10 groundbreaking startups to pitch at Richmond’s Main Street Station on November 20, 2024
RICHMOND, VA, November 4, 2024 – Activation Capital, an innovation ecosystem development organization, is thrilled to announce the Frontier BioHealth Showcase, an event highlighting the achievements of 10 fast-growing life science startups that have completed the inaugural Frontier BioHealth program. Taking place on November 20 at Main Street Station in downtown Richmond, VA, the event kicks off with networking and beverages in the Head House at 4 pm, followed by the Showcase in the Concourse Room at 5 pm, where each startup will deliver a five-minute pitch to an audience of mentors, investors, and community leaders.
Frontier BioHealth by Activation Capital is an educational and support program designed to provide highly specialized training, targeted mentorship, and relationship-building to help scale pharmaceutical, biotech, medical device, and health-focused consumer products companies. As an independent nonprofit corporation operating on behalf of the Virginia Research Biotechnology Partnership Authority, Activation Capital is committed to advancing life sciences and other cutting-edge technologies through scientific research, commercialization, and ecosystem development.
“This program has been a privilege to lead, especially working with 10 startups that are transforming the future of healthcare,” said Jim Pannucci, PhD, VP of Entrepreneurship at Activation Capital. “Their innovations, from sustained-release therapeutics to AI-driven diagnostics, address critical healthcare needs and pave the way for groundbreaking treatments. We are excited to introduce these companies to the broader ecosystem and celebrate the progress they’ve made.”
Funded (in part) through a grant with the U.S. Small Business Administration and launched in August 2024, the inaugural Frontier BioHealth cohort was chosen for its transformative potential and vision. The Showcase event will mark the culmination of their program journey, where each startup will pitch to an audience of influential investors, mentors, potential partners, and community members. Attendees can register for the Showcase event at https://bit.ly/FBH2024Showcase.
Launched in August 2024, the inaugural Frontier BioHealth cohort was chosen for its transformative potential and vision. The Showcase event will mark the culmination of their program journey, where each startup will pitch to an audience of influential investors, mentors, potential partners, and community members. Attendees can register for the Showcase event at https://bit.ly/FBH2024Showcase.
The inaugural cohort of Frontier BioHealth includes the following innovative startups:
- Atticus Pharma has developed a unique, sustained-release system for delivering therapeutics directly to the skin.
- GenAssist has created MyoMatrix, a patented biomaterial that regrows muscle lost to disease or traumatic injury.
- Gisens Biotech’s saliva test allows patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) to monitor their health from the comfort of their home and receive personalized and timely care.
- KeViRx is transforming acute lung injury patient care through the development of novel small molecule drugs.
- Light Switch Bio is developing an approach for laser-targeted drug delivery to avoid side effects by using lasers to activate drugs only where they’re needed in the body.
- Oncoustics creates advanced AI solutions for low cost, non-invasive surveillance, diagnostics, and treatment monitoring of diseases with high unmet clinical need.
- OrthoPreserve’s meniscus replacement implant improves quality of life for people with knee injuries involving the meniscus.
- Pele Therapeutics is powering the patient in vivo protein therapy revolution to treat devastating and debilitating metabolic and fibrotic diseases with safer, effective, and affordable gene/protein therapy.
- Rapid Forensic Cell Typing (RFCT) is revolutionizing criminal investigations by providing law enforcement and crime labs with a powerful SaaS platform that enables rapid identification and prioritization of forensic evidence.
- Vizma Life Sciences’ device enables MRI scanners to directly visualize treatment response in days, rather than months.
“It’s been an incredible privilege working with these 10 innovative startups in the Frontier BioHealth program,” said Jackie Mejia, Managing Director of Frontier BioHealth. Throughout the program, each founder has made significant strides in crafting and sharing their unique stories, highlighting the profound impact their innovations will have on patients, clinicians, and the entire healthcare system. These solutions are truly reshaping the future of healthcare, pushing the boundaries of access and advancing new possibilities. We’re honored to play a part in their journey and to showcase their progress as they prepare to engage with investors, partners, and key leaders who can help elevate their impact.”
The Frontier BioHealth Showcase promises an inspiring evening filled with pioneering ideas and collaborations that will shape the future of healthcare. To learn more about Frontier BioHealth, apply for future programs, or explore mentorship and other involvement opportunities, visit the Frontier BioHealth website (frontierbiohealth.com) or contact Managing Director Jackie Mejia at jackie@gener8tor.com.
Frontier BioHealth 2024 Cohort
Atticus Pharma has developed a unique, sustained-release system for delivering therapeutics directly to the skin. The first product uses this topical delivery technology to administer anandamide over 12-24 hours onto cutaneous lesions in lupus patients, significantly increasing the drug’s bioavailability and providing optimal therapeutic impact. The second product, for androgenic alopecia, will be evaluated in human subjects in 2024.
Leigh Hsu, CEO | lhsu@atticuspharma.com | Greeneville, SC
GenAssist has created MyoMatrix, a patented biomaterial that regrows muscle lost to disease or traumatic injury. MyoMatrix recreates the natural muscle environment with proteins that support and stimulate muscle stem cells already in the body, forming new functional muscle tissue as MyoMatrix resorbs.
Joe Beggs, CEO | joe@genassist.co | St. Louis, MO
Gisens Biotech’s saliva test allows patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) to monitor their health from the comfort of their home and receive personalized and timely care. Rather than constantly traveling to a clinic to undergo regular blood and urine tests, Gisens Biotech’s solution allows CKD patients to accurately assess kidney function within minutes by monitoring levels of urea and electrolytes from a single saliva sample.
Luis Pierpauli, CEO | luis.pierpauli@gisensbiotech.com | Berkeley, CA
KeViRx is transforming acute lung injury patient care through the development of novel small molecule drugs. The current standard of care involves inconsistent steroid treatment or mechanical ventilation, which can further damage lungs, without addressing the root cause of the disease. KeViRx’s small molecule drugs heal underlying lung damage and restore lung function by regenerating lung cell connections and blocking inflammation.
Elizabeth Sharlow, CEO | ersharlow@KeViRx.com | Charlottesville, VA
Light Switch Bio is developing an approach for laser-targeted drug delivery to avoid side effects by using lasers to activate drugs only where they’re needed in the body. The lead product, IR-Platin, is a laser-targeted version of a common chemotherapy, cisplatin, that’s known for its efficacy but also serious toxicities in healthy tissues that can limit its use and increase average costs of care by $10,000 per patient.
Alex Ratti, CEO | rattija@lightswitchbio.com | Richmond, VA
OrthoPreserve’s meniscus replacement implant improves quality of life for people with knee injuries involving the meniscus. Traditional treatments remove the damaged meniscus tissue, which can lead to recurring pain and arthritis. OrthoPreserve’s meniscus implant preserves knee function by mimicking the natural knee tissue, reduces the risk of arthritis and the need for a knee replacement, and helps patients recover quickly and return to pain-free activity.
Jonathan Schwartz, CEO | jschwartz@orthopreserve.com | Atlanta, GA
Oncoustics creates advanced AI solutions for low cost, non-invasive surveillance, diagnostics, and treatment monitoring of diseases with high unmet clinical need. By applying AI to raw ultrasound signals, Oncoustics rapidly differentiates healthy versus diseased tissues via novel acoustic biomarkers for virtual biopsy tools, surgical guidance and drug development. Their prospectively collected >4M+ pieces of data is the largest RF signal dataset in the world and includes clinical data on liver, prostate, kidney, breast and thyroid diseases and cancers.
Beth Rogozinski, CEO | brogozinski@oncoustics.com | Toronto, Canada
Pele Therapeutics is powering the patient in vivo protein therapy revolution to treat devastating and debilitating metabolic and fibrotic diseases with safer, effective, and (dare we say) affordable gene/protein therapy. Overcoming immune rejection, cancer risks, complexity and economic challenges of leading viral gene therapies, Pele Therapeutics’ economical, non-viral gene/protein therapy platform is ideally suited to disrupt the $2.6T U.S. diabetes and arthritis markets.
Anna Bulysheva, CEO | abulysheva@usf.edu | Tampa, FL
Rapid Forensic Cell Typing (RFCT) is revolutionizing criminal investigations by providing law enforcement and crime labs with a powerful SaaS platform that enables rapid identification and prioritization of forensic evidence. RFCT’s innovative technology analyzes crime scene samples in minutes, not days, including the ability to estimate the age of the sample or time since deposition, significantly accelerating case timelines, reducing backlogs, and improving judicial outcomes.
Jon Brew, CEO | jon@rapidforensiccell.com | Richmond, VA
Vizma Life Sciences’ device enables MRI scanners to directly visualize treatment response in days, rather than months. Vizma obliterates the concept of watchful waiting by providing timely insights into cancer treatment effectiveness, thereby empowering patients and their physicians to take meaningful action. This scalable breakthrough device leverages established clinical validation and positions Vizma to enhance an existing market of over 4 million annual cancer scans.
Carlos Dedesma, CEO | carlos@vizma.ai | Chapel Hill, NC
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About Activation Capital
Activation Capital is a leading innovation ecosystem development organization providing social, knowledge, and financial capital to clusters, entrepreneur support organizations, and entrepreneurs – accelerating their progress through development and maturation. Activation Capital, an independent authority of the Commonwealth of Virginia, is on a mission to grow life sciences and other advanced technology innovation by promoting scientific research, commercialization, and ecosystem development that attracts and creates 21st-century jobs and companies. It operates the 34-acre Virginia Bio+Tech Park – the hub of life science and technology innovations in Central Virginia. It oversees the Cluster Accelerator for Advanced Pharmaceutical R&D and Manufacturing and supports developing and expanding the region’s startup ecosystem. For more information, visit www.activation.capital.
About the Program
Frontier BioHealth by Activation Capital is a comprehensive educational and support program designed to accelerate the growth of pharmaceutical, biotech, medical device, and health-focused consumer products companies. Supporting up to ten cutting-edge startups in each cohort, the program offers highly specialized training, targeted mentorship, and valuable networking opportunities. Funded by Activation Capital, participants benefit from months of tailored, mentorship-based programming that simplifies life sciences venture-building and healthcare regulatory frameworks. Startups gain access to local and national investor networks, assistance in engaging federal government funding, and hands-on guidance in deep tech venture building.
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About gener8tor
gener8tor is a global venture firm and accelerator network that supports startups, workers, employers, artists and musicians across race, place and gender. gener8tor partners with companies, governments, universities and nonprofits to operate accelerator programs and conferences in more than 45 communities across 25 states and territories and three countries. Fast Company named gener8tor one of the Best Workplaces for Innovators in 2021 and 2022. The International Trade Council recognized gener8tor as the Global Venture Capital Firm of the Year in 2022.
About FedTech
FedTech‘s mission is to accelerate the commercialization of emerging technologies by connecting federal labs, entrepreneurs, and the market. We empower innovators to transform groundbreaking research into impactful solutions for both government and commercial applications, driving economic growth and advancing national security.
About Fat Robin Consulting
Fat Robin Consulting delivers growth strategy, ecosystem analysis and commercial acceleration to health focused companies of all sizes. Our platform approach brings best-in-class partners to drive efficient business scale up opportunities. We are pleased to bring our collaborators at Reason Street and Netnewideas to the Frontier BioHealth program.