Becton Dickinson (BD)

BD (Becton Dickinson and Company) based in Franklin Lakes NJ is a leading medical technology company that partners with customers and stakeholders to address many of the world?s most pressing and evolving health needs. Their innovative solutions are focused on improving drug delivery enhancing the diagnosis of infectious diseases and cancers supporting the management of diabetes and advancing cellular research. The firm has nearly 3 associates in 5 countries who strive to fulfill our purpose of ?Helping all people live healthy lives? by advancing the quality accessibility safety and affordability of healthcare around the world. For more information please visit www.bd.com. BD partners with companies from their formation through to commercialization including expansion of operations and channel access. BD considers a variety of engagement models including research collaborations licenses investments and acquisition when partnering with companies aligned with BD?s core businesses and new areas of strategic interest seeking opportunities from around the globe.
Albert Lauritano
Director Strategic Technology Partnerships 

BioScience Managers Australia

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. 

Investor Type
Biotech Phase of Development
Medtech Phase of Development
Capital Structure Preference
Investment Stage Preference
Jeremy Curnock Cook
Managing Director 
Amanda Gillon
Investment Analyst 
Matt McNamara
CIO 

Brace Pharmaceuticals United States

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.

Basheer Zada
Business Development 
Vinzenz Ploerer
President & CEO 
Todd Brady
Director of Finance 

BSI Capital Group

BSI Capital is a Single Family Office based in Mexico City Mexico. The firm is looking to make growth stage investments into healthcare companies generally in series C and D rounds or later. Due to the structure of the firm BSI has a highly variable investment size that will depend of the financial needs of the company. The firm is currently looking for new opportunities throughout the United States Mexico and Canada. The firm has no set number of investment in plans to make over the next 6-9 months.
Alejandra Paradones
CEO & Founder 

California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM)

The California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) was established in 24 with the passage of Proposition 71 and is based in San Francisco California. Proposition 71 provided for $3 billion for CIRM to fund stem cell research in the state of California. CIRM provides strictly non-dilutive funding in the forms of research grants and forgivable loans the largest of which provide for up to $2 million of funding. Being motivated partially by the economic development of California the firm is interested in companies located in California or those that have an interest in relocating or opening space in California.
Neil Littman
Business Development Officer 

Cavidi United States

Cavidi is a Swedish based diagnostic company that has developed a novel method for measuring HIV viral load in patients recieving anti-retroviral therapy for treatment of HIV. Viral load is a critical indicator of the effectiveness of HIV therapy, and has been the standard of care in the developed world for many years. Just recently the World Health Organization (WHO) updated its recommendations to include viral load for patients in the developing world where the vast majority of HIV patients exists, and a large influx of international funding has significantly increased aceess to HIV drugs. The Cavidi method is novel in that it measures the viral enzyme reverse transcriptase (RT), and not viral nucleic acid (RNA) by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The Cavidi method is not subject to the logistical challenges of PCR such as contamination risk. The Cavidi RT assay is much less expensive and can be performed in labs that lack the sophisitication to perform technologies such as PCR. Therfore, the Cavidi assay significantly improves access to this vitally important technology. For the past several years a manual version of the Cavidi technology has been utilized in laboratories in the developing world. The performance of the assay has been validated vs the industry leading PCR methods in many peer review publications. The company is now seeking funding to develop an automated version of the assay that will make it more widely adaptable to many laborartories. 

Website:
www.cavidi.com
Year Founded
2007
Biotech Subsector
Medtech Subsector
Biotech Phase of Development
Technology Overview
Cavidi's novel IVD technology uses Reverse Transcriptase(RT) as a marker for measuring replication competent HIV in blood (HIV viral load). Measuring viral load in HIV patients receiving anti viral therapy is now a global World Health Organization recommendation. Unlike PCR tests, Cavidi's RT assay requires minimal resources & lab footprint, can measure all subtypes of HIV, and at half the cost or less of PCR tests. The technology has been proven in over 400,000 tests in 50 markets worldwide.
Alliance & Collaborations
• Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Uganda • Burnet Institute, Australia • University of Maryland School of Medicine IHV (Institute of Human Virology) • Karolinska Hospital, Sweden • SIDA (Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency) • Royal Free Hospital, London, UK • Harvard AIDS Institute Partnership, Botswana- • New York University School of Medicine, Kenya • Swedish Institute for Infectious Disease Control, Sweden • Virus Reference Depart
Supporting Metrics or Evidence
The Cavidi ExaVIr Load assay has been widely cited in peer review publications, and favorably compared to industry standard PCR technology. In addition to routine HIV viral load measurement, the Cavidi RT assay has demonstrated favorable performance vs. industry standard PCR for early infant HIV diagnostic (EID) market. ExaVir™ assay showed excellent concordance with real-time molecular assays Abbott M2000sp and Roche Cobas TaqMan...Journal of Clinical Microbiology 47(10): 3266-3270
Current Financing Needs
Development project completion 2015 $7M + 2016 $3M =$10M Global product launch 2016 $3M + 2017 $2M=$5M
Current Timeline
Next generation of fully automated HIV viral load test development project started in 2102. Prototype 1 and 2 now working. OEM selected Q12015, validation and verification of final design Q22015, Distribution Partner selection by Q22015, pre-series Q42015, serial production start Q12016, and CE Registration Q22016. Cash flow positive 2017.
Current Investors
Two private US investors hold majority interest
IP Status
IP is strong and broad covering key aspects of the technology methods with over 100 international patents in five patent families.
Recent Milestones
• Awarded SWECARE Export Award by Swedish MOH May 2013 • Supply Agreement signed with Load Zero Foundation in June 2013 • Presentation at UN Global Health Impact Forum May 2014 • TECH20 award as top 20 (2%) of 800 startups in Sweden June 2014 • UNITAID grant LOI accepted (3/12) June 2014, Full Application grant pending Dec. 2014 • POLS/One Technology evaluation meta study (2/2014) ranks Cavidi ExaVirLoad with top global diagnostic comp
Management Team Highlights
Experts in diagnostic technology development covering: Clinical Assay Chemistry, Devices, Instruments, Software, System Integration, QA & QC, Regulatory Strategy. Commercial scale up of new technologies in global markets with focus on emerging markets in Africa and Asia. Capital raising for start up and early stage companies.
Bob Barrett
Global Head, Business Development 

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 

Corvida Medical United States

Headquartered in the greater Iowa City area, Corvida Medical innovates intelligent technologies that are designed to represent the next generation of safe handling of hazardous drugs and excellence in design.  We address the problems inherent in current methods and develop smarter, simpler solutions to improve safety, productivity and quality for providers and patients. Our first technology, a novel new Closed System Transfer Device – the Halo™ — will be available in 2015.

Indication
Biotech Phase of Development
Medtech Phase of Development
Technology Overview

Corvida Medical is an emerging device company optimizing the safe handling of hazardous drugs, such as chemotherapeutics used to treat cancer patients. Millions of healthcare providers are at risk of exposure to hazardous drugs each year, resulting in adverse events such as cancers, reproductive toxicity, genetic mutations, etc. The company has developed anInnovative Device to Improve Safety of Preparing and Administering Chemotherapy supported by the National Cancer Institute as well as private investors. 

Alliance & Collaborations
NCI grants and awards
Supporting Metrics or Evidence

Launched a multi-center research study funded by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) as part of a series of Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grants, the aim of this study is to demonstrate the improvements that Corvida’s technology could bring to the safe handling of hazardous drugs. 

Current Financing Needs

Raising $5M series B round

Current Timeline

First quarter 2015 510 applicartion. Approval Q 2 2015

Current Investors

Disclosed under NDA

IP Status

7 patents isued

15 PCT utility patents pending

Recent Milestones

Closed 2 rounds of financing and current 

Management Team Highlights

Corvida Medical is led by CEO, Kent Smith, MBA, who brings over 20 years of successful commercialization and leadership experience in the medical device start-up arena, to include Suros Surgical, which had a very successful exit, and in large corporations, such as American Hospital Supply and Baxter Healthcare.

 

John Slump
Co-Founder & CEO 
Kent Smith
CEO 

DavosPharma United States

DavosPharma’s corporate offering covers all the activities required to get a drug from conception to commercialization. DavosPharma has been filling this need since 1972, serving the pharmaceutical and life science market by providing discovery chemistry & biology, pre-clinical development, and all required CMC activities including custom synthesis of organic molecules, custom dosage formulation, and custom manufacturing of cGMP intermediates, APIs, and drug product. 

Gifford Marzoni
Vice-President Global Pharmaceutical Development 
Mike Shore
Director, Global Supply Chain & Technical Operations 

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