NORWALK, Conn., 31. Oktober 2023 — LifeSpan Vision Ventures, eine Investmentfirma, die sich auf Biotechnologie für Langlebigkeit spezialisiert hat, gab heute eine Investition in NaNotics LLC bekannt. Dieses in der präklinischen Phase tätige biopharmazeutische Unternehmen entwickelt NaNots™, neuartige subtraktive Nanopartikel, die Krankheiten behandeln, indem sie pathogene Moleküle aus dem Blut abfangen und beseitigen. NaNots™ unterscheiden sich von herkömmlichen medikamentösen Therapien durch ihre Fähigkeit, lösliche Zielmoleküle auszuschalten, ohne mit den Membranformen desselben Zielmoleküls zu interagieren – eine Leistung, die herkömmliche Medikamente in der Regel nicht erbringen können.

Das Unternehmen treibt eine Pipeline von NaNots voran, die auf Onkologie und Entzündungsmarker abzielen, die mit mehreren Krankheiten in Verbindung gebracht werden, für die es einen erheblichen ungedeckten medizinischen Bedarf gibt. Darüber hinaus hat das Unternehmen Forschungskooperationen mit der Mass General Cancer Clinic, die zum Mass General Hospital gehört, und der Mayo Clinic bekannt gegeben, um seine Therapien für bestimmte onkologische Ziele weiter zu verbessern.

Harry Robb, Analyst bei LifeSpan Vision Ventures, kommentierte: „Mit unserer ersten Investition im Bereich der Nanomedizin gehen wir eine Partnerschaft mit NaNotics ein, einem in Kalifornien ansässigen biopharmazeutischen Unternehmen mit der Vision, lösliche Zielmoleküle aus dem Blut zu entfernen, um eine Reihe von Krankheiten – und möglicherweise auch das Altern – zu behandeln. Hinter dem Unternehmen steht ein engagiertes und sehr erfahrenes Team, das sich zum Ziel gesetzt hat, den Wandel in der Medizin von einem zellbasierten zu einem signalbasierten Fokus anzuführen. Dies stellt eine spannende Möglichkeit dar, die Behandlungsmöglichkeiten zu erweitern, und wir sehen in ihren transformativen Therapien ein großes Potenzial, die Ergebnisse für die Patienten entscheidend zu verbessern.”

Lou Hawthorne, CEO von NaNotics und Erfinder der NaNots, kommentierte: „Lifespan Vision Ventures ist ein idealer Investor für uns, aus Gründen, die über Kapital hinausgehen. Sie verstehen, dass die Alterung möglicherweise durch lösliche Faktoren vorangetrieben wird, die auch von der FDA anerkannte Krankheiten verursachen oder ermöglichen, und dass NaNots daher beides angehen kann. Dies bietet einen praktikablen FDA-Zulassungspfad für eine therapeutische Plattform zur Behandlung des Alterns – das von der FDA nicht als Krankheit anerkannt wird. Wir freuen uns auf die Zusammenarbeit mit Lifespan Vision Ventures bei der Entwicklung und Vermarktung von Therapeutika zur Behandlung von Krankheiten und zur Verlängerung der Lebenserwartung für alle Menschen.”

Informationen zu NaNotics LLC
NaNotics LLC ist ein im präklinischen Stadium tätiges Unternehmen mit Sitz in Mill Valley, Kalifornien. Das Unternehmen entwickelt eine Pipeline von NaNots™ gegen eine Reihe von onkologischen und entzündungsfördernden Zielmolekülen, die für zahlreiche Krankheiten mit erheblichem ungedecktem medizinischen Bedarf verantwortlich sind.

Weitere Informationen finden Sie unter: https://www.nanotics.com/
Kontakt: Song Schreiber, CFO: [email protected]

Informationen zu LifeSpan Vision Ventures
LifeSpan Vision Ventures ist ein zukunftsorientiertes Risikokapitalunternehmen, das sich auf Investitionen in den Bereichen Altern und Langlebigkeit spezialisiert hat. Unser Ziel ist es, die Entwicklung innovativer Therapien zu unterstützen und zu beschleunigen, die die Lebenserwartung verlängern, die Lebensqualität im Alter verbessern und altersbedingte Herausforderungen angehen. Durch strategische Partnerschaften und Investitionen wollen wir eine Zukunft gestalten, in der das Altern mit Vitalität, Widerstandsfähigkeit und unendlichen Möglichkeiten einhergeht.

Weitere Informationen über LifeSpan Vision Ventures finden Sie auf: https://www.lifespanvisionventures.com/

Kontakt: Harry Robb
Mobil: +44 7795042764
[email protected]

Foto – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2259807/LifeSpan_Vision_Ventures_Invests_in_NaNotics.jpg

SOURCE LifeSpan Vision Ventures

NORWALK, Connecticut, 30 de outubro de 2023 — LifeSpan Vision Ventures, uma empresa de investimentos dedicada à biotecnologia da longevidade, anunciou hoje um investimento na NaNotics LLC. Esta empresa biofarmacêutica em estágio pré-clínico está desenvolvendo NaNots™, novas nanopartículas subtrativas que tratam doenças capturando e eliminando moléculas patogênicas do sangue. As NaNots™ diferem das terapias medicamentosas tradicionais em sua capacidade de esgotar alvos solúveis sem interagir com as formas de membrana do mesmo alvo, um feito que normalmente está além do alcance dos medicamentos convencionais.

A empresa está desenvolvendo um pipeline de NaNots direcionados a marcadores oncológicos e inflamatórios associados a diversas doenças que apresentam necessidades médicas substanciais não atendidas. Além disso, anunciaram colaborações de pesquisa com a Mass General Cancer Clinic, situada no Mass General Hospital, e com a Mayo Clinic para aprimorar ainda mais suas terapias para alvos oncológicos específicos.

Harry Robb, analista da LifeSpan Vision Ventures, comentou: “Com nosso primeiro investimento no campo da nanomedicina, estamos fazendo parceria com a NaNotics, uma empresa biofarmacêutica sediada na Califórnia com a visão de esgotar os alvos solúveis do sangue para tratar uma série de doenças – e potencialmente também o envelhecimento. A empresa conta com o apoio de uma equipe dedicada e altamente experiente que está comprometida em liderar uma mudança na medicina, passando de um foco baseado em células para um foco baseado em sinais. Isso representa uma oportunidade empolgante de expandir as opções de tratamento e vemos um grande potencial para que suas terapias transformadoras tenham um impacto significativo nos resultados dos pacientes”.

Lou Hawthorne, CEO da NaNotics e inventor da NaNots, comentou: “A Lifespan Vision Ventures é uma investidora ideal para nós, por razões que vão além do capital. Eles entendem que o envelhecimento é potencialmente impulsionado por fatores solúveis que também impulsionam ou permitem doenças reconhecidas pela FDA e que a NaNots pode, portanto, tratar de ambos. Isso oferece um caminho viável de aprovação da FDA para que uma plataforma terapêutica aborde o envelhecimento — que a FDA não reconhece como uma doença. Esperamos colaborar com a Lifespan Vision Ventures para desenvolver e comercializar produtos terapêuticos para o tratamento de doenças e ampliar a vida saudável de todas as pessoas”.

Sobre a NaNotics LLC
NaNotics LLC é uma empresa de estágio pré-clínico com sede em Mill Valley, Califórnia. A empresa está desenvolvendo um pipeline do NaNots™ contra uma gama de alvos oncológicos e inflamatórios que impulsionam várias doenças, o que representa uma necessidade médica significativa ainda não atendida.

Para mais informações, acesse https://www.nanotics.com/
Contato: Song Schreiber, CFO: [email protected]

Sobre a LifeSpan Vision Ventures
A LifeSpan Vision Ventures é uma empresa de capital de risco com visão de futuro, especializada em investimentos na área de envelhecimento e longevidade. Nossa missão é apoiar e acelerar o desenvolvimento de terapias inovadoras que prolonguem o tempo de vida, melhorem a qualidade de vida dos indivíduos à medida que envelhecem e abordam os desafios relacionados à idade. Por meio de parcerias estratégicas e investimentos, nosso objetivo é moldar um futuro em que o envelhecimento seja acompanhado de vitalidade, resiliência e possibilidades infinitas.

Para mais informações sobre a LifeSpan Vision Ventures, acesse https://www.lifespanvisionventures.com/.

CONTATO: Harry Robb
Cel.: +44 7795042764
[email protected]

Foto – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2259807/LifeSpan_Vision_Ventures_Invests_in_NaNotics.jpg

FONTE LifeSpan Vision Ventures

SOURCE LifeSpan Vision Ventures

NORWALK, Conn., 30 de octubre de 2023 – LifeSpan Vision Ventures, una firma de inversión dedicada a la biotecnología de longevidad, anunció hoy una inversión en NaNotics LLC. Esta empresa biofarmacéutica en etapa preclínica está desarrollando NaNots™, nuevas nanopartículas subtractivas que tratan la enfermedad capturando y eliminando moléculas patógenas de la sangre. Las NaNots™ difieren de las terapias farmacológicas tradicionales en su capacidad de agotar objetivos solubles sin interactuar con las formas de membrana del mismo objetivo, una hazaña que generalmente está fuera del alcance de los fármacos convencionales.

La empresa está avanzando en una cartera de NaNots dirigida a marcadores oncológicos e inflamatorios asociados con múltiples enfermedades que presentan importantes necesidades médicas insatisfechas. Además, han anunciado colaboraciones de investigación con la Mass General Cancer Clinic, ubicada en el Mass General Hospital, y con Mayo Clinic para mejorar aún más sus terapias para objetivos oncológicos específicos.

Harry Robb, analista de LifeSpan Vision Ventures, comentó: “Con nuestra primera inversión en el campo de la nanomedicina, nos asociamos con NaNotics, una empresa biofarmacéutica con sede en California con la visión de agotar los objetivos solubles de la sangre para tratar una serie de enfermedades, y potencialmente el envejecimiento también. La empresa cuenta con el respaldo de un equipo dedicado y altamente experimentado que está comprometido a liderar un cambio en la medicina, pasando de un enfoque basado en la célula a un enfoque basado en la señal. Esto representa una oportunidad emocionante para ampliar las opciones de tratamiento y vemos un gran potencial en sus terapias transformadoras para tener un impacto significativo en los resultados de los pacientes”.

Lou Hawthorne, director ejecutivo de NaNotics e inventor de NaNots, comentó: ” Lifespan Vision Ventures es un inversionista ideal para nosotros, por razones que van más allá del capital. Comprenden que el envejecimiento es potencialmente impulsado por factores solubles que también impulsan o permiten enfermedades reconocidas por la FDA, y que, por lo tanto, las NaNots puede abordar ambos. Esto proporciona una ruta viable de aprobación de la FDA para que una plataforma terapéutica aborde el envejecimiento, que la FDA no reconoce como una enfermedad. Esperamos colaborar con Lifespan Vision Ventures para desarrollar y comercializar terapias para el tratamiento de enfermedades y ampliar el período de salud para todas las personas”.

Acerca de NaNotics LLC.
NaNotics LLC es una empresa en etapa preclínica con sede en Mill Valley, California. La empresa está desarrollando una cartera de NaNots™ contra una serie de objetivos oncológicos e inflamatorios que impulsan múltiples enfermedades que representan una importante necesidad médica insatisfecha.

Para obtener más información, visite https://www.nanotics.com/
Contacto: Song Schreiber, director financiero: [email protected]

Acerca de LifeSpan Vision Ventures.
LifeSpan Vision Ventures es una firma de capital de riesgo con visión de futuro que se especializa en inversiones en el campo del envejecimiento y la longevidad. Nuestra misión es apoyar y acelerar el desarrollo de terapias innovadoras que amplíen la vida útil saludable, mejoren la calidad de vida de las personas a medida que envejecen y aborden los desafíos relacionados con la edad. Por medio de alianzas e inversiones estratégicas, nuestro objetivo es dar forma a un futuro en el que el envejecimiento se satisfaga con vitalidad, flexibilidad y posibilidades infinitas.

Para obtener más información acerca de LifeSpan Vision Ventures, visite https://www.lifespanvisionventures.com/.

CONTACTO: Harry Robb
Celular: +44 7795042764
[email protected]

Fotografía: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2259807/LifeSpan_Vision_Ventures_Invests_in_NaNotics.jpg

FUENTE LifeSpan Vision Ventures

SOURCE LifeSpan Vision Ventures

SAN JOSE, Calif., Oct. 30, 2023 — Ambient.ai, the AI-powered computer vision intelligence (CVI) company transforming the physical security industry, today announced a $20 million strategic growth investment from Allegion Ventures, the corporate venture fund of Allegion plc. This is the largest individual check that Allegion Ventures has ever written, elevating Ambient.ai’s total funding to over $72 million to date.

With this strategic investment from Allegion, resulting in a strong up round, Ambient.ai accelerates its mission to prevent every security incident possible by helping more organizations address their biggest physical security challenges. This partnership paves the way for even broader adoption of AI in security, and a future where Ambient.ai functions as the essential AI-powered platform, driving proactive and automated security operations for all organizations.

This funding announcement builds upon Ambient.ai’s remarkable 4X+ top-line and customer growth since launching out of stealth in 2022. The company has reached these milestones while prioritizing capital efficiency and sustainable growth, making this an opportunistic fundraise. Looking ahead, Ambient.ai is dedicated to expanding its partner ecosystem and integrations with other security products, along with further investing in research and development, to enable more organizations to effortlessly harness the full potential of AI.

“As we kickstart this transformative partnership with Allegion, we’re propelled by our vision of a powerful AI platform, built on seamless integrations with leading security technologies,” said Shikhar Shrestha, CEO and co-founder of Ambient.ai. “Allegion’s best-in-class products bring exciting possibilities to the table as we continue to deliver compelling solutions to prevent even the most complex security incidents.”

Allegion President and CEO John H. Stone said Ambient.ai aligns with Allegion’s focus on using innovative technology to enable seamless access and a safer world.

“This is the largest and most significant investment in the history of Allegion Ventures, reflecting the tremendous potential we see for future collaboration between Ambient.ai and Allegion,” said Stone. “Allegion’s connected hardware manages access and entry points, while Ambient’s platform provides contextual understanding to dramatically reduce false alarms in access control systems and vastly improve threat detection and response.”

“We are thrilled to work with Ambient.ai. Shikhar and Vikesh are trailblazers in CVI and truly understand how technology can advance threat detection as well as safe access, people movement, and data analytics,” said Rob Martens, President of Allegion Ventures. “They’re moving video surveillance from a reactive to a proactive resource, meeting evolving customer needs in physical security.”

Trusted by large enterprises within tech, energy, manufacturing, and more — including innovative organizations like Adobe, VMware, and Impossible Foods — Ambient.ai secures people, property, and assets from the most harrowing physical security threats.

The company has previously raised $52 million in venture funding across Series A and Series B rounds led by Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) and is also backed by SV Angel and Y Combinator. Ambient.ai has received funding from visionary enterprise technologists, including Jyoti Bansal (Founder/CEO of Appdynamics), George Kurtz (Founder/CEO of Crowdstrike), Frederic Kerrest (Founder/COO of OKTA), Mark Leslie (ex-CEO of Veritas), and several others that are committed to the transformative power of AI in physical security.

Physical security is plagued by a central problem: organizations have too much to monitor across divergent, non-intuitive systems. Human limitations and disparate point solutions mean that accidents, break-ins, assaults, and other incidents are often identified and investigated only after they have occurred.

Ambient.ai changes the stakes by placing an open-platform, AI-powered brain at the center of the physical security apparatus, enabling continuous, unbroken monitoring of sites and the analysis of signals generated from various security solutions.

Ambient.ai has pioneered the use of AI-powered (CVI) within the physical security space. AI-powered CVI goes far beyond the capabilities of motion and deep learning video analytics. Layered onto existing camera hardware, the Ambient.ai platform applies CVI with near human-level perception to detect threats across cameras and manage access control systems and other security endpoints in real-time, run intuitive forensic searches, provide immediate mobile dispatching, and uncover critical security performance data. The result is the ability to monitor 100% of cameras 24/7, reduce false access control alarms by 95%+, speed up forensic investigations 20x, and access 100s of actionable insights that can help improve your security posture.

About Ambient
Founded in 2017 by CEO Shikhar Shrestha and CTO Vikesh Khanna, Ambient.ai is a unified, AI-powered physical security platform that helps enterprise organizations reduce risk, improve security operation efficiency, and gain critical insights. Seven of the top 10 U.S. technology companies, along with multiple Fortune 500 organizations across a variety of industries, leverage Ambient.ai to unify their security infrastructure and significantly enhance their security posture. For more information please visit https://ambient.ai/

About Allegion Ventures
Allegion Ventures is the corporate venture fund of Allegion. It invests in and accelerates the growth of companies with innovative technology or software that bridge physical and digital security and create seamless user experiences. For more information, please visit www.AllegionVentures.com.

Contact Information:
Ambient.ai
Bill Pursell
203-641-0208
[email protected]

SOURCE Ambient.ai

NORWALK, Conn., Oct. 30, 2023 — LifeSpan Vision Ventures, an investment firm dedicated to longevity biotech, today announced an investment in NaNotics LLC. This preclinical-stage biopharmaceutical company is developing NaNots™, novel subtractive nanoparticles that treat disease by capturing and clearing pathogenic molecules from blood. NaNots™ differ from traditional drug therapies in their ability to deplete soluble targets without interacting with the membrane forms of the same target, a feat that is typically beyond the reach of conventional drugs.

The company is advancing a pipeline of NaNots targeting oncology and inflammatory markers associated with multiple diseases that present substantial unmet medical needs. Additionally, they have announced research collaborations with Mass General Cancer Clinic, situated within Mass General Hospital, and Mayo Clinic to further enhance their therapies for specific oncology targets.

Harry Robb, Analyst at LifeSpan Vision Ventures commented: “With our first investment in the nanomedicine field, we are partnering with NaNotics, a California-based biopharmaceutical company with a vision of depleting soluble targets from blood to treat a range of diseases – and potentially aging as well. The company is backed by a dedicated and highly experienced team that is committed to leading a shift in medicine from a cell-based focus to a signal-based focus. This represents an exciting opportunity to expand treatment options and we see a great potential in their transformative therapies to have a meaningful impact on patient outcomes.”

Lou Hawthorne, CEO of NaNotics and the inventor of NaNots, commented, “Lifespan Vision Ventures is an ideal investor for us, for reasons that go beyond capital. They understand that aging is potentially driven by soluble factors that also drive or enable FDA-recognized diseases, and that NaNots can therefore address both. This provides a viable FDA approval path for a therapeutic platform to address aging – which the FDA does not recognize as a disease. We look forward to collaborating with Lifespan Vision Ventures to develop and market therapeutics for treating disease and extending healthspan for all people.”

About NaNotics LLC
NaNotics LLC is a preclinical stage company based in Mill Valley, CA. The company is developing a pipeline of NaNots™ against a range of oncology and inflammatory targets driving multiple diseases representing significant unmet medical need.

For more information, please visit https://www.nanotics.com/
Contact: Song Schreiber, CFO: [email protected]

About LifeSpan Vision Ventures
LifeSpan Vision Ventures is a forward-thinking venture capital firm specializing in investments within the aging and longevity space. Our mission is to support and accelerate the development of innovative therapies that extend healthspan, improve the quality of life for individuals as they age, and address age-related challenges. Through strategic partnerships and investments, we aim to shape a future where aging is met with vitality, resilience, and endless possibilities.

For more information about LifeSpan Vision Ventures, please visit https://www.lifespanvisionventures.com/.

Contact: Harry Robb
mob: +44 7795042764
[email protected]

Photo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2259807/LifeSpan_Vision_Ventures_Invests_in_NaNotics.jpg

SOURCE LifeSpan Vision Ventures

WASHINGTON, Oct. 30, 2023 — Today, Talino Venture Studios and Chemonics International announced their new partnership. Supported by Chemonics’ $5 million investment in Talino, the two industry leaders will work together to build groundbreaking, impact-driven, scalable technology solutions for individuals and communities in emerging markets and beyond.

“We’re on the verge of something extraordinary,” said Talino CEO Winston Damarillo. “Our partnership with Chemonics signifies a pivotal moment in sustainable innovation. With a history of successful transformations and ventures and a commitment to people-first innovation, we’re devoted to closing the financial inclusion gap for the underserved individuals and communities in emerging nations worldwide.”

Talino Venture Studios, known for its extensive experience in venture building and deep expertise in inclusive fintech, has consistently propelled industry transformation through dynamic collaborations with innovative fintech companies such as BayaniPay, Asenso, Earnie, and Saphron. Talino’s steadfast dedication to driving meaningful change has positioned these startups as leaders in the industry.

Chemonics International is a leading sustainable development firm, which brings decades of experience implementing life-changing projects throughout the world to this collaboration. With deep experience in applying new technology, including digital payments, in some of the most remote and under-developed areas in the world, Chemonics has used drone technology to deliver and pick up medical lab samples in hard-to-reach areas of Malawi and has developed a technology-based forest and biodiversity conservation system in the Philippines.

“Innovation happens with smart investments and smart partnerships, and our investment in Talino represents the coming together of two unique and complementary companies. Talino has a proven record of developing high-impact technology and combined with Chemonics’ access to local leaders and deep expertise gained from our work in nearly 100 countries, we can create groundbreaking, scalable solutions with the potential to help millions,” said Chemonics President and CEO Jamey Butcher.

Driving Meaningful Global Impact

The core mission of this strategic partnership is to harness their combined expertise to tackle challenges of financial inclusion in emerging economies. Fueled by Chemonics’ $5 million investment, both organizations are fully committed to helping millions access financial services through inclusive and scalable technology.

Chemonics and Damarillo first worked together in 2020, as part of the USAID E-PESO Activity. That highly successful project, funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), aimed to increase the adoption of electronic payments (e-payments) in the Philippines.

Building off this success, the new Chemonics-Talino partnership will continue to focus on fintech solutions, including one to expand financial inclusion among the 50 million unbanked citizens of the Philippines, as well as in other low-income economies.

“While Talino’s ventures are built on Filipino innovation, our partnership with Chemonics enables us to go beyond the Filipino diaspora and make a positive impact on the lives of many more people,” Damarillo said.

About Talino

Talino Venture Studios is an award-winning global venture studio for inclusive fintech. Born in the intersection of Silicon Valley and Southeast Asia, Talino Venture Studios is on a mission to bridge financial inclusion for over 1.7 billion people around the world. It uses the successful venture studio model to build repeatable, scalable, and profitable fintechs that empower underserved, underrepresented groups around the world with financial access and mobility. Talino Ventures Studios (talinolabs.com)

About Chemonics

Founded in 1975, Chemonics is one of the world’s leading global sustainable development consulting firms. With over 6,000 experts in more than 100 countries, 90% of its staff are working in a community they have long-considered home. Chemonics collaborates with communities across the globe to identify and apply innovative, sustainable solutions to the world’s biggest challenges. Where Chemonics works, development works. www.chemonics.com

SOURCE Chemonics International

BOCA RATON, Fla., Oct. 30, 2023 — Francis Santa, a champion of education and technology, continues to demonstrate his unwavering commitment to empowering aspiring tech entrepreneurs and alleviating the financial strains they face on their educational journey. Today, he is pleased to announce the expansion of the “Francis Santa Grant for Technology Students,” further increasing his support for the next generation of technology leaders.

Francis Santa‘s commitment to the cause is clear. “I’m acutely aware of the financial challenges that students face when embarking on the road to becoming tech entrepreneurs,” he stated. “And this is why I am excited to announce an expansion of the ‘Francis Santa Grant for Technology Students’ to support even more star students with a $1,000 scholarship towards their tuition.”

The “Francis Santa Grant for Technology Students” has already made a significant impact, offering financial assistance to deserving students pursuing careers in technology. This scholarship is open to all university students in the United States who aspire to learn and innovate in the tech industry. Furthermore, high school students with aspirations of attending university to become technology students are also eligible to apply.

Rising education costs, particularly for technology-related programs, have been a persistent source of stress for students. The financial burden can be discouraging, leading many talented individuals to reconsider their ambitions in the tech field. Mr. Santa’s mission is to alleviate this financial pressure, ensuring that financial constraints do not impede the progress of aspiring tech leaders.

Francis Santa remarked, “Investing in the future of technology is an investment in the future of our nation. I’m committed to providing opportunities for those who dream of making a difference in the tech world.”

The application process for the “Francis Santa Grant for Technology Students” remains straightforward. Students interested in this scholarship can apply by visiting the official scholarship website at https://francissantagrant.com.

With the expansion of the scholarship program, Mr. Santa aims to make an even greater impact on the lives of promising tech enthusiasts, raising awareness about the financial hurdles they encounter on their educational journey. This initiative represents a firm commitment to nurturing talent and fostering innovation.

For detailed information about the “Francis Santa Grant for Technology Students,” including eligibility criteria and application instructions, please visit www.francissantagrant.com or contact [email protected].

SOURCE Francis Santa Grant

Leading Provider of Financial Operations-as-a-Service Positioned for Significant Further Growth and Capabilities Expansion

MENLO PARK, Calif. and SYRACUSE, N.Y., Oct. 30, 2023 — Red Iron Group, a Menlo Park-based private investment firm, today announced a significant growth investment in hiline Services, LLC (“hiline” or “the Company”), a fast-growing provider of financial operations-as-a-service. Red Iron Group will provide financial, operational and strategic support to accelerate hiline’s organic growth, while significantly expanding the Company’s technology solutions and facilitating strategic acquisitions.

Consistent with Red Iron Group’s focus on partnering closely with business founders to effectively scale their enterprises, hiline will continue to be led by Co-founder and CEO, Matt Gardner. Gardner and the hiline management team will remain shareholders in the Company alongside Red Iron Group.

Comprehensive Solutions for Companies Across the Country

hiline’s financial operations-as-a-service model delivers service offerings as a subscription, including accounting services (such as bookkeeping, accounts payable, spend management and comprehensive financial reporting) as well as financial planning and analysis (FP&A) led advisory via their strategic finance offering. Additionally, these solutions can be integrated with hiline’s complimentary services such as tax, human resources and payroll.

Connecting these solutions together seamlessly is hilineOS, the Company’s cloud-based, standardized technology stack. hilineOS equips founders and management teams with financial clarity as well as scalable infrastructure to support their growing operations without the time, cost and headache of building an in-house finance team. Today, hiline serves nearly 150 customers across multiple verticals, including small and midsized businesses (“SMBs”), nonprofits and growth-minded companies.

Game-Changing New Partnership to Drive Next Stage of Growth

“This is a game-changing moment for hiline, and the beginning of an exciting new chapter for our customers and our team,” said Matt Gardner. “This long-term partnership with Red Iron will allow us to continue to build on our position as the go-to financial partner for businesses and nonprofit organizations. Red Iron shares our vision for the future and our commitment to provide founders and teams with access to the back-office firepower they deserve to free them from non-core, yet mission-critical business functions. Together, we’re positioned to redefine how businesses approach financial operations.”

Under Matt’s leadership, hiline has combined deep vertical expertise with investments in best-in-class cloud technology to break the conventional accounting firm model and deliver cost-effective and dynamic back-office solutions. The Company’s platform can scale with its customers to meet the needs of SMBs and nonprofit organizations of all sizes, delivering insights and strategic guidance to help founders and teams make more informed and timely decisions.

“The Red Iron team is thrilled to support Matt and his team in this next phase of growth. We are excited to collaborate with hiline as they continue to expand and build upon their established position in the market for financial operations-as-a-service,” said Ben Bisconti, Co-CEO of Red Iron Group. “Partnering with best-in-class services companies with leading technology solutions is a core tenet of our investment philosophy, and we look forward to helping accelerate hiline’s goal of providing superior back-office management, financial reporting and analytics to organizations of all sizes.”

Red Iron Group’s investment in hiline is consistent with the firm’s strategic focus on partnering with founders and management teams intent on building market-leading businesses, with a focus on investing in service differentiation, technology enablement and strategic growth opportunities.

About hiline

hiline is a leading provider of outsourced financial operations to small and midsized businesses, nonprofits and growth-minded companies. The Company combines best-in-class cloud accounting technology and a dynamic team of professionals to deliver streamlined, subscription-based services to clients across accounting, finance, tax, human resources and payroll. Through its hilineOS platform, hiline equips founders and management teams with financial clarity as well as scalable infrastructure to support their growing operations—without the time, cost and effort of building an in-house team. Learn more at www.hiline.co

About Red Iron Group

Red Iron Group is a private investment firm that partners with business owners and managers who are passionate about building market-leading businesses. The firm helps businesses achieve increased scale and business value through investments in organic growth initiatives and strategic acquisitions. Red Iron Group leverages its extensive Silicon Valley roots to help its portfolio companies invest in and implement technology enablement and adoption strategies that deliver enhanced value into the customer relationship, drive operating efficiencies, and produce greater organic growth. Red Iron Group has established a uniquely long-term capital base with a strategy of focusing on profitably growing lower-middle-market companies across a wide range of sectors. Learn more at www.redirongroup.com.

Media Contacts
Joseph Kuo / Donald Cutler
Haven Tower Group
424 317 4851 or 424 317 4864
[email protected] or [email protected]

SOURCE Red Iron Group

• Funding will support development of multiple clinical candidates to treat neurological and psychiatric disorders, including Phase 2 studies for ML-007C-MA in 2024 in schizophrenia and Alzheimer’s disease psychosis
• Novo Holdings led a group of top-tier, new investors including Cowen Healthcare Investments, 5AM Ventures and others

SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 30, 2023 — MapLight Therapeutics, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company working to develop targeted, novel therapeutics to improve the lives of people with brain disorders, today announced the closing of an oversubscribed $225 million Series C financing to continue the advancement of MapLight’s transformative treatments for neuropsychiatric and neurological conditions.

New investors Novo Holdings, 5AM Ventures, Cowen Healthcare Investments, and others joined MapLight’s existing syndicate in the financing. This round of funding will advance ML-007C-MA, a novel M₁/M₄ muscarinic agonist agent combined with a precision matched peripheral muscarinic antagonist, into Phase 2 trials for schizophrenia and Alzheimer’s disease psychosis in 2024, and enable continued progress on the company’s other pipeline programs.

“MapLight has built a diverse pipeline of innovative neuroscience therapeutics targeting a spectrum of Central Nervous System (CNS) disorders where the challenges faced by patients and families are significant and the unmet need is high. This financing will fuel the important clinical development necessary to bring these innovative therapies to patients,” said Christopher Kroeger, M.D., MBA, Chief Executive Officer, and Founder. “The enthusiasm and continued support of our existing investors, combined with the significant commitment from this new slate of top tier funds, provides validation for our circuit-based discovery platform approach, the quality of our clinical assets, and the strong capabilities of our team.”

In addition to ML-007C-MA, MapLight currently has two other products in clinical development: ML-007 is under study for dyskinesia, and ML-004, a 5HT-1b agonist is currently in Phase 2 for social communication deficits in patients with autism spectrum disorder. MapLight’s pipeline preclinical assets include ML-016, a GPR-6 antagonist under study for both Parkinson’s disease and depression, and ML-009, in development to treat hyperactivity and impulsivity.  

“MapLight is advancing what we believe will be the best-in-class muscarinic agent for difficult-to-treat disorders including schizophrenia and Alzheimer’s disease psychosis. Schizophrenia alone affects around 3 million adults in the U.S. and 1 percent of the worldwide population,” said Jim Trenkle, Ph.D., MBA, Partner in the Venture Investments group at Novo Holdings. “We are delighted to partner with a very strong group of existing and new investors to catalyze significant advancements in the fight against these important central nervous system disorders, and to support the talented, dedicated team at MapLight.”

In connection with the financing, Jim Trenkle, Ph.D., MBA, Partner in the Venture Investments group at Novo Holdings will join the MapLight Therapeutics Board of Directors.

About ML-007 
ML-007 is a muscarinic receptor agonist designed to target M1 and M4 muscarinic receptor subtypes with no direct activity on dopamine receptors. Deficits in M1 receptors are linked to schizophrenia, and M1 receptors directly regulate neural circuits known to be important in both psychosis and cognition. M4 receptors regulate a complementary neural circuit known to be important in psychosis.

About ML-007C-MA
ML-007C-MA is a combination muscarinic agent in clinical development for the treatment of neurologic and neuropsychiatric conditions. ML-007C-MA unlocks the full therapeutic potential of ML-007, an M1/ M4-preferring muscarinic agonist, by pairing it with a precision-matched muscarinic antagonist to block peripheral side effects. ML-007C-MA was specifically designed with the goal of delivering powerful muscarinic agonist activity to the brain while preventing side effects outside of the brain with a muscarinic antagonist.

About ML-004
ML-004 is MapLight’s 5HT-1b agonist currently in Phase 2 clinical trials. MapLight is developing ML-004 for the treatment of social communication deficits in patients with autism spectrum disorder.

About Schizophrenia 
Schizophrenia is a serious, debilitating mental illness characterized by disturbances in perception, thinking, emotional reaction, and behavior. Schizophrenia can cause people to interpret reality abnormally and includes a combination of positive, negative, and cognitive symptoms. Approximately 60% of people with schizophrenia have no response or only a partial response to the available standard of care treatments, leaving a substantial portion of the population with urgent unmet needs.

About Dyskinesias 
Dyskinesias are a category of movement disorders that are characterized by uncontrollable, abnormal, and repetitive muscle movements that can be disruptive to function and quality of life. Dyskinesia can be the result of an underlying condition or develop as a side effect of dopaminergic medications (drug-induced dyskinesia), commonly used to treat Parkinson’s disease, depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and irritability in autism.

About Alzheimer’s Disease Psychosis 
Over 40% of people with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) will experience delusions and hallucinations as part of the disease, a condition known as AD psychosis. The condition is often recurrent, severe, and is associated with an increased likelihood of nursing home placement and increased morbidity and mortality. There is no FDA approved medication for the treatment of AD psychosis.

About MapLight Therapeutics 
MapLight is working to develop targeted, novel therapeutics to improve the lives of people with difficult-to-treat brain disorders. MapLight’s unique discovery platform combines novel, proprietary technologies to uncover the individual circuits that misfire in brain disorders and target those circuits with effective, safe therapeutics. MapLight was founded in 2019 by a team of renowned neuroscientists who led the discovery of such groundbreaking technologies as optogenetics and STARmap. Learn more at www.maplightrx.com.

About Novo Holdings A/S
Novo Holdings is a holding and investment company that is responsible for managing the assets and the wealth of the Novo Nordisk Foundation. The purpose of Novo Holdings is to improve people’s health and the sustainability of society and the planet by generating attractive long-term returns on the assets of the Novo Nordisk Foundation.
Wholly owned by the Novo Nordisk Foundation, Novo Holdings is the controlling shareholder of Novo Nordisk A/S and Novozymes A/S and manages an investment portfolio with a long-term return perspective. In addition to managing a broad portfolio of equities, bonds, real estate, infrastructure and private equity assets, Novo Holdings is a world-leading life sciences investor. Through its Seeds, Venture, Growth, and Principal Investments teams, Novo Holdings invests in life science companies at all stages of development. As of year-end 2022, Novo Holdings had total assets of EUR 108 billion.
www.novoholdings.dk

Media Contact
MapLight Therapeutics
Charmaine Lykins, Chief Commercial Officer, [email protected]

SOURCE MapLight Therapeutics, Inc.