Deep Knowledge Ventures
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.
Deton Corp.
Deton is developing a novel non-invasive simple-to-use sample collection device for tuberculosis (TB) patients who are unable to provide a sample.
Proper diagnosis is essential to effectively treat the more than 9million new cases of TB every year. Typically, a sputum sample is collected to run the diagnostic test. However, in 22% of adults and in all children patients, sputum is impossible to collect. These patients have to rely on inadequate alternative collection methods that are invasive, high-cost, and resource-intensive. With our device, patients can now provide a sample even in low-resource setting and find out their TB status. Deton will enable 26M samples to be tested every year.
After promising clinical data, Deton is now raising $1.6M to build an ISO 13485 disposable product and to obtain pivotal clinical validation. Discussions with multiple potential diagnostic partners and first feedback from experts at World Health Organization show significant interest in adopting the device once effective validation has been completed.
Diamond BioFund
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.
Winston Town
Vice PresidentEaston Capital
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.
Lisa Rhoads
Managing DirectorEverett Partners
Everett Partners is the venture investing arm of an Akron Ohio based single family office. The firm owns and manages an incubator in Israel and invests in companies in the life sciences space with a focus on technolog enabled, non-invasive medical devices.
Neil Wyant
Managing DirectorExcel Venture Management
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.
Eric Zimmerman
Kevin Liang
Fusion Genomics Corporation
Fusion Genomics Corp (FG) is a molecular diagnostic test development company that is introducing diagnostic kits with companion analysis software that offer superior clinical information, faster turn-around-times and ease of use for hospitals and clinical laboratories. Fusion is the first of two companies in the world to bring a validated Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) diagnostic test complete with highly secure cloud based analytical service for childhood cancers (ChildSeq-RNA SRCT) into the clinic. This test was validated in the renowned medical testing facility at the Texas Children Hospital, Baylor College of Medicine.
FG is completing development of kits for facilitating absolute diagnosis of pediatric and adult blood cancers. In addition, FG has partnered with the Royal Tropical Institute (Dutch: Koninklijk Instituut voor de Tropen; KIT) a World Health Organization reference diagnostic laboratory for infectious diseases to design the next generation of assays for the detection of infectious diseases including drug-resistant forms of tuberculosis, influenza, hepatitis and hemorrhagic fevers including Ebola.
Mohammed Qadir
Chief Scientific OfficerGait Tronics
GaitTronics has developed a robotic patient handling system called SoloWalk. SoloWalk provides effortless mobility for frail patients which would otherwise require two or more caregivers to assist them and put the patients at risk of falling. With SoloWalk's intelligent patient driven mobile system, a single caregiver can mobilize a patient. Additionally, an automatic fall protection system supports the patient automatically if a balance loss is detected, significantly reducing the risk of injury for patients and staff.
Currently, hospitals are only providing adequate mobility for 30% of their patients. With SoloWallk, these institutions can expect to significantly increase this proportion and reduce complications associated with immobility, including: functional decline, bed sores, increased delirium and increased length-of-stay. With the potential of reducing length-of-stay by two days, there is a significant ROI for using SoloWalk in an acute care setting.
Watch a demo of SoloWalk at http://youtu.be/tIcfEsnQ4uY .