinnova HealthQuest Capital. Sofinnova Venture Partners IX closed at $500 million in 2014, and the debut HealthQuest fund closed at $110 million in 2014. The firm makes investments in the form of equity (preferred stock) and is an activist investor; the firm prefers to lead investments, take a board seat at its portfolio companies and be actively involved in company management. Sofinnova Ventures plans to make 4-6 new investments in life science companies in 2014.
The Sofinnova Ventures main fund invests in biopharmaceuticals and typically makes initial investments of $5-15m, with the potential for a total investment of $15-30m. The fund invests in companies based in North America or Europe.
HealthQuest Capital invests in non-biopharmaceutical life science and medtech companies and typically makes initial investments of $2-3m, with the potential for total investments of $5-6m. HealthQuest Capital is a venture growth fund focused on commercial-stage technologies, and only invests in companies headquartered in North America (particularly the US Southeast or West Coast).
Garheng Kong
Managing PartnerHercules Technology Growth Capital Inc.
Janice Borque
Managing Director Life SciencesHorizon Technology Finance
Horizon Technology Finance is a venture lending, investment and financial services management company that was founded in 2003 and is headquartered in Farmington, Ct with additional offices in Walnut Creek, CA and Reston, VA. The firm controls approximately $200 million in assets under management and look to provide senior or subordinate loans to companies in the range of $2 to $20 million dollars, and often syndicates much larger deals. The firm prefers to lead or co-lead investments that they are involved in and looks to be involved in 15 deals in the next 6-9 months. The firm provides capital to companies located throughout the United States and Canada.
Jerry Michaud
Hub Angels Investment Group
Randy Barko
MemberImmunova LLC
Immunova is a startup with an IP portfolio licensed from Yale and the Johns Hopkins Universities.
Immunova's technology platform has a unique capability to deliver one or more drugs to the tumor/disease microenvironment. The drugs can be proteins, small molecules or nucleic acids. The delivery platfrom has demonstatable advantages over other delivery systems. The technology has applications in oncology and inflammation.
The company's lead asset is positioned in oncology. IMM-01, consists of two drugs that (a) undermine the tumor micorenvironment and (b) increase anti-tumor cell mediated immunity. This asset is capable of curing mice of metastatic disease. Further, it significantly enhances the activites of immune checkpoint inhibitors. It is non toxic.
The company is seeking investment and R&D partners. Immunova has defined the path to a Phase I/IIa multidose trial which could initiate within 15 months of funding. Immunova is also seeking partners who wish to validate this platform in oncology and inflammation.
Brian Horsburgh
InterWest Partners
Doug Fisher
PartnerJohnson & Johnson (Medical Devices)
Johnson & Johnson (J&J) was founded in 1886 and is based in New Brunswick NJ with an Innovation Center in Cambridge MA. The firm invests in a variety of fields within the life science sector including medical devices. J&J?s medical device investments are highly varied in both size and structure, the structure may involve milestone payments or may be an equity investment. J&J is interested in early stage medical device companies located globally.
Ibraheem Badejo
Senior Director New VenturesJohnson & Johnson Innovation
Johnson & Johnson (J&J) was founded in 1886 and is based in New Brunswick, NJ, with an Innovation Center in Cambridge, MA. The firm invests in a variety of fields within the life science sector, including medical devices. J&J’s medical device investments are highly varied in both size and structure; the structure may involve milestone payments, or may be an equity investment. J&J is interested in early stage medical device companies located globally.