By Karen Deyo, Investor Research Analyst, LSN
With RESI NYC just around the corner, we at LSN are excited to announce the finalists for the Tech Hub Pitch Challenge. These 8 companies, constituents of Tech Hubs located in New York and the surrounding states, have been selected to pitch to a panel of investors. Each company will have 5 minutes to pitch followed by a Q&A session including feedback from the investors.
The Pitch Challenge will be moderated by Dennis Ford, CEO & Founder, Life Science Nation. The investor panelists are:
- Barbara Schilberg, CEO, BioAdvance
- Steve Saheb, Associate, Brace Pharma Capital
- Rena Rosenberg, Partner, Robin Hood Ventures
- Nishant Rastogi, Senior Associate, New Rhein Healthcare
- Merom Klein, Entrepreneur Mentor, Keiretsu Forum
Make sure to attend the Pitch Challenge, starting at 1:00 PM and featuring the following companies.
A2A Pharmaceuticals (JLABS NYC)
A2A Pharmaceuticals Inc. is a biotechnology company committed to the advancement of innovative therapeutic agents to treat life-threatening diseases with high unmet need and inadequate treatment options, including cancer, bacterial infections, and muscular dystrophy, among others.
Our SCULPT platform radically accelerates lead drug discovery and optimization through a systematic fragment-based drug design approach that leverages AI and deep learning to design pre-optimized molecules, highly selective to their target and with drug-like properties incorporated, reducing the time and cost of drug development.
Bright Cloud International Group (Entrepreneur’s University)
Bright Cloud International has developed, patented and tested technology that increases independence for individuals with dementia or stroke. For example, we made someone who had no longer been able to read for years, do it again in only three weeks. Current health care does not focus on the arms of stroke survivors and medication does not really work for dementia. Our proprietary adaptable and intensive gamification technology addresses these needs for improved rehabilitation and cognitive care. At clinic or at home. We would like to discuss our funding needs in a follow-up meeting.
CaroGen Corporation (UConn TIP)
CaroGen is developing transformative immunotherapies for infectious diseases and cancer, initially focusing on a cure for chronic Hepatitis B Virus (HBV). CaroGen’s virus-like-vesicle (VLV) platform was licensed from Yale. Our lead asset (CARG-101) has shown efficacy in a chronic HBV animal model. We have selected a clinical candidate, discussed our development plan with the FDA and are seeking investment opportunities or corporate partnership to allow us to conduct IND enabling studies, file an IND, and advance our HBV product to the clinic by the 3Q2019.
Corfigo (Entrepreneur’s University)
Corfigo Inc. is an early stage medical device company est. Delaware 2015. We are developing the HeArTPAD Cryo-Ablation System that treats cardiac arrhythmias for patients suffering from persistent Atrial Fibrillation. It utilizes a video-guided surgical approach (sub-xiphoid or laparoscopic/trans-diaphragmatic) to ablate the posterior wall of the left atrium and can be used concomitantly with an EP catheter ablation. The HeArTPAD and its video enabled cannula are disposable devices intended for use in cardiac ablation from an epicardial (outer surface of the heart) location. The HeArTPAD has an insulating chamber to simultaneously protect adjacent structures from unintentional ablation injury. Designed for minimally invasive ablation, our proprietary technology utilizes potent cryothermy energy coupled with sophisticated sensor technology.
Digitouch Health (BioInc)
Digitouch Health will empower anyone to measure their blood pressure with clinical-grade accuracy just by pushing a button. Upon achieving FDA clearance, Digitouch will enable billions of people to monitor hypertension much more conveniently, leading to greater awareness and control rates for hypertension, the primary risk factor for heart failure, stroke, and other cardiovascular events. Digitouch already raised $800K from the Pritzker-Vlock family. Achievement of FDA clearance should motivate smartphone and other consumer electronics manufacturers to license this technology and build it into their devices. Digitouch will also build and market standalone systems, including a medical tricorder. The potential exit valuation is >$500 million with several intermediate exit opportunities.
Grektek Holdings, Inc (NJIT)
Grektek has created everbeat, a wearable medical device that continuously and comprehensively monitors patients who have been diagnosed with, or who are at risk for, atrial fibrillation. The everbeat system is different from the competition because it works with both Apple and Android smartphones, integrates an optical sensor for active background monitoring and a clinical-grade ECG for more precise assessment, and tracks sleep, steps, medication and more through a simple-to-use watchband.
Designed by cardiologists, we are focused on helping physicians leverage everbeat to improve both their patient outcomes and their bottom line.
Raadysan Biotech, Inc. (BioInc)
We are a clinical stage biotech company and we are developing the first targeted therapy for Triple Negative Breast Cancer (TNBC).
Currently, there are no targeted therapies available in the market for the treatment of TNBC, which is the most aggressive type of breast cancer with poor survival rates. We have found a unique solution for this unmet problem by identifying a novel biomarker for TNBC, which also functions as an excellent drug target. We have developed revolutionary therapies that specifically inhibit this drug target and believe our therapies will be effective against all kinds of breast cancers.
We intend to license these therapies to pharmaceutical companies, following Phase 1a/b clinical trials and anticipate a market of about $18.2 billion.
Sonostics, Inc (Entrepreneur’s University)
Sonostics develops pacemakers for our “second hearts.” The soleus muscles in the calf of the legs are responsible for returning the blood, which collects into the lower limbs due to the influence of gravity, back to the heart, and so these muscles are commonly called our “second hearts.” About 50% of adult Americans have second heart insufficiency resulting in reduced cardiac output and numerous associated health complications (e.g. venous hypertension, chronic fatigue, hypotension and cognitive dsyfunction). Sonostics has developed, and is currently marketing, the HeartPartner, a non-invasive device which retrains the soleus muscles and reverses the complications of second heart failure. A second generation, portable technology, is under development.
