Tag Archives: Life Science

Hot Investor Mandate 3: Canada-Based Investment Group Provides Seed Funding to Medtech, Cleantech, and IT Sectors Across North America, With Canadian Focus

22 Mar

A venture capital fund, angel group, and registered exempt market dealer based in Toronto, Ontario is affiliated with early stage venture funds, including their accelerator fund I and II as well as an angel group. The firm usually acts a lead investor in rounds of up to $2M, with between $300K – $750K coming from the first-mentioned fund, and with additional capital usually coming from the angel group or other family offices or institutional investment partners. The firm has also participated, and will continue to participate, in larger syndicated investment rounds. The firm prefers to lead priced equity rounds and does not usually make investments in uncapped convertible debt or SAFEs (Simple Agreements for Future Equity).

Annually, the firm works with, and makes investments in, 8 to 12 early stage (Seed and Series A) companies in the IT, CleanTech and MedTech sectors. In the MedTech sector, the firm typically does not invest in products with a complex regulatory pathway. The firm is also interested in platform technologies and R&D service/tools companies. Historic MedTech investments include investments in (i) a company which has developed an imaging agent that illuminates tumors both at the surgery planning phase and inside the operating room, (ii) a company that manufactures the world’s only natural, non-toxic, mono-disperse nano particle extracted from sweet corn which has applications in the personal care/cosmetics, nutraceutical and biomedical spaces; and (iii) a company that has a proprietary in silico software platform that maps interactions of drug compounds against the human proteome to identify drug efficacy, side effects and toxicity risks.

The firm is focused on Canadian companies, but will also evaluate U.S.-based and international companies if there is a potential investment fit. The firm’s principals have significant technology, financial and legal experience. The firm’s ideal investment candidate is a company that will benefit from and can leverage this experience and network and to which the firm can provide additional long-term value beyond its cash investment. The firm tries to avoid taking on technology risk but will take on some commercialization risk and prefers entrepreneurs that have had at least one ‘win’ (or event better, at least one ‘loss’)

If you are interested in more information about this investor and other investors tracked by LSN, please email mandates@lifesciencenation.com.

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Hot Investor Mandate 4: Large Quebec-Based Firm Seeks Early-Stage Single Asset/Platform Technologies in Therapeutics and Revenue-Generating Medtech Companies

22 Mar

A development capital fund of 30+ years of investment experience actively seeks opportunities in the life sciences. The firm’s mission is to provide returns to its 600,000+ shareholders, and contribute to Québec’s economic growth through investments in small and medium-sized businesses from all industrial sectors. Its evergreen fund structure ables the firm to take a long-term approach on investments. Allocations in co-syndicated deals start at $1M but mostly range from $3-10M. The firm could co-lead investments. The firm seeks to invest in businesses with a significant presence in Québec, defined as having over half of its employees based in the province, or significant activities in the province.

The firm has been a consistent life sciences investor for the past 30+ years. The firm is interested in both single asset and platform technology companies across a wide range of therapeutics including small molecules, biologics, cell therapy, gene therapy, etc. The firm is agnostic to therapeutic areas and invests at multiple development stages from pre-IND activities to Phase III. In medical devices and diagnostics, the firm invests only in profitable companies or those with an approved product.

The firm is looking for experienced management teams with expertise in the indication area. It will consider first-time-CEOs who have been able to attract seasoned professionals on the board and SAB.

If you are interested in more information about this investor and other investors tracked by LSN, please email mandates@lifesciencenation.com.

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Hot Investor Mandate 1: Newly Founded Family Office Actively Seeking Early-Stage Life Science Investments, from Pre-Clinical Stage Assets to Medical Devices

15 Mar

A newly formed Delaware family office investment vehicle representing East Coast-based family interests is looking to invest in ground-breaking life science and medical device technologies. While the firm is very flexible in terms of investment size, they are generally looking to invest a minimum of $0.5 million per round. The firm is open to Investing in companies located throughout North America and Europe.

The firm is looking for breakthrough technologies with a strong social ethos in the Therapeutics, Medical Device and Diagnostics Sectors that address underserved medical needs, or provide innovative and disruptive approaches to common medical procedures and treatments. The firm invests on an opportunistic basis and are especially interested in areas of intersecting technologies, such as nucleic acid-based drugs and delivery, regenerative medicine and cell- based therapeutics.

The firm is less interested in small molecules and generally will not consider biosimilars or other technologies for which there is already multiple therapeutic options. The firm is looking for niche disease areas where disruptive therapeutics have the potential to be truly disease- modifying, not just provide symptomatic relief or palliative care. The firm typically is interested in preclinical stage assets that have well-developed animal model dossiers to Phase II or early Phase III stage assets. The firm’s investment mandate particularly focuses on “smart” clinical trial formats such as adaptive trials and Master Protocol trials for capital efficiency.

For devices, the firm is looking for devices that address and perhaps substitute for a pharmacologic in a given therapeutic market, such as deep brain stimulation technologies and orthopedics. The firm is generally not interested in cardiovascular disease or diabetes.

The firm is currently reviewing co-investment opportunities in private companies and on an opportunistic basis, considering investment in micro-and small-cap public companies as a direct investor.

If you are interested in more information about this investor and other investors tracked by LSN, please email mandates@lifesciencenation.com.

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Hot Investor Mandate 2: Chinese Government Partnered VC Firm Invests in Therapeutics and Clinical Testing Companies, with Focus on China Angle

15 Mar

A venture capital firm partnered with the Chinese Government was founded in 2016, and focuses on cross-border investments. When investing, the firm doesn’t only provide financial capital, they also provide their global consulting services focused specifically on helping companies work across borders and in China. With the Chinese Government partnership, the firm seeks to bring good projects from North America to China and are focused on technologies that are at an advanced stage with patents that are willing to launch in Chinese markets or to set up factories and labs in China. The firm is however, willing to invest smaller amounts in good opportunities that have no interest/fit for the Chinese markets as well. The firm’s major focus within the life sciences is biotech and is focused on seed to series B rounds. The firm generally invests up to $10M USD for Series A deals, is flexible for series B rounds, and invests up to $1M USD for seed stage rounds.

Within the Life Sciences space, the firm is specifically focused on clinical tests, therapeutics, and other biotech technologies. The firm is also willing to look at medical devices to a small degree but is not very familiar with those technologies. Additionally, the firm is focused on technologies within these sectors that have a good fit with the Chinese Market or have a strong interest in working in China.

When investing, the firm looks to take a board seat. The firm provides consulting, localization services, and the ability to leverage resources in China to help the company grow alongside their direct equity investment and believe that these abilities can be best leveraged with a board seat.

If you are interested in more information about this investor and other investors tracked by LSN, please email mandates@lifesciencenation.com.

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Hot Investor Mandate 3: Investment Arm of Major China Genomics Company Looks for Complementary Early-Stage Genomics & Big Data/AI Technologies

15 Mar

A branch of a subsidiary of a major genomics sequencing company in China is actively seeking technologies from the US, Canada, and China that will complement what they currently have. In addition to direct investments, the firm often functions as a strategic partner that can help provide a technology platform for a startup or even integrate the new technology into their system. The firm also provides access to their large marketing team once the product is developed to help the startup during their commercialization phase. The firm is currently interested in early stage companies: usually at seed to series A and is rather flexible as to the financing terms. Additionally, the firm is willing to work through either partnerships or direct investments.

The firm is actively seeking new genomics technologies. Currently, the firm is interested in any technology within diagnostics, digital health, and medtech that has a focus on genomics. Within the diagnostics and medtech sectors, the firm is particularly interested in sequencing technologies currently, but is willing to see all early stage genomics-based technologies within these sectors. For digital health, the firm is interested in companies involved in big data and AI that already have algorithms that can utilize the large pool of genomics data that the firm currently has access to.

When investing, the firm likes to take an active role in the company and prefers taking board seats but does not require a board seat. Otherwise, the firm prefers to work with companies that the firm can work with and help develop into either a potential integration or a productive partnership.

If you are interested in more information about this investor and other investors tracked by LSN, please email mandates@lifesciencenation.com.

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Building a Life Science Startup Community on Linkedin

1 Mar

By Sean Tran, Business Development Manager, LSN

Life Science Nation (LSN) just revamped its LinkedIn profile in an effort to help life science startups engage with potential investors! With the growing impact of social media, we aim to create another avenue to build connections with early-stage life science players and offer content relevant to our growing community.

On the primary LSN profile, we will post the hottest investor mandates from our LSN Database, latest news about the life science industry, and updates on the Redefining Early Stage Investment (RESI) conference series.

LSN has also created a separate RESI Conference group on LinkedIn to help past and new attendees stay connected with one another. Through this channel, members can promote their companies, announce updates on the development of their technologies, build relationships with other like-minded members, and collectively move the needle in the life sciences.

We hope you will connect with us and help us build a startup community that can make an impact on the life science industry!

Please click here to explore and follow our page.

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Calling All Life Science Entrepreneurs – Enter the RESI Boston Innovation Challenge

13 Jul

By Chris Cummings, Senior Business Development Manager, LSN

Christine A. Wu, Senior Research Analyst, LSN

chrsitineRESI is coming home to Boston and so is the RESI Innovation Challenge. This September’s life science innovation competition will showcase the most promising new health technologies in the RESI Innovation Challenge. If you are fundraising and aim to build a presence in the Boston’s booming healthcare scene, we’d like to see your application.

The RESI Innovation Challenge invites the top-tier early-stage companies in therapeutics, medical devices, diagnostics and healthcare IT to present from around the globe. All applicants will be vetted on the crucial balance of the quality of the company’s scientific innovation and the investment potential based on the company current standings and management team.

On September 26th, RESI’s estimated 1000 attendees will receive “RESI Cash” to “invest” in the company whom they believe to be the most “investible” of the contestants. The top three winners with the most RESI cash will receive prizes and be featured in our RESI newsletter recap that will go out to LSN’s 20,000 newsletter readership.

In the past we have seen around 50% of Innovation Challenge companies receive funding within a year from their exhibition at RESI. Be sure not to miss out on the chance of adding to this statistic – apply for the Innovation Challenge.

See below for the previous RESI Innovation Challenge testimonials.

“RESI Innovation Challenge was a fantastic way for us to increase exposure to investors attending the event. We highly recommend leveraging the Innovation Challenge with the one-on-one partnering platform to get more face time with investors.”

– Herman Lo, CEO, ViewsIQ Inc.

3rd Place in San Diego IC

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“It was an absolute pleasure to participate in the RESI conference held at MaRS in Toronto. The unique structure of the conference facilitated creating new relationships with potential investors and partners. In particular, the Innovation Challenge pushed us to introduce ourselves to new people, which will be useful as we look towards a future financing round. I definitely recommend the RESI conferences to entrepreneurs seeking financing in the bio / health space.”
– Raymond Shih, President, Co-Founder, QoC Health
3rd Place, RESI on MaRS, June 23, 2016

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“The RESI Innovation Challenge is a really good opportunity to meet investors and other companies in the space.  It’s a good showcase to reach that audience.”

– Jessica Ching, CEO, Eve Medical

2nd Place, RESI San Francisco, January 12, 2016

“The RESI Innovation Challenge is a unique way to pitch, and provides a great opportunity to see what other companies are doing in the industry, while allowing you to meet with potential investors and strategic partners outside of the partnering meetings.”

– John Connolly, VP Corporate Development, Rna Diagnostics

1st Place, RESI Boston, September 16, 2015

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