ABU DHABI, Vereinigte Arabische Emirate, 11. Dezember 2024 — Die Abu Dhabi Finance Week (ADFW), das von ADGM ausgerichtete Flaggschiff-Event, startete in den zweiten Tag der diesjährigen Auflage von Asset Abu Dhabi. Auf dem Forum, das gemeinsam mit den Themenpartnern ADCB, Mubadala und PGIM Global Asset Management organisiert wird, wurden Themen wie Investitionen in das nächste Jahrzehnt der Technologie, Möglichkeiten im Bereich Private Equity und Kredite sowie Investitionen in die Städte der Zukunft diskutiert. 

Asset Abu Dhabi führt Asset Allocators und Asset Manager, Investmentbanker, Risikokapitalgeber, Private Equities, Family Offices und andere institutionelle Anleger zusammen, die insgesamt mehr als 42,5 Billionen US-Dollar an Vermögenswerten verwalten, um ihre Sichtweisen auszutauschen und Einblicke in einige der größten Hedgefonds der Welt zu gewähren.

Ray Dalio – Gründer und CIO Mentor bei Bridgewater Associates – hielt einen aufschlussreichen Vortrag über die Prinzipien einer Weltordnung im Wandel, der den Ton für die Diskussionen des Tages setzte. In seiner zum Nachdenken anregenden Grundsatzrede ging er auf einige der turbulentesten wirtschaftlichen und politischen Zeiten ein, um aufzuzeigen, warum die Zukunft wahrscheinlich anders aussehen wird als die jüngere Geschichte.

Da die AUM-Volumen in der Asset-Management-Branche bis 2023 auf fast 120 Billionen US-Dollar steigen werden und Multi-Billionen-Dollar-Manager etwa 61 % des gesamten Branchenvermögens halten, bot die Sitzung zum Thema „The Market View of Trillion Dollar Asset Managers” Einblicke in die Marktperspektive von oben mit den Asset-Management-Experten Aleksandar Ivanovic – President bei UBS Asset Management, David Hunt – President und CEO bei PGIM und Bill Huffman – CEO bei Nuveen.

Andere prominente Namen im Bereich der Finanzinvestitionen wie Robert Smith, Gründer – Chairman und CEO bei Vista Equity Partners und Aron Landy – CEO bei Brevan Howard, boten ebenfalls bemerkenswerte Diskussionen und Vorträge. Zu den behandelten Themen gehörten ein Update über die Falcon-Wirtschaft, wie man eine erstklassige Gelegenheit erkennt und ausbaut, das Gesamtbild von Immobilien und ein kurzer Leitfaden zu den wichtigsten Staatsfonds von Abu Dhabi.

In seinem Kommentar zur Rolle der Veranstaltung , kommentierte S.E. Ahmed Jasim Al Zaabi, Chairman von ADGM und des Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development (ADDED) : „Als Treffpunkt für einige der größten Namen des Asset-Management-Sektors ist Asset Abu Dhabi eine einzigartige Plattform, um Erkenntnisse darüber auszutauschen, wie die Zukunft dieses dynamischen Sektors aussehen soll. Mit dieser Plattform beleuchten wir die nächsten Grenzbereiche von Technologien und Investitionsmöglichkeiten und bieten kritische Perspektiven zu regionalen und globalen wirtschaftlichen Aussichten, die das nächste Jahrzehnt der Investitionen in eine sich entwickelnde Weltordnung transformieren werden. Asset Abu Dhabi unterstreicht das unermüdliche Engagement der ADGM, das Wachstum der Falcon Economy voranzutreiben.”

Auf ADFW wurden bisher 14 Absichtserklärungen (MoU) unterzeichnet. Die wichtigsten Verträge, die heute von ADGM unterzeichnet wurden, wurden mit bekannten Namen wie Istanbul Financial Centre, Beijing Financial Street Services Bureau und Polygon abgeschlossen. Eine weitere Vereinbarung zwischen Circle und Lulu Financial Holdings war ebenfalls ein Höhepunkt der Veranstaltung. Das Abu Dhabi Investment Office (ADIO) unterzeichnete Absichtserklärungen mit führenden Unternehmen wie PGIM, EXIM Bank und MasterCard.

Parallel zur Asset Abu Dhabi feierte die ADFW den 40-jährigen Jahrestag der Aufnahme bilateraler Beziehungen zwischen den VAE und China mit der ersten Sonderausgabe des UAE-China Investment Forums in Kooperation mit der HSBC. Die Veranstaltung beleuchtete die Möglichkeiten für gegenseitigen Handel und Wohlstand mit einigen ganz besonderen Gästen wie Carl Ge – Partner bei Hillhouse Investment, Dr. Nasser Saidi – President bei Nasser Saidi & Associates, Sean Ho – CIO bei Triata, Chi-Man Kwan – Gründer und CEO von Raffles Family Office und Casey Ge – Group VP und Chief Strategy Officer bei WInd Information.

Die ADFW bot am zweiten Tag mehrere Sonderveranstaltungen wie RESOLVE, das UBS Investor Forum, den International Family Office Congress und T.R.I. (Turnaround Restructuring & Insolvency) Summit, Spears Summit – Private Wealth Forum und den Future of Talent Summit.

Die ADFW-Veranstaltungsreihe wird noch zwei weitere Tage mit wichtigen Events wie Fintech Abu Dhabi und Abu Dhabi Sustainable Finance Forum (ADSFF) fortgesetzt, die die Besten der Branche auf der internationalen Bühne versammeln.

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Funding to Commercialize Lithium Isotope Enrichment Technology

SANTA FE, N.M., Dec. 11, 2024 — Molten Salt Solutions is pleased to announce the successful close of its Seed funding, securing $3 million from Silicon Valley firms Future Ventures and True Ventures. This investment will support the development of the company’s first commercial-scale lithium isotope enrichment process.

Currently, there is no commercial source of enriched lithium isotopes, and conventional enrichment methods are not suitable for industrial-scale production. Molten Salt Solutions addresses this demand with its enrichment process, paving the way for a sustainable isotope supply.

As the world transitions to GHG-free energy sources, there is growing excitement around molten salt reactors (MSRs) and nuclear fusion as revolutionary solutions for clean energy. However, both technologies face unique materials requirements, particularly for lithium isotopes. Molten Salt Solutions’ innovative approach to lithium isotope enrichment and production positions it at the forefront of this emerging field, addressing critical supply needs for these advanced reactors.

The Importance of Lithium Isotopes in Next-Generation Reactors

Lithium salts are important to many MSR designs. Enriched lithium-7 in MSR salt mixtures prevents the formation of radioactive tritium, making it a vital component for safer and more sustainable nuclear energy.

Lithium isotopes are also essential for fusion power, which is poised to revolutionize the global energy supply with abundant, nearly limitless energy. In fusion reactors, tritium fuel is produced from lithium-6. Enriching lithium-6 facilitates efficient tritium breeding, allowing continuous fusion reactions.

Paving the Way for a New Era in Clean Energy

Molten Salt Solutions developed and demonstrated the company’s proprietary technology with SBIR funding from the National Science Foundation and in collaboration with Los Alamos National Laboratory. The company will use equity funding to refine its technologies and establish the first pilot production. These advancements will position Molten Salt Solutions as a primary supplier to the advanced nuclear and fusion sectors, facilitating commercial deployment of MSRs and fusion systems.

“Our mission is to facilitate a clean energy future by addressing the critical materials needs of next-generation reactors,” said Dr. John Elling, CEO of Molten Salt Solutions. “We are grateful to our investors for their support and commitment to making advanced nuclear energy a reality.”

“As believers that energy should be clean, abundant, and accessible to all, we’re excited to be investors in Molten Salt Solutions, which will provide essential materials to fuel our future energy systems. The company addresses a critical need for both fusion and fission systems by cost-effectively providing refined lithium, thereby solving a key issue in the industry,” said Maryanna Saenko, co-founder of Future Ventures.

About Molten Salt Solutions

Molten Salt Solutions produces isotopically enriched lithium and other key materials for advanced nuclear power, including fission and fusion applications. Through proprietary chromatography and metal salt synthesis techniques, the company enhances the safety and cost-effectiveness of nuclear energy production. The team’s expertise in isotope enrichment supports the transition to cleaner, more sustainable energy sources. For more info, visit www.moltensaltsolutions.com.

Molten Salt Solutions is part of the New Mexico Fusion Igniter consortium (fusion-igniter.org). Fusion Igniter’s mission is to accelerate fusion technology development by supporting early-stage companies crucial to the fusion supply chain. Based in New Mexico, the consortium harnesses the region’s proximity to national laboratories and research institutions, fostering innovation and workforce development in advanced manufacturing, AI, and energy technologies.

SOURCE Molten Salt Solutions

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Investment will enable cybersecurity leader to tackle threat exposure management market

MONTREAL, Dec. 11, 2024 – Flare, the global leader in Threat Exposure Management (TEM), announced today its USD $30 Million Series B Round led by Base10 Partners with participation from Inovia Capital, White Star Capital, and Fonds de solidarité FTQ. Flare has seen consistent traction with triple digit year over year growth in both 2023 and 2024.

Flare expects to increase investments in EU expansion and further accelerate growth in North America and Europe more broadly. As Flare continues to expand its market presence, the solution has been pivotal in driving growth for its customers.

“What sets Flare apart is their superior data collection capabilities – providing us with actionable intelligence on attacker-used credentials and target systems that directly informs our testing,” said Kevin Johnson, CEO of Secure Ideas. “The platform integrates seamlessly into our business model, allowing us to deliver more realistic and valuable assessments to our clients. In an industry where staying ahead of threat actors is crucial, Flare’s comprehensive threat intelligence capabilities significantly outperform competing solutions.”

The Series B funding aligns Flare as the leader in Security Intelligence and Threat Exposure Management for the enterprise and mid-market. Flare is focused on leveraging the latest advances in Language Models and advanced data science techniques to extract insights out of one of the world’s most sophisticated cybercrime data sets.

“Flare’s rapid growth and relentless drive for innovation make it a natural fit for us to partner with them,” said Jason Kong, Partner at Base10 Partners. “Norman and team have taken a unique approach to threat exposure management that raises the bar in cyber intelligence, empowering security teams to stay ahead in an increasingly complex landscape. Flare’s dedication to integrating advanced language models and data science to deliver meaningful, actionable insights aligns for cybersecurity perfectly with our mission to support founders who solve real-world problems for the many, not just the few.”

In August 2024, Flare launched its Threat Flow module – the security industry’s first transparent generative AI application that delivers timely, relevant, and trustworthy reports of threat actor activity on the dark web, enabling scaled research and reporting for security teams, validated with a 98% accuracy.

Industry analyst and cybersecurity thought leader Richard Stiennon, former Gartner VP and current Chief Research Analyst at IT Harvest, offers insight into the impact of Flare’s innovations. “With this investment round, Flare is well-positioned to enhance its exposure data collection capabilities and advance the application of generative AI in threat intelligence use cases,” said Stiennon.

To learn more, visit https://flare.io.

About Flare
Flare is the leader in Threat Exposure Management, helping organizations of all sizes detect high-risk exposure found on the clear and dark web. Combining the industry’s best cybercrime database with an incredibly intuitive user experience, Flare enables customers to reclaim the information advantage and get ahead of threat actors. For more information, visit https://flare.io.

About Base10 Partners
Founded by Adeyemi Ajao and TJ Nahigian, Base10 is a San Francisco-based venture capital fund investing in founders who believe purpose is key to profits and in companies that are automating sectors of the Real Economy. Through its program the Advancement Initiative, Base10 donates a portion of firm profits to underfunded colleges and universities to support financial aid and other key initiatives. Portfolio companies include Notion, Figma, Stripe, Wealthsimple, SecureFrame, Todyl, and Riot.

SOURCE Flare

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–  Javier Ferran anuncia el lanzamiento de Terlos, una plataforma de inversión para apoyar a las marcas de consumo en su próxima etapa de crecimiento

• Terlos Investments LP (“Terlos”) se ha lanzado con una filial de propiedad absoluta de Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (“ADIA”) y Javier Ferran como socios limitados exclusivos
• Terlos invertirá en marcas de consumo de tamaño mediano y grande con un enfoque particular en empresas familiares y de propiedad de fundadores en categorías aventajadas y resilientes

LONDRES, 11 de diciembre de 2024 — Javier Ferran, actual presidente de Diageo y de International Airlines Group (IAG), ha anunciado hoy el lanzamiento de Terlos, una nueva plataforma de inversión dedicada a respaldar a las marcas de consumo europeas, tanto familiares como de fundadores, a través de su experiencia operativa y de inversión. Terlos ha conseguido una filial de propiedad absoluta de Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (“ADIA“) y a Javier Ferran como socios limitados exclusivos, e invertirá con un horizonte temporal y unos requisitos de gobernanza flexibles, y en diversas escalas y estructuras, con el fin de adaptarse a los requisitos de ambas empresas y de sus otros accionistas.

Terlos aprovechará las cuatro décadas de éxito de Javier Ferran como operador e inversor en el panorama de consumo europeo para apoyar a las empresas que buscan escalar y mejorar su ventaja competitiva en un mercado dinámico.

Terlos reúne un equipo experimentado con probada experiencia operativa y de inversión, una sólida red en la industria de consumo y un historial establecido de asociación con fundadores, inversores y equipos de gestión.

“Terlos está bien posicionado para generar valor a largo plazo en empresas de consumo familiares y de propiedad de fundadores en Europa. Nuestra experiencia operativa y nuestro enfoque práctico ofrecen a los accionistas y a los equipos de gestión el apoyo que necesitan para impulsar la diferenciación de la marca y ampliar sus operaciones para crecer”. – Javier Ferran.

Hamad Shahwan Aldhaheri, director ejecutivo del Departamento de Capital Privado de ADIA, afirmó: “El equipo de Terlos cuenta con una amplia experiencia trabajando con marcas de consumo para desarrollar y ejecutar sus estrategias. Terlos está en una posición ideal para identificar, invertir y apoyar a empresas familiares y de propiedad de sus fundadores en su siguiente fase de crecimiento”.

Acerca de Terlos

Terlos es una firma de inversión privada asesorada por Javier Ferran y centrada en marcas de consumo europeas. Terlos colabora con familias, fundadores y equipos directivos para fomentar el crecimiento a través de conocimientos estratégicos y experiencia operativa.

Para más información, contacte con:  [email protected]

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TEL AVIV, Israel, Dec. 11, 2024 — eSelf, the platform for businesses to create face-to-face conversational AI agents, announced today the official launch of their solution alongside $4.5 million in Seed funding. The round was led by Explorer Investments, with participation from Ridge Ventures and strategic angel investors, including Eyal Manor, former VP of Engineering at YouTube and Chief Product & Engineering Officer at Twilio. eSelf has already powered millions of real-time conversations, with notable clients including Christie’s, and Brazil’s AGI Bank. The platform enables businesses to deploy highly customizable, human-like AI agents that interact seamlessly with customers through real-time video chats.

eSelf was founded by CEO Dr. Alan Bekker, a pioneer in deep learning in Israel and former Head of Conversational AI at Snap, and CTO Eylon Shoshan, an alumni of the prestigious 8200 intelligence unit with a master’s in natural language processing from Technion. Dr. Bekker’s previous venture Voca, which created human-like voice bots for call centers, was acquired by Snap for $100M. During his tenure at Snap, where he worked with its 400M+ daily active users and served as one of OpenAI’s earliest design partners, Bekker recognized that businesses were seeking more immersive and natural ways to engage with customers at scale.

The co-founders developed eSelf’s platform to enable businesses to create and deploy customized AI agents that can engage in face-to-face video conversations with customers, while seamlessly integrating with existing business systems and processes. Through the company’s self-service studio, businesses can configure their agents’ personality, knowledge base, and capabilities without requiring technical expertise. The platform integrates directly with business tools like Salesforce and Calendly, allowing agents to access real-time information about products and services, and perform actions such as scheduling appointments.

“We’ve developed a unified engine that processes speech, understanding, and visual elements simultaneously, allowing us to achieve response times of under one second which is crucial for natural conversation,” said Dr. Bekker. “Unlike other solutions that simply animate faces for voice responses, our platform is a complete visual comprehension engine. This means our AI agents can actively engage with visuals in real-time — showcasing property tours, educational content, or presentation slides during conversations. By enabling businesses to create sophisticated, customized agents through our self-service studio, we aim to transform how they engage with customers at scale.”

Christie’s is using eSelf’s AI agent for its Portugal real estate brokerage firm as a first point of contact for potential buyers. The AI real estate agent qualifies leads by inquiring about buyers’ requirements and budget, then draws from Christie’s property database in real-time to showcase relevant listings, complete with images and property details. At AGI Bank, one of Brazil’s largest digital banks with over 10 million customers, virtual support agents help users navigate digital banking services, while DL Holdings, a Hong Kong financial services firm, employs multilingual eSelf agents to provide financial advisory services in both English and Mandarin.

“Since implementing eSelf’s AI agents, we’ve seen a significant increase in our ROI,” said João Cília, CEO of Christie’s Porta da Frente. “These AI-powered agents have transformed our customer engagement, providing personalized, real-time interactions 24/7 that were previously impossible. By easing the property discovery process for clients and offering immediate support, we’ve seen stronger client relationships and more streamlined operations. eSelf has truly redefined how we connect with our clients digitally, making our team more efficient and our client satisfaction levels higher than ever.”

“The conversational AI space is evolving rapidly, but very few teams combine deep technical expertise with proven commercial success in this domain,” said Pedro Correia de Barros of Explorer Investments. “Dr. Bekker and the eSelf team have not only developed breakthrough technology for real-time face-to-face AI interactions, but they’ve also made it accessible to enterprises through a no-code platform. Their early traction with global customers like Christie’s demonstrates the strong demand for more human-like digital interactions, and we believe eSelf is perfectly positioned to lead this next wave of customer engagement.”

While eSelf’s core focus is providing enterprise solutions, the company has also observed significant organic consumer interest in face-to-face AI interactions. After implementing a demo on their website, eSelf discovered hundreds of thousands of users engaging in millions of conversations with their AI agents, particularly in the U.S. market. This unexpected consumer demand has provided valuable insights for improving the platform’s conversational capabilities. The company remains focused on developing its enterprise solution and expanding its business customer base, while providing access to individual users.

SOURCE eSelf

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Led by Eclipse, the round will further allow the company to bring the benefits of robotics to one of the few remaining untouched areas of medicine and structural heart

SANTA CRUZ, Calif., Dec. 11, 2024 — Capstan Medical, a developer of robotic-enabled minimally invasive solutions to address heart valve disease, announced today the successful closing of an oversubscribed $110 million Series C to further advance its mission of bringing its innovative structural heart solution to patients. The round was led by Eclipse, with participation from existing investors Yu Galaxy and Intuitive Ventures, and new investment from Gideon Strategic Partners.

Heart disease remains the leading cause of death in the world, claiming a life every 33 seconds in the U.S. alone. Today, there are more than 7 million people in the U.S. with heart valve disease, a complex condition made up primarily of dysfunctional mitral and tricuspid valves. Current treatment options, typically by open heart surgery, are not viable for most patients and existing catheter-based options have high rates of patient exclusion. Capstan’s minimally invasive solution seeks to overcome limitations of current treatment options by bringing together novel heart valve implants and advanced catheter technology, fully enabled through a robotic platform, to treat a broader set of patients.

“Percutaneous intervention has the opportunity to dramatically increase the treatment options for the millions of people suffering from heart valve disease. At Capstan, we believe that our robotic platform with a full portfolio of implants can uniquely address the urgent needs of this underserved patient population,” said Maggie Nixon, CEO of Capstan Medical. “We have pulled together the right people at the right time to make this happen and are energized by the incredible support of our investors.” 

Since its founding in 2020, Capstan Medical has built a world-class team with heart valve, implant delivery, and robotics expertise, growing to over 75 employees across engineering, operations, clinical, and regulatory. With this new funding, the team will continue to execute on its plan for expanded clinical and development work leading to upcoming pivotal trials.

“We’re at an inflection point where robotics will play a consequential role in delivering life-saving solutions to millions of patients across the world,” said Justin Butler, Partner at Eclipse. “Capstan is at the forefront of this wave with their robotic solutions for structural heart disease.”

For more information, visit www.capstanmedical.com.

About Capstan Medical

Founded in 2020, Capstan Medical is creating a new standard for minimally invasive, heart valve intervention. The company is developing a suite of next-generation heart valve implants and a first-of-its-kind catheter-based robotic delivery platform. For more info, visit www.capstanmedical.com.

SOURCE Capstan

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The initiative will connect top venture capitalists with promising consumer blockchain projects to fuel growth within the Morph ecosystem

NEW YORK, Dec. 11, 2024 — Morph, the global consumer layer for driving blockchain adoption for the mass markets, today announced the launch of the Morph Venture Capital Collective, a network of top-tier venture capital firms that will be operating in collaboration with Morph to support and invest in promising blockchain projects.

This network will provide blockchain projects building in the Morph ecosystem with increased visibility to potential investors through a network of reputable venture capital firms that includes Pantera Capital, Spartan Group, Foresight Ventures, MEXC Ventures, Social Graph Ventures, Rockaway, Levitate Labs, Every Realm, Bloccelerate, MH Ventures, Laser Digital, Paperclip Partners, Public Works, and Borderless Capital. Projects will be given the opportunity to secure funding and strategic partnerships, receiving guidance and mentorship from experienced venture capitalists.

“The Morph VC Collective ensures that consumer blockchain projects are provided with a comprehensive support system that encourages sustainable growth from development to market access,” said Cecilia Hsueh, CEO and Co-Founder of Morph. “By bridging blockchain innovators with top-tier VCs, we’re facilitating the growth of cutting-edge technologies within the Morph ecosystem and pushing blockchain adoption closer to the mainstream.”

The Morph Venture Capital Collective will operate in tandem with the Centralized Exchange Coalition and additional Builder Programs for comprehensive support through all stages of growth, offering a collaborative approach to identifying and nurturing promising projects through early exposure to innovative ideas. The diverse network of venture capital firms will have access to a curated pipeline of high-potential blockchain projects that are vetted, approved and ranked based upon technical feasibility, to team composition, project potential, total addressable market, novelty, execution plan, development stage, scalability, and more.

Azeem Khan, COO and Co-Founder of Morph, said, “Raising venture capital is hard. It’s even harder when you decentralize the geographies of where the builders come from, which is what we did when Web3 took off. In the past, my work helped distribute tens of millions of dollars to thousands of projects in the Ethereum ecosystem. I’ve spoken with builders who raised $200 in grants and founders with multi-billion dollar token market caps. Each of them said they wished ecosystems gave real support past grants. Morph’s Venture Capital Collective is a response to that call. We’re here for you each step of the way.”

Consumer blockchain projects can apply for the program by visiting www.morphl2.io for more information on eligibility criteria and the application process.

About Morph
Morph is a fully permissionless EVM L2 that uses a combination of optimistic and zero knowledge rollup technology to enable limitless possibilities in entertainment, social, lifestyle and loyalty. Morph is the first Layer 2 on Ethereum to launch with a decentralized sequencer, aligning it with several core principles of web3—decentralization, censorship resistance, and security. The blockchain was built with mainstream audiences like gamers and social media users in mind, making it a user-friendly option for developers who require a chain to build these types of apps. Bitget, the world’s leading cryptocurrency exchange, is an original investor in Morph that will continue to play a role amongst the other investors in shaping the Morph ecosystem.

Morph’s founders bring unique backgrounds and perspectives to the company. Cecilia Hsueh, Morph’s Co-Founder and CEO, previously founded Phemex, a top global crypto derivatives exchange. Azeem Khan, Co-Founder and COO, was formerly Head of Impact at Gitcoin, where he helped lead one of the most notable grant programs in the space. Together they launched Morph to empower people who have historically been excluded by the traditional financial system.

CONTACT: [email protected]

SOURCE Morph

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Calling all of the best female founders, CEOs and tech minds in Alabama 

LOS ANGELES, Dec. 11, 2024 — Halogen Ventures, Jesse Draper’s venture capital fund focused on early stage startups with a woman on the founding team, is announcing today a ten million dollar investment to build the pipeline of female founders in Alabama. Halogen is the first out-of- state venture capital firm to receive funding from Innovate Alabama, a statewide public-private partnership dedicated to advancing entrepreneurship, technology, and innovation in Alabama. The investment is through InvestAL, Innovate Alabama’s venture capital program made possible by the State Small Business Credit Initiative, and will catalyze Halogen’s growing impact on the Alabama startup ecosystem, specifically supporting female founders tackling global problems.

Halogen Ventures is led by renowned investor and entrepreneur Jesse Draper, recognized around the world for championing the business case for investing in women. Halogen has invested in more than 75 startups that have collectively achieved a market value exceeding $15 billion. The fund’s portfolio features five unicorns with a widely impactful footprint in Alabama as well as on a national scale including Everlywell (valuation $3.5B), Babylist ($1B GMV), Flex ($24.8B market), HopSkipDrive’s (over 1M safe trips to and from schools), Upwards leadership in childcare solutions ($520B market), Metropolis (AI powered mobility provider) among other leading consumer technology and B2B solutions.

“Innovate Alabama is proud to partner with Halogen Ventures to help drive capital access and strategic support to female founders in Alabama,” said Cynthia Crutchfield, CEO of Innovate Alabama. “This investment not only aligns with our mission of fostering innovation but also ensures that Alabamians are at the forefront of solving tomorrow’s challenges. We are excited about the impact this investment will have on our entrepreneurial community and beyond.”

Alabama ranks last in the nation for female founders. Through this investment, Innovate Alabama seeks to change that, creating direct pathways for local startups to engage with Halogen Ventures’ network and providing access to mentorship, resources, and capital. By bridging Alabama’s entrepreneurial ecosystem with the broader national market, the partnership aims to spark transformative growth and innovation within the state.

“We are thrilled to partner with the state of Alabama through Innovate Alabama and invest more capital into incredible female founders,” said Jesse Draper, Founding Partner of Halogen Ventures. “Alabama has all the ingredients to be a leader in technology from great universities to the presence of over 50 Fortune500 companies. Through this collaboration, not only do we plan to catalyze the growth of the Alabama tech ecosystem, create more jobs and startup more future female billionaires, but we see a massive opportunity in healthcare, manufacturing, agtech and other verticals that we look forward to capitalizing on. This is a real opportunity that more investors need to jump on!’

Within Halogen’s portfolio are companies currently creating an impact in Alabama such as Binti, who is streamlining adoption, Goodr, a sustainable surplus food management platform leveraging technology to reduce food waste and combat hunger, and Upwards, the largest at-home childcare provider in the U.S., servicing more than 179 Alabama cities. Halogen’s portfolio company Metropolis, a parking technology company that raised $1.9 Billion in 2024 and was noted as one of the top 10 deals of the year according to Crunchbase, is also already servicing multiple locations across Alabama.

Innovate Alabama’s investment is part of its larger vision to position Alabama as a leader in entrepreneurship and innovation. The organization has a track record of supporting startups and fostering public-private collaboration that drives economic resilience and growth. The partnership with Halogen Ventures is expected to fund more women in Alabama to pursue entrepreneurial opportunities in the tech sector and connect with a supportive community of like-minded innovators.

For more information about Innovate Alabama and its initiatives, please visit innovatealabama.org.

For more information about Halogen Ventures, please visit: halogenvc.com.

About Halogen Ventures

Halogen Ventures is an early stage venture capital fund focused on consumer technology companies with a female in the founding team. The Halogen team brings deep expertise and experience in understanding consumer and B2B trends and behavior and identifying entrepreneurs who will innovate and solve problems at scale. General Partner Jesse Draper is a 4th generation venture capitalist, and advocate for investing in women, one of Marie Claire’s ‘Most networked women in America’. Halogen has invested in over 75 early stage deals including Everlywell, Babylist, HopskipDrive, Metropolis, Flex, ThisisL. (acquired by P&G), Squadapp (Acquired by Twitter) and Eloquii (acquired by Walmart). For more information, please visit https://halogenvc.com/.

About Innovate Alabama

Innovate Alabama is Alabama’s first statewide public-private partnership focused on entrepreneurship, technology and innovation with a mission to help innovators grow roots here in Alabama. Innovate Alabama was established to implement the initiatives and recommendations set forth in the Alabama Innovation Commission’s report, including smart policy solutions that will create a more resilient, inclusive and robust economy to remain competitive in a 21st-century world. With founding CEO Cynthia Crutchfield leading the charge, Innovate Alabama is also made up of a board of 11 innovation leaders appointed by Gov. Ivey, collaborating across sectors to advance industries, drive technology and facilitate an environment where innovation and entrepreneurship thrive. Learn more about Innovate Alabama at www.innovatealabama.org.

Media Contact: [email protected]

SOURCE Halogen Ventures

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The National Comprehensive Cancer Network’s Oncology Research Program’s grant will advance scientific knowledge of hematologic toxicity of PARPi in the treatment of patients with prostate cancer.

PLYMOUTH MEETING, Pa., Dec. 11, 2024 — The National Comprehensive Cancer Network^® (NCCN^®) Oncology Research Program (ORP) today announced funding of a project that will underpin innovative research on optimal management of side effects secondary to treatment with poly ADP ribose polymerase inhibitors (PARPi). The award is supported by Pfizer Global Medical Grants and Partnerships.

PARPi treatment is associated with hematologic toxicity, often leading to dose modification, treatment interruption, discontinuation, or the need for enhanced supportive care interventions. Anemia is the most common side effect associated with PARPi in patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC), with about a quarter of patients reporting serious anemia shortly after PARPi initiation. The use of PARPi is expected to rise in the coming years, and their combination with other agents is already being examined in earlier disease settings.

In the mCRPC population, there can be additional challenges due to advanced age, reduced bone strength, other co-existing medical conditions, as well as significant prior treatments that add to the risk of toxicities.

“The aim of this research is to advance our understanding and ability to reduce adverse effects from PARPi alone or in combination with other treatments for patients with prostate cancer,” explained Crystal S. Denlinger, MD, Chief Executive Officer, NCCN. “Congratulations to this remarkable investigator. This work will enhance our understanding of how to better care for individuals with prostate cancer.”

The selected project will be led by:

• David Link, MD, Siteman Cancer Center at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Washington University School of Medicine
  
• • Impact of Germline BRCA1/2 Mutations on PARPi-induced Anemia

“We are really pleased to support this important research and to collaborate with the National Comprehensive Cancer Network. Working with organizations like NCCN gives us the opportunity to accelerate and improve health outcomes for prostate cancer patients. We’re working every day to reduce healthcare disparities by leading and contributing to a variety of initiatives, programs, partnerships, and investments including our support of this initiative,” said Maureen Doyle-Scharff, PhD, FACEhp, Head of Global Medical Grants and Partnerships, Pfizer.

Proposals were peer reviewed by a Scientific Review Committee, which consisted of leading expert oncologists from NCCN Member Institutions. The selected project is set to be completed within two years.

The NCCN ORP fosters innovation and knowledge discovery that improve the lives of people with cancer and supports preclinical, translational, and clinical research and quality improvement projects in oncology at NCCN Member Institutions. In an effort to improve collaboration in cancer research, the NCCN ORP also maintains a shared resources website, an informed consent database, and points to consider on the best practices for biorepositories, registries, and databases. For more information, visit NCCN.org/orp.

About the National Comprehensive Cancer Network
The National Comprehensive Cancer Network^® (NCCN^®) is a not-for-profit alliance of leading cancer centers devoted to patient care, research, and education. NCCN is dedicated to defining and advancing quality, effective, equitable, and accessible cancer care so all people can live better lives. The NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology (NCCN Guidelines^®) provide transparent, evidence-based, expert consensus-driven recommendations for cancer treatment, prevention, and supportive services; they are the recognized standard for clinical direction and policy in cancer management and the most thorough and frequently-updated clinical practice guidelines available in any area of medicine. The NCCN Guidelines for Patients^® provide expert cancer treatment information to inform and empower patients and caregivers, through support from the NCCN Foundation^®. NCCN also advances continuing education, global initiatives, policy, and research collaboration and publication in oncology. Visit NCCN.org for more information.

Media Contact:
Rachel Darwin
267-622-6624
[email protected]

SOURCE National Comprehensive Cancer Network

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