CHICAGO, May 18, 2023 — Last week Hallow passed 10 million downloads and 225 million prayers prayed globally, becoming the largest prayer app in the world according to Sensor Tower. Following the app’s tremendous growth on Ash Wednesday of 2023, Hallow was also the first faith-based app to ever crack the top 10 apps in the App Store coming in at #3 overall – beating Netflix, Spotify, Instagram, Amazon, Tiktok, YouTube and so many more of the largest apps in the world. It took Hallow almost two years to reach 1 million prayers prayed on the app, but this past Lent members of the Hallow community prayed over a million prayers every day.

Despite the difficult market for startup funding, the app has also just announced the close of an additional $50 million in Series C funding bringing the total funding raised for Hallow to $105 million. The round was led by Goodwater Capital, the largest consumer tech-only venture fund in the world. Founded by two men of faith, the mission of Goodwater Capital is rooted in Micah 6:8: “to do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with God.” The etymology of Goodwater is the combination of Good News and Living Water, reflecting their mission to empower entrepreneurs to change the world for good. Also participating in the round are Highland Capital, Colin Moran, and several of Hallow’s existing investors.

“In our quest to partner with the most impactful consumer tech companies in the world, Hallow’s spiritual based services have reached consumer engagement and retention levels shared by only a few companies throughout time. More importantly, we’re honored to support Hallow’s mission and in my own personal experience, praying more with Hallow has catalyzed profound positive change in my life.” 

– Eric Kim, Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Goodwater Capital

Hallow has also recently partnered with several well known celebrities and faith leaders including the actor Jonathan Roumie, Fr. Mike Schmitz, Bishop Robert Barron, Sister Miriam James-Heidland, Mario Lopez, and Mark Wahlberg.

“My faith has always been an incredibly important part of my life and when the opportunity to collaborate with Hallow came up I knew it was what I wanted to jump in to. My family and I love praying with the app and we’ve gotten such great stories from people whose lives have been changed through the app. Prayer can do powerful things.”

– Mark Wahlberg

Hallow is hiring for several new roles as a result of the round. In commenting on the round, Hallow CEO and Co-Founder Alex Jones said:

“This round and these milestones are exciting. We’re thrilled to partner together with mission-driven partners, team members, and creators to invest even more heavily in building an experience that helps the world to build a daily habit of prayer. But with each of these milestones, something has become more and more clear over time.

This is not why we do this. The numbers are not what we’re working for. It’s not the vision for Hallow.

The vision for Hallow is not numbers, but individuals – not millions of downloads, but each one of us as children of God. The vision for Hallow is Sarah.

Sarah is a young married mom of three little girls. She became tragically addicted to alcohol and stimulants and was involved in a longstanding affair. She’d never really taken her faith very seriously. Her husband found out about the affair and left. She was alone, ashamed, and depressed – thinking often she’d be better off dead. She saw a post about the app and something moved her. She figured she might as well give it a try. She realized, she told us, that in her darkest hour – when everyone she knew had left, everything she cared about had been destroyed – that the only person there with her in the darkness was Christ. She began praying with the app over a dozen times a day. And in her words, He picked her broken pieces up off the floor and put her together again. She cut off the affair. She got sober for the first time in years. She prayed for her husband’s miraculous forgiveness and, in his own experience in adoration, he forgave her. Their family has been reunited.

She told us, ‘I know you probably get these stories all the time, but I just wanted to let you know, that if you never do anything else in your life, please know that you saved me. I don’t think I’d be standing here alive today if it were not for this app and the grace that God gave me through it.’

This is why we do this. This is what we’re working for. This is the vision for Hallow.

If we spend the next 30 years and are able to be a part of just one more person like Sarah’s journey back to God, if we help God reach out to just one more of His lost ones…then it will have all been infinitely worth it.

And I don’t think Sarah is alone. I think there are millions and millions of Sarah’s. Honestly, I think we’re all a bit like Sarah in our own way. We’re all a little lost. We’re all a little stuck. We’re all a little bit further from God than He invites us to be.

But our faith is one of hope. And if there’s anything that this experience has taught me, it’s that there is no valley that God cannot reach. There is no darkness that the Light cannot overcome.

I cannot wait to see what He does next.”

– Alex Jones, CEO of Hallow

Note: Sarah’s name has been anonymized for privacy

For more information, visit www.hallow.com. To schedule an interview, please contact Taylor Buckley (219-789-7182 or [email protected]).

About Hallow
Hallow is a Public Benefit Corporation whose goal is to help people deepen their relationship with God through audio-guided prayers, sleep meditations, Bible readings, meditations, and music. The app has over 10,000 sessions, including a daily Rosary with Mark Wahlberg, daily Gospel, daily saint, novenas, examens, Father Mike Schmitz’s Bible in a Year, Jonathan Roumie’s audio Bible, Bishop Barron’s Sunday Sermons, peaceful Christian music, Gregorian chant, mental health meditations, prayers for kids, and so much more. Launched in December 2018, Hallow is now the #1 Christian prayer app in the world. It has been used to pray over 225 million times across 150-plus countries.

SOURCE Hallow

Mark Ghermezian, co-founder and former CEO of Braze, announces the launch of his venture capital firm focused on investing in the next generation of cloud disrupters.

NEW YORK, May 18, 2023 — Today, m]x[v Capital (“m]x[v”), an early-stage venture capital firm announced the close of its over-subscribed debut fund at $52 million in capital commitments. The fund invests in early-stage (pre-seed, seed) B2B enterprise SaaS companies that are founded by dedicated, tenacious leaders who are paving the way for the next generation of cloud disrupters. m]x[v is supported by a strong roster of former founders, limited partners, including Bain Capital Ventures, Cendana Capital, Pritzker Group, K5 Global, Social Leverage, and notable General Partners of top-tier funds and family offices.

Founded by Mark Ghermezian, an angel investor and co-founder/former CEO of Braze (BRZE) (a lifecycle marketing platform that IPO’d in November 2021), Ghermezian is focused on bringing a founder and operator perspective to the cap table. Having navigated the many hurdles of launching, scaling, and growing a company, he is passionate about helping founders navigate the early days of starting a business by offering his experience and expertise to help their companies scale. As an angel investor, Ghermezian was an early investor in companies such as Nutanix (IPO), Lattice, Thoughtspot, Outreach, Rubrik, Wag (IPO) and Riskified (IPO), along with 50 other investments, largely focused on SaaS. 

m]x[v has built a strong community of Limited Partners and “friends of the fund,” many of whom were former founders that led companies from ideation to IPO. Ghermezian’s contribution to the startup community landed him a place in Signature Block’s 2022 Emerging 50 Manager list, a select group of the venture industry’s newest fund managers that provide real value to their investors and the founders they have backed.

“I love building companies and bringing people together to solve massive problems. I did this at Braze and throughout my career as an angel investor. Launching m]x[v enables me to dive in and support each of my portfolio companies and the founders. It’s the early days when founders need the most support to unlock product market fit, hire the right people, develop a pricing strategy, establish a go to market plan, and more. I went through ALL of this at Braze. I feel like a co-founder with each of our portfolio companies, and could not be more excited to officially launch m]x[v,” said Ghermezian. “We want to be the best partner to our founders, and be the fund all SaaS founders think of when they are raising their pre-seed or seed rounds.”

m]x[v takes an active, hands-on founder and operator approach, working closely with its portfolio companies as a strategic partner in their growth and evolution. The m]x[v team offers a diversified set of resources outside of just capital – mentorship, support at each company inflection point, and access to an extensive network developed during Ghermezian’s 15+ years in the industry.

“m]x[v has been instrumental in everything an early-stage startup needs,” commented Farrukh Mahboob, Founder & CEO of m]x[v portfolio company, PackageX. “Mark and the m]x[v team have provided incredible support, serving as our most valuable resource on GTM strategy, customer introductions, and growth plans which helped us close our follow-on round.”

To date, the fund has made 17 investments. The team has been writing checks from $500K to $1.5M, targeting 10% ownership in companies that provide real value for the enterprise. Out of the 17 investments, Ghermezian has incubated two companies within m]x[v, Gynger (a fintech financing B2B SaaS contracts for SMBs) and Tildei (a conversational first lifecycle marketing platform) where he had strong conviction in the market demand for the product offerings.

m]x[v is focused on investing in industry disruptors, and their portfolio includes high-growth investments with strong founders such as DevRev (the world’s first Dev CRM platform founded by the former founders of Nutanix (NTNX) that IPO’d in September 2016), PackageX (the first cloud platform driving the future of first-to-last yard logistics), Novu (an open-source unified API making it simple to send notifications through multiple channels –  ranked as one of Github’s 2022 most used contributions), and Mailmodo (an email marketing solution enabling companies to create and send app-like interactive AMP emails). 

m]x[v has also completed several SPVs, including leading Apploi’s Series B round (an all-in-one platform built to help you attract, hire, and manage top healthcare talent) and participating in Postscript’s Series C round (an SMS marketing platform empowering brands to better communicate with their end customers). Both are innovative SaaS companies in their respective industries. 

“As the founder and former CEO of Braze, Mark has tremendous experience as an operator that can grow and run a successful business. He has a unique lens as a SaaS founder-turned-investor which allows him to unearth exceptional investment opportunities,” said Michael Kim, Founder of Cendana Capital (LP).

The m]x[v team has grown to six professionals and operates out of its office in Chelsea, New York, which it shares with its two incubated companies.

“We have built a fantastic community of founders and investors, and we are just getting started,” highlighted Ghermezian. “We focus every day on helping our founders build their vision, product, go-to-market strategy, and teams. To us, success means our portfolio companies have the tools and knowledge to accelerate their businesses and get to the next stage. We are grateful to have the support from such high-quality investors who share our vision.”

ABOUT m]x[v CAPITAL

m]x[v Capital is an early-stage debut venture fund focused on funding and founding the future of cloud. The fund is dedicated to supporting tenacious founders who are paving the way for the next generation of B2B enterprise SaaS. The leadership team is led by experienced entrepreneurs and operators who have a proven track record of building successful companies. The team leans in heavily with its portfolio companies to ensure they are providing true support and insights as our founders embark on the early days of building a business.

Contact
m]x[v Capital
[email protected]

SOURCE m]x[v Capital

HUNTSVILLE, Alabama, 18. Mai 2023 — Discovery Life Sciences^™ (Discovery), der Bioproben- und Biomarker-Spezialist^™, gab heute bekannt, dass es sich offiziell als einer der globalen Dienstleister von Akoya Biosciences qualifiziert hat. Der Qualifizierungsprozess bewertete die Kompetenzen von Discovery in den Bereichen Färbung, Bildgebung und Analyse, die es dem Unternehmen ermöglichen, umfassende räumliche Bildgebungsdienste für Forscher in der Forschung, der translationalen und der klinischen Forschung anzubieten.

Mit dieser Qualifikation erhält Discovery Zugang zu Akoyas PhenoImager^® HT-Workflows, die Einblicke in die Tumormikroumgebung (TME) mit einem noch nie dagewesenen Detailgrad und zellulärer Koexpression mit räumlichem Zusammenhang zwischen Zelltypen ermöglichen. Diese neuen räumlichen Bildgebungstechnologien ermöglichen es Discovery, seine Kunden in der Immuno-Onkologie besser zu unterstützen, indem sie die empfindlichen und komplexen biologischen Interaktionen zwischen verschiedenen Zelltypen aufschlüsseln.

Als qualifizierter Anbieter hat Discovery zusätzliche Tools für die quantitative Qualitätskontrolle zukünftiger Panels und die Konsistenz von Bedienern und Autostainern erhalten. Das von Pathologen geleitete, CAP-akkreditierte, CLIA-zertifizierte und GCLP-konforme Entwicklungsprogramm für Multiplex-Immunfluoreszenz-Assays (mIF) stützt sich auf jahrzehntelange Expertise in der Histopathologie sowie auf Erfahrung in der virtuellen Mikroskopie, die durch künstliche Intelligenz und maschinelles Lernen unterstützt wird. Die räumlichen Bildgebungstechnologien von Akoya erweitern die Möglichkeiten von Discovery. Sie bieten die hochwertigsten Multiplex-IF-Färbungen mit hervorragender Bildgebung und sind gleichzeitig vollständig an die Bedürfnisse des Kunden anpassbar.

“Die Qualifikation als globaler Dienstleister für Akoya ist ein bedeutender Meilenstein für Discovery”, sagte Christiaan Neeleman, Leiter des Bereichs Global Tissue Biomarker Services bei Discovery. “Wir freuen uns, diese Technologie einzusetzen, um unseren Biopharma-Kunden bessere Einblicke in die Mikroumgebung von Tumoren zu bieten. Mit der zuverlässigen Multiplex-Technologie von Akoya können wir schnellere und qualitativ hochwertigere Analysen auf einem einzigen Gewebeträger durchführen, was uns hilft, komplexe Krankheitsmechanismen besser zu verstehen, damit unsere Kunden wirksamere Behandlungen entwickeln können.”

Informationen zu Discovery Life Sciences

Discovery Life Sciences ist das Unternehmen von Biospecimen and Biomarker Specialists, das das weltweit größte kommerzielle Bioprobeninventar und Beschaffungsnetzwerk mit herausragenden multiaktiven Biomarker-Servicelabors kombiniert, einschließlich genomischer, gewebebasierter Biomarker, proteomischer und zellbasierter Dienstleistungen, um neue Therapien zu beschleunigen, die durch Biomarker- und Begleitdiagnostikprogramme für Krebs, Infektionskrankheiten und andere seltene und komplexe Erkrankungen unterstützt werden. 

Über AllCells^®, unseren Geschäftsbereich für Zell- und Gentherapie, verfügen wir über den größten abrufbaren Spenderpool, der frisches und kryokonserviertes humanes Zellmaterial in klinischer Qualität zur Unterstützung von Zell- und Gentherapieprogrammen in jeder Entwicklungsphase und in jedem Maßstab liefert.

Angetrieben von führender wissenschaftlicher Expertise und innovativem Einsatz aktueller Technologien arbeitet das Discovery-Team gemeinsam mit den Kunden daran, Hindernisse schnell zu überwinden und Ergebnisse zu erhalten, um wichtige Forschungs- und Entwicklungsentscheidungen in marktführender Geschwindigkeit zu treffen. Wir sind der Wissenschaft zu Diensten^™! Weitere Informationen finden Sie auf dls.com.

Logo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1022478/Discovery_LS_Logo.jpg

SOURCE Discovery Life Sciences

–  Discovery Life Sciences se une a la red global de proveedores de servicios de Akoya Biosciences para acelerar la investigación en inmunooncología

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. , 18 de mayo de 2023 — Discovery Life Sciences^™ (Discovery), Biospecimen and Biomarker Specialists™, anunció hoy que se ha calificado oficialmente como uno de los proveedores de servicios globales de Akoya Biosciences. El proceso de calificación evaluó la competencia de Discovery en tinción, generación de imágenes y análisis, lo que permitió a la empresa proporcionar servicios completos de generación de imágenes espaciales a los investigadores a través de la investigación de descubrimiento, traslacional y clínica.

Con esta calificación, Discovery obtiene acceso a los flujos de trabajo PhenoImager® HT de Akoya, que pueden proporcionar información sobre el microambiente tumoral (TME) con niveles de detalle sin precedentes y coexpresión celular con contextura espacial entre tipos de células. Estas nuevas tecnologías de imágenes espaciales permiten a Discovery proporcionar un mejor servicio a sus clientes en inmunooncología al diseccionar las delicadas y complejas interacciones biológicas entre diferentes tipos de células.

Como proveedor calificado, Discovery ha recibido herramientas adicionales para el control de calidad cuantitativo de los paneles futuros y la consistencia del operador y el teñidor automático. El programa de desarrollo de ensayos de inmunofluorescencia multiplex (mIF) de la empresa, impulsado por patólogos, acreditado por CAP, certificado por CLIA y compatible con GCLP, se basa en gran medida en décadas de experiencia en histopatología, así como en experiencia en microscopía virtual impulsada por inteligencia artificial y aprendizaje automático. Las tecnologías de imágenes espaciales de Akoya mejoran las capacidades de Discovery, ofreciendo tinciones IF multiplexadas de la más alta calidad con imágenes superiores y totalmente personalizables de acuerdo con las necesidades del cliente.

“Estar calificado como proveedor de servicios globales de Akoya es un hito importante para Discovery”, explicó Christiaan Neeleman, jefe de Servicios de biomarcadores de tejidos globales en Discovery. “Estamos entusiasmados de aprovechar esta tecnología para proporcionar mejores conocimientos sobre el microambiente tumoral para nuestros clientes biofarmacéuticos. Con la tecnología multiplex confiable de Akoya, podemos realizar análisis más rápidos y de mayor calidad en un solo portaobjetos de tejido, lo que nos ayuda a comprender mejor los mecanismos de enfermedades complejas para que nuestros los clientes pueden desarrollar tratamientos más efectivos”.

Acerca de Discovery Life Sciences

Discovery Life Sciences es la compañía de especialistas en bioespecímenes y biomarcadores, que combina el inventario comercial de bioespecímenes y la red de adquisición más grande del mundo con laboratorios de servicios de biomarcadores multiómicos preeminentes, incluidos servicios genómicos, de biomarcadores tisulares, proteómicos y basados en células para acelerar nuevas terapias respaldadas por biomarcadores y programas complementarios de diagnóstico para cáncer, enfermedades infecciosas y otras afecciones raras y complejas.

A través de AllCells®, nuestra división de terapia celular y génica, mantenemos el mayor grupo de donantes recuperables para suministrar materiales celulares humanos frescos y crioconservados de grado clínico y para uso exclusivo en investigación (Research Use Only, RUO) para respaldar los programas de terapia celular y génica en cualquier fase de desarrollo y en cualquier escala.

Impulsado por la experiencia científica líder y el uso innovador de las tecnologías actuales, el equipo de Discovery se involucra con los clientes para superar rápidamente los obstáculos y obtener resultados para tomar decisiones críticas de investigación y desarrollo a una velocidad líder en el mercado. ¡Somos Ciencia a su Servicio™! Para obtener más información, visite dls.com.

Logo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1022478/Discovery_LS_Logo.jpg 

SOURCE Discovery Life Sciences

HUNTSVILLE, Ala., May 18, 2023 — Discovery Life Sciences^™ (Discovery), the Biospecimen and Biomarker Specialists^™, announced today that it has officially qualified as one of Akoya Biosciences’ global service providers. The qualification process evaluated Discovery’s proficiency in staining, imaging, and analysis―allowing the company to deliver comprehensive spatial imaging services to researchers across discovery, translational, and clinical research.

With this qualification, Discovery gains access to Akoya’s PhenoImager^® HT workflows, which can provide insights into the tumor microenvironment (TME) with unprecedented levels of detail and cellular co-expression with spatial contexture between cell types. These new spatial imaging technologies allow Discovery to better serve its clients in immuno-oncology by dissecting the delicate and complex biological interactions between different cell types.

As a qualified provider, Discovery has received additional tools for quantitative QC of future panels and operator and autostainer consistency. The company’s pathologist-driven, CAP-accredited, CLIA-certified, and GCLP-compliant multiplex immunofluorescence (mIF) assay development program draws heavily on decades of expertise in histopathology as well as experience in virtual microscopy powered by artificial intelligence and machine learning. Akoya’s spatial imaging technologies enhance Discovery’s capabilities―offering the highest quality multiplex IF stains with superior imaging while fully customizable according to client needs.

“Being qualified as a global service provider of Akoya is a significant milestone for Discovery,” said Christiaan Neeleman, head of Global Tissue Biomarker Services at Discovery. “We are excited to leverage this technology to deliver better insights into the tumor microenvironment for our biopharma clients. With Akoya’s reliable multiplex technology, we can perform faster and higher quality analysis on a single tissue slide, helping us better understand complex disease mechanisms so our clients can develop more effective treatments.”

About Discovery Life Sciences

Discovery Life Sciences is the company of Biospecimen and Biomarker Specialists, combining the world’s largest commercial biospecimen inventory and procurement network with preeminent multi-omic biomarker service laboratories, including genomic, tissue biomarker, proteomic, and cell-based services to accelerate new therapies supported by biomarker and companion diagnostic programs for cancer, infectious disease, and other rare and complex conditions.   

Through AllCells^®, our cell and gene therapy division, we maintain the largest recallable donor pool to supply Research Use Only (RUO) and clinical-grade fresh and cryopreserved human cellular materials to support cell and gene therapy programs in any phase of development and at any scale.

Driven by leading scientific expertise and innovative use of current technologies, the Discovery team engages with customers to rapidly overcome obstacles and obtain results to make critical research and development decisions at market-leading speed. We are Science at your Service^™! For more information, visit dls.com.

SOURCE Discovery Life Sciences

Funding from Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT) and existing investors to support advancement of OR502

SEATTLE, May 18, 2023 — OncoResponse, a clinical-stage biotech company advancing immunotherapies derived from the immune systems of Elite Cancer Responders, today announced it has been awarded a $13 million grant from the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT). The Company concurrently raised $14 million in new funding from existing investors, led by RiverVest Venture Partners and including ARCH Venture Partners, Canaan Partners, 3B Future Health Fund, Bering Capital, Takeda Ventures, InterVest and others.

The CPRIT award and investment will support the advancement of OR502, a best-in-class anti-LILRB2 antibody poised to move to IND and clinical studies. Funds from the existing syndicate will also support continued advancement of the Company’s lead immunotherapy candidate OR2805, a fully human monoclonal antibody identified from an Elite Responder using OncoResponse’s proprietary B-cell discovery platform. OR2805 is currently being evaluated in a Phase 1 clinical trial.

“We are thrilled to receive this recognition from CPRIT in supporting the potential of our immunotherapy candidate OR502. We greatly appreciate the additional support from our investors as we continue to make significant progress with our drug development efforts advancing immunotherapies derived from clues of Elite Responders,” said Clifford Stocks, Chief Executive Officer of OncoResponse. “We are excited by the data generated to date supporting the ability of OR502 to modulate inhibitory macrophages in the tumor microenvironment and induce anti-tumor activity.”

“We are pleased to support OncoResponse in their efforts to develop new and innovative immunotherapy treatments for cancer,” said John McKearn, PhD, Managing Director of RiverVest Venture Partners. “The Company has made significant progress in building their pipeline and we look forward to further insights from future clinical studies.”

About CPRIT

The Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT) was created by the Texas Legislature and approved by a statewide vote in 2007 and reapproved in 2019 with an additional $3 billion investment to fund cancer research and prevention. CPRIT is now a $6 billion, 20-year initiative – the largest state cancer research investment in the history of the US. To date, the agency has awarded over $3 billion in grants to Texas research institutions and organizations through its academic research, prevention and product development research programs. Learn more at cprit.state.tx.us.

About OncoResponse

OncoResponse is a clinical-stage, immuno-oncology biotech company developing cancer immunotherapies using clues from the immune systems of Elite Cancer Responders. In a broad strategic alliance with MD Anderson Cancer Center, OncoResponse deploys a proprietary B-cell discovery platform to identify and develop novel antibodies targeting immune cells in the tumor microenvironment. The company’s lead clinical candidate, OR2805 is a fully human antibody discovered using B cells derived from an Elite Responder to checkpoint inhibitor (CPI) therapy. OR2805 has entered cohort expansion trials in multiple cancer indications. Additional pipeline candidates that modulate suppressive macrophage activity are under development, including OR502, a best-in-class anti-LILRB2 antibody that rescues innate and adaptive immune responses from LILRB2-mediated immune suppression. OR502 will enter clinical studies in 2023. For more information please visit www.oncoresponse.com and follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.

SOURCE OncoResponse

The Founding Round Was Led By Jack Dorsey And Will Support Azteco’s Mission to Provide Financial Stability to the Unbanked Worldwide

SANTA MONICA, Calif., May 18, 2023  — Azteco, the only provider of vouchers for small amounts of bitcoin for everyday use, announced today that it has raised $6 million in seed funding. The round was led by Jack Dorsey, with participation from Lightning Ventures, Hivemind Ventures, Ride Wave Ventures, Aleka Capital, Visary Capital, Gaingels, David Van Der Weele and Sunil Rajaraman. The seed funding will support Azteco in its mission to provide the billions of people who face untrustworthy or volatile economic conditions with a solution that promotes financial inclusion and long-term stability. Azteco vouchers can be fulfilled online and at hundreds of thousands of retail locations in 195+ countries, enabling people to spend, save, and send small amounts of bitcoin to friends, family, and merchants. The company plans to use the investment for product development and market expansion in Latin America and Europe.

“This investment is a catalyst to help us achieve our mission of bringing unconditional financial freedom and control to the next billion users,” said Paul Ferguson, Co-founder of Azteco. “This funding will fuel our market activation and product refinement efforts, enabling us to reach consumers more effectively, to develop deeply intuitive products and empower individuals worldwide to participate in global commerce regardless of their financial or technical experience level.”

Launched in 2014, Azteco uncovered that more than 2 billion people worldwide have a smartphone but lack access to traditional financial services. For these people, bitcoin presents a low-cost, secure, and flexible alternative to traditional banking that removes payer fraud and allows the unbanked population to store value, make purchases, and access credit without a traditional bank account. Azteco’s simple to use technology and voucher system allows consumers to instantly save, spend, and send small amounts of bitcoin, enabling economic and long-term financial stability and freedom.

“My contribution to Azteco comes out of a deep respect for their mission,” says Jack Dorsey. “The unbanked population is immense. We have the technology and resources to close this gap, but until now, no one has taken that important next step. Azteco is providing so much more than just access to a secure financial system; it is building an ecosystem of financial self-determination that is secure and supported by local communities. I am honored to support them.”

“Azteco is not just an innovative bitcoin company; it is essential for worldwide adoption of consumer bitcoin. Its simple, frictionless solution for mobile voucher top-ups benefits those most in need,” said Mike Jarmuz, General Partner at Lightning Ventures. “Azteco’s critical mission is to provide access and inclusivity to the often-overlooked and most underserved global demographics. Many individuals lack the proper identification, smartphones, bank accounts, or other requirements to navigate the complex and confusing crypto trading platforms. Azteco’s solution is very familiar, far more comfortable, and incredibly easy for them to understand.”

ABOUT AZTECO

Azteco is the only provider of vouchers for small amounts of bitcoin, making it easy for people to save, spend, and send. Our platform offers an easy-to-use technology and voucher system that empowers everyone to enjoy their life’s work and worth–without the burdens of the traditional financial system. With a global network built on trust and local connections, Azteco offers consumers the means to build a better life, a little bit at a time. Join us at Azteco and start building a better future for yourself and for the world.

Learn more at: https://azte.co

MEDIA CONTACT
Matt Jaffe
[email protected]

Logo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2078549/Azteco_Logo.jpg

SOURCE Azteco

Financing accelerates MT-302, the Company’s first clinical candidate for in vivo cell programming, into a Phase 1/2 clinical trial for TROP2⁺ solid tumors

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., May 18, 2023 — Myeloid Therapeutics, Inc. (“Myeloid”), a clinical stage mRNA-immunotherapy company, announced today the completion of a $73 million financing led by Hatteras Investment Partners, with participation from new investors ARCH Venture Partners and Moore Strategic Ventures.  All existing investors, including Newpath Partners, 8VC and Alexandria Venture Investments, also participated.

“Myeloid continues to make significant progress across all aspects of our business.  We are pioneering the convergence of immunology and RNA science to build a clinical-stage portfolio of products, starting with the significant unmet needs of cancer patients,” said Daniel Getts, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of Myeloid. “We are pleased that such high-quality investors have joined with us to accelerate this effort.”

Proceeds from the financing will support the continued clinical development of MT-101, Myeloid’s lead cell therapy program in Phase 1/2 for T cell lymphoma, and will accelerate the development of MT-302, a first-in-class TROP2-FcA mRNA-LNP product, into a Phase 1/2 study for TROP2-expressing tumors.  Additional in vivo programming candidates are also advancing to the clinic.  

Clay B. Thorp, General Partner at Hatteras, added, “Hatteras focuses on investments in cutting-edge companies that are disrupting the status quo and accelerating the pace of innovation.  We are highly encouraged by the innovation, execution and clinical development progress demonstrated by Myeloid.  We are proud to support this field-leading Company through its next phase of growth and are optimistic that these approaches will drive a meaningful clinical outcome for patients.”

About MT-302

Emerging from the Company’s proprietary ATAK™ CAR receptor library, Myeloid’s novel in vivo engineering platform specifically targets and activates myeloid cells to elicit broader anti-tumor adaptive immunity. Through this approach, Myeloid demonstrates that delivery of lipid-nanoparticles (LNPs) encapsulating mRNA results in uptake and selective expression by myeloid cells in vivo, leading to potent tumor killing in multiple cold tumor models.

The Company’s lead in vivo program, MT-302, is a TROP2-targeting in vivo CAR designed for expression within the myeloid compartment.  TROP2 is a tumor associated antigen expressed widely on epithelial tumors, including some of the most difficult to treat cancers.  Treatment with MT-302 has demonstrated monotherapy activity in a TROP2/TNBC model, confirming the potency of programmed myeloid cells in the absence of T cells.  Myeloid believes that MT-302 has significant advantages over TROP2-ADC approaches through its ability to engage the full immune response.  In 2023, Myeloid expects to initiate a Phase 1/2 clinical study with MT-302 for patients with TROP2-expressing tumors.

About MT-101

MT-101 is the Company’s first autologous CAR monocyte.  This candidate was derived from the Company’s proprietary ATAK™ platform and designed to harness the ability of myeloid cells to penetrate into tumors and promote broad anti-tumor activity.  MT-101 targets CD5, a surface receptor that is present in greater than 75% of peripheral T cell lymphomas.  To create MT-101, the patient’s cells are engineered ex vivo with the mRNA-strand coding for the CAR.  The engineered cells are delivered back to the patient with a vein-to-vein time of eight days.  The ATAK™ CAR is proprietary to Myeloid and manufactured using the Company’s patented processes. 

The IMAGINE study (NCT05138458) is a Phase 1/2, multicenter, open-label, first-in-human, multiple ascending dose study to evaluate MT-101 in patients with refractory or relapsed PTCL and CTCL. The dose-escalation portion of this study, conducted with and without conditioning therapy, is open and enrolling patients.  

RetroT™

Retrotransposons are genetic elements that replicate through reverse transcription of an RNA transposition intermediate. Retrotransposons contribute to structural changes, and more importantly, to gene regulation.  Myeloid’s RetroT™ technology relies on a single-strand mRNA to deliver genetic sequences and integration enzymes.  This breakthrough technology offers the potential to deliver gene-sized pieces of DNA into the genome in a virus-free manner.  The payload realizable with RetroT™ is larger than currently possible with all known existing gene editing technologies.  As a result, the Company’s RetroT™ platform holds the potential to significantly expand the type and scope of genetic errors that can be reversed in situ.  In March 2022, Myeloid entered into an exclusive option and research collaboration agreement with Prime Medicine, Inc. to develop and accelerate RetroT™.

About Myeloid Therapeutics

Myeloid Therapeutics is a clinical stage mRNA-immunotherapy company developing novel therapies for cancer.  Integrating the fields of RNA, immunology and medicine, the Company’s proprietary platform provides clinical solutions by matching therapeutic modalities to disease conditions, including use of autologous cell therapies, in vivo cell programming using mRNA, and RNA-based gene-editing using RetroT™. 

For more information, please visit https://www.myeloidtx.com/.

Investor and Media Contact:

Amy Conrad
Juniper Point
[email protected]
858-914-1962

SOURCE Myeloid Therapeutics

The Funding Will Drive the Next Phase of Course5’s Growth through Targeted Acquisitions and IP-Based Innovation in its AI Labs

BELLEVUE, Wash., May 18, 2023 — Analytics & AI solutions company, Course5 Intelligence, announced today that they are raising a round of funding of USD 55 million. The company has taken a first close with 360 ONE Asset Management Limited’s (formerly known as IIFL Asset Management Limited) Tech Fund which focuses on growth-oriented technology companies. 360 ONE Asset has led the round by investing USD 28 million in Course5. The company will be closing the balance with other premier investors shortly. Course5 has been experiencing rapid growth and has delivered consistent financial performance.

Course5’s analytics and insights solutions are backed by continuous innovation in Course5’s AI Labs and also leverage global open research in AI technology. The company’s enterprise analytics platforms are already integrated with Open AI’s GPT models for Generative AI and offer enterprises the capability to rapidly leverage the latest technology innovations to derive business impact from data.

Course5 plans to use investor funds to supplement its strong organic growth with inorganic growth as well as synergistic acquisitions, and also ramp up its investments in innovation and advanced AI technology in areas such as deep learning, computer vision, natural language and generative AI. The company is in talks with several M&A prospects that would add strategic capabilities or IP to complement its existing bouquet of solutions. Course5 Intelligence is on track to cross USD 100 million revenue in the next fiscal and plans to launch its IPO in the next 18 months.

Ashwin Mittal, Chairman and CEO of Course5 Intelligence, said, “Course5 has been organically built on its own cash flows to date. We have always believed in being capital efficient and think that this is the right time to raise external capital given our trajectory and the tailwinds in our industry. We have been experiencing strong demand for our analytics and AI solutions with current and new clients. Analyst recognitions for our IP-based products and solutions have also been pouring in and testify to the kind of value we are creating for our clients. Course5’s growth and client wins are largely due to our focus on building a world-class talent pool, driving innovation through our AI Labs, and creating business impact through the work we do. This funding will enable us to continue to invest in augmenting our value proposition for our clients. We are thrilled to have found a strong partner in 360 ONE Asset. They have a strong understanding of the technology landscape and have made many successful bets.”

Chetan Naik, Fund Manager and Senior EVP at 360 ONE Asset, said, “Data Analytics is expected to see strong secular growth over the next decade with companies leveraging AI and Advanced Analytics to accelerate digital transformation. Course5 has emerged as a leading Data Analytics and Insights player with strong IP-led solutions and deep domain knowledge across Technology, Media & Telecom, Life Sciences, Consumer Packaged Goods and Retail. Course5 is amongst the few scaled, profitable, and highly capital efficient pure-play Data Analytics players out of India. Ashwin Mittal has built a highly respected and market-leading company, and we are excited to partner with Ashwin on the next journey of growth and value creation.”

The funding will be targeted at expanding Course5’s footprint in the current industries it serves, while also entering new sectors that are relevant to its business.

As Course5 continues to enhance its analytics and insights offerings with AI capabilities across machine learning, computer vision, natural language and generative AI, growing investor confidence in the company indicates that this is the way forward in the organizational growth and customer service excellence journey.

About Course5 Intelligence Limited

Course5 Intelligence Limited (“Course5”) focuses on helping organizations drive digital transformation using artificial intelligence (“AI”), advanced analytics, and insights. Course5’s AI-driven products and solutions and IP-led solutions are supported by industry-specific domain experience and the latest technologies and aim at enabling organizations to solve complex issues relating to their customers, markets, and supply chain at speed and scale. Course5 combines a multi-disciplinary approach to data integration across structured and unstructured data sources to help businesses grow through informed decision-making.

Course5 caters to some of the world’s largest enterprises, including many Fortune 500 companies. The company’s clients span Technology, Media, and Telecom (TMT), Pharma & Lifesciences, CPG, Retail, and other sectors. Course5 Intelligence has been recognized by leading industry analysts like Gartner and Forrester for its Analytics and AI capabilities and proprietary AI-based platforms.

About 360 ONE Asset Management Limited

360 ONE Asset Management Ltd, earlier known as IIFL Asset Management Limited, is one of India’s leading alternates-focused and public markets-focused firm, offering products across multiple asset classes. With deep-domain knowledge, a strong understanding of the Indian markets and a highly experienced investment team, 360 ONE Asset is focused on creating the right risk-adjusted alpha for investors.

360 ONE Asset manages a total AUM of more than INR 58,000 crores* across all its businesses. The sizeable and growing asset management business is the market leader in alternatives and an important pillar of the 360 ONE group, growing independently but also synergistically. 360 ONE Asset’s differentiated product suite includes alternative investment funds (AIFs), portfolio management services (PMS) and mutual funds (MFs) spanning across asset classes of public and private equity, fixed income and real estate. 360 ONE Asset has been playing a pivotal role in the growth of the AIF industry in India.

360 ONE Asset has been active in the private equity ecosystem since late 2015. Across multiple strategies, 360 ONE’s Category II AIF has early-stage to late-stage investments across Technology, Healthcare, Financial Services and Consumer spaces. The company has made investments in multiple unicorns in India and generated exits from few portfolio companies.

*As on March 31, 2023

Securities investments are subject to market risks and there is no assurance or guarantee that the objectives of the scheme/strategy will be achieved. This press release is neither a recommendation nor a research report for investing in any of these sectors/portfolio companies and these sectors/portfolio companies may or may not form part of the portfolio of the scheme(s) in the future. The views & opinions expressed herein are those of the author(s)/individuals mentioned herein and do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of 360 ONE Asset Management Limited (“360 ONE AMC“) (Formerly known as IIFL Asset Management Limited) / 360 ONE WAM Limited (“360 ONE WAM“) (Formerly known as IIFL Wealth Management Limited) and/or its subsidiaries.

Media Contact:

Megha Chaudhry
Vice President – Global Head of Marketing
Course5 Intelligence
M: +1(925)9179139
E: [email protected]

Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1987372/3852234/Course5_Intelligence_Logo.jpg

SOURCE Course5 Intelligence