July 23, 2024 – San Diego, CA NuFund Venture Group, a new wave of angel investors with a venture fund model investing in technology leaders proudly announces the successful full deployment of its 2023 Annual Fund, showcasing its unique fusion of angel investing and venture capital.

NuFund Venture Group stands out in the early-stage investment landscape with its innovative “Venture Group” fund model, which combines the strengths of both angel investing and venture capital. Born from the realization that early-stage startups needed more guidance and support, NuFund leverages the collective expertise of experienced investors to bridge this gap, fostering innovation and driving growth. This model allows investor members to raise and deploy a collective Annual Fund, while still having the flexibility to add their own investments, thus harnessing the best of both angel and VC worlds. With 350 investor members, NuFund provides the flexibility and engagement typical of angel investing alongside professional due diligence, large checks and strategic guidance akin to venture capital. 

“NuFund has been an incredible partner,” said Kate Dilligan, CEO of Cooler Heads, a portfolio company. “Their support extends beyond financial backing to hands-on assistance from their team, which has been invaluable as we enter new phases of growth. Their excellent reputation has also helped attract other investors. As a San Diego-based company, we are proud to have them on our cap table.”

NuFund’s distinctive model has proven highly effective, with notable successes in 2023, positioning it at the forefront of early-stage investment. The group’s dedication to fostering emerging technology leaders has resulted in impressive performance metrics and significant impact on the entrepreneurial ecosystem.

Key Highlights of NuFund’s 2023 Annual Fund Report:

Robust Investment Strategy:  The NuFund 23 Annual Fund invested $5.6 million across 17 companies over 13 months. This diversified portfolio spans verticals such as AI, pharma, medical devices, cleantech, healthtech, and B2B SaaS
Life Sciences Focus: 82% of investments were directed towards life sciences and healthtech companies, reflecting a strong thematic focus compared to the previous year’s 63%. Notable investments include startups in medical devices, therapeutics, diagnostics, and healthcare IT.
Early-Stage Investments: The fund showed a strong skew towards earlier-stage deals, with 59% of investments in pre-Seed to Seed rounds, compared to 31% in the NuFund 22. This focus supports the growth of nascent technologies and innovative solutions|
Follow-On Investments: NuFund 23 made follow-on investments in 35% of its portfolio companies from previous funds, demonstrating strong ongoing support and confidence in the growth potential of these businesses.
Geographic Distribution: Nearly half of the investments (47%) were in San Diego-based startups, with additional investments spread across California and other regions, promoting regional economic development in one of the most robust and fastest rising startup economics in the country.

“At NuFund, we leverage the deep expertise and strong networks of our members to drive impactful investments in early-stage startups. Our model not only allows for meaningful engagement and support but also ensures that we can make faster, smarter investment decisions,” said Heather Slotnick, Board Member at NuFund Venture Group. “We are also committed to increasing diversity, both within our investor members and our portfolio companies, by actively supporting female founders and underrepresented groups.” she continued. 

100th Investment Milestone:
NuFund recently celebrated a significant milestone, achieving its 100th investment across the first six Annual Funds. This milestone underscores NuFund’s commitment to supporting innovative startups and driving economic growth. “Reaching our 100th fund investment is the result of the hard work of our members and the faith in both our members and company founders who realized that there was a better way to quickly fund the strongest early stage companies.  We are very excited about both the quality and diversity of our 17 portfolio companies in NuFund ,” said Dean Rosenberg, Co-Fund Manager of NuFund Venture Group.

Notable Exits:
NuFund Venture Group has achieved significant successes with several notable exits already realized within its Annual Funds, underscoring the effectiveness of its investment strategy. Among these, DTx Pharma was acquired by Novartis for $1 billion in 2023, marking a major milestone for the portfolio. Other significant exits include Habitu8, a Hollywood-style cybersecurity training startup acquired by Arctic Wolf to enhance its cybersecurity education and training offerings; and Paradigm Diagnostics, a precision medicine company specializing in comprehensive cancer testing, acquired by Exact Sciences to improve personalized treatment approaches. These exits highlight NuFund’s ability to identify and nurture high-potential startups, delivering highly competitive returns for investors and driving forward innovation in key industries.

About NuFund Venture Group
NuFund Venture Group represents a new wave of angel investors, pioneering a novel fund model focused on emerging technology leaders. NuFund was formerly known as Tech Coast Angels – San Diego (TCA-SD), and the organization is one of the largest, most active, and most successful early-stage investor groups over the past 20+ years. We continually strive to foster a culture that is friendly, innovative, engaging, rewarding, and fun for all stakeholders. Our mission is to be the BEST place for the BEST entrepreneurs to raise venture funding. For more information, please visit http://www.nufund.com

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July 15, 2024- San Diego, CA – NuFund Venture Group (NuFund) is proud to highlight the remarkable success of Eyegenex, a pioneering company in its portfolio.
Founded by NuFund members Dr. Prasad Sunkara and Steve Gormican, Eyegenex is dedicated to developing innovative solutions for a range of eye conditions, and is pioneering drugs for glaucoma and diabetic retinopathy (DR) to prevent blindness. The patents relating to the above therapeutics were licensed by Eyegenex from Prof. Ram Nagaraj’s laboratory at University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus at University of Colorado Denver. Glaucoma is the leading cause of blindness and is often related to high intraocular pressure (IOP).There is no existing treatment for this disease except for lowering IOP as a prevention by eye drops and surgery. However, 10-15% of patients experience progressive visual loss despite lowering of optimal IOP.

Eyegenex unveiled its Vision Restoration Platform, designed to address a spectrum of vision impairments by targeting and repairing damaged retinal cells. This groundbreaking platform integrates advanced gene and peptide therapeutics offering new hope to patients suffering from previously untreatable conditions. These therapeutics have shown significant protection of visual loss in rodent models of glaucoma. Preliminary studies in Non-human primate studies suggest a significant expression of the gene throughout the retina upon intravitreal injection of the gene. Further NHP studies are ongoing.

Based on these promising studies, Eyegenex is conducting IND enabling studies to initiate phase 1/2 human trials in Australia and US in 2025 aiming to validate the safety and efficacy of its innovative treatments.

Diabetic Retinopathy (DR) is caused by damage to blood vessels in the retina of diabetic patients, leading to vision loss. Eyegenex’s DR therapeutics are in the early stages of preclinical studies.

“We are thrilled to see the progress and impact Eyegenex is making in the field of ophthalmology. Our mission has always been to bring hope and solutions to patients suffering from vision impairments, and the recent developments have brought us one step closer to that goal,” said Dr. Prasad Sunkara, co-founder and CEO of Eyegenex and past Chairman of Life Sciences at NuFund.

A significant milestone for Eyegenex is the completion of successful clinical trials for its flagship treatment targeting glaucoma. To further support its growing portfolio of treatments, Eyegenex has expanded its research and development collaboration with Prof. Ram Nagaraj (inventor of the technology) and his colleagues at University of Colorado, Denver and several contract research organizations (CRO). “Our collaboration with top academic institutions and strategic partners has been instrumental in our success. We are excited about the future and the potential of our innovative therapies to transform vision health worldwide,” added Steve Gormican, co-founder of Eyegenex and NuFund member.

A recent paper published in Nature Magazine highlights Eyegenex’s pioneering work and unique mechanism of action in developing novel therapies for eye conditions, particularly glaucoma. The study emphasizes the potential of Eyegenex’s peptide therapy in treating retinal diseases and underscores the significance of their innovative approach.

Dr. Prasad Sunkara, reflecting on the journey, noted, “Being both a NuFund member and a founder who received investment from NuFund creates a unique full-circle moment. It’s a testament to the supportive and forward-thinking environment that NuFund fosters for its members and portfolio companies alike.”

About EyeGenex
Eyegenex is a leading biotechnology company focused on developing innovative treatments for a range of eye conditions. Utilizing advanced gene and peptide therapy, Eyegenex aims to restore vision and enhance the lives of patients worldwide. For more information, visit https://eyegenex.com

About NuFund Venture Group
NuFund Venture Group represents a new wave of angel investors, pioneering a novel fund model focused on emerging technology leaders. NuFund was formerly known as Tech Coast Angels – San Diego (TCA-SD), and the organization is one of the largest, most active, and most successful early-stage investor groups over the past 20+ years. We continually strive to foster a culture that is friendly, innovative, engaging, rewarding, and fun for all stakeholders. For more information, please visit http://www.nufund.com
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San Diego, CA – May 14,  2024 – NuFund Venture Group is thrilled to announce its investment in CorralData, a full-service, AI-powered analytics platform that radically simplifies centralizing and analyzing data across multiple sources.

NuFund’s investment in CorralData is part of the company’s latest funding round aimed at accelerating the development and deployment of its customer-first data platform. CorralData’s platform offers businesses comprehensive tools to easily manage, analyze, and act on disparate data, addressing critical needs in today’s data-driven landscape.

“We are thrilled to partner with CorralData and support their vision of transforming data management,” said Bryan Barnard, who spearheaded the transaction as the Deal Lead. “CorralData’s innovative platform addresses a critical need in the market, and we believe their solutions will set new standards in the industry.”

According to the New Vantage Partners 2023 State of AI in Digital Marketing Report, 90% of marketers plan to increase their investment in AI next year, reflecting the growing importance of AI in driving business growth and efficiency. Additionally, 86% of marketers will have dedicated budgets for AI tools in 2024, showcasing the strategic priority placed on AI integration. Despite concerns about job displacement, a majority of marketers believe AI will have a positive impact on their careers, emphasizing the need for AI literacy to remain competitive in the job market.

As the world continues to embrace AI technology, CorralData ensures its customers stay ahead of the curve. Customers are now leveraging the platform’s Ask Corral functionality to turn data into actionable insights via plain English. This not only democratizes data but also ensures its security by never exposing customer data to commercial LLMs. By pairing out of the box reporting, ease of chatting with your data in plain English with support for over 500 integrations, CorralData empowers entire organizations to harness the power of AI and data analytics regardless of their technical capabilities.

Alex Lirtsman, Founder and CEO of CorralData, commented, “With NuFund’s investment and support, we are poised to further scale our platform, while doubling down on the effortless setup and powerful capabilities that have made us a game changer for organizations looking to easily drive insights from all of their disparate data sources.”

About NuFund Venture Group
NuFund Venture Group represents a new wave of angel investors, pioneering a novel fund model focused on emerging technology leaders. NuFund was formerly known as Tech Coast Angels – San Diego (TCA-SD), and the organization is one of the largest, most active, and most successful early-stage investor groups over the past 20+ years. We continually strive to foster a culture that is friendly, innovative, engaging, rewarding, and fun for all stakeholders. For more information, please visit http://www.nufund.com

About CorralData
CorralData is a leading AI platform that enables organizations to access valuable insights and reporting from all their company data with ease. Designed to democratize data and empower users of all skill levels, CorralData offers a radically simple interface with natural language query functionality, making data analysis accessible to everyone. With more than 500 pre-built integrations and AI-powered support for custom data sources, CorralData is committed to helping businesses make data-driven decisions and stay focused on the metrics that matter. For more information, visit https://corraldata.com/

April 15, 2024, San Diego, CA – NuFund Venture Group (‘NuFund’), California-based investment fund, is excited to declare its latest investment in Papillon Therapeutics, Inc., (‘Papillon’). Papillon stands out as a pioneering clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on multi-systemic genetic medicines for diseases characterized by neurologic, cardiac, and other tissue pathologies. This investment by NuFund represents a commitment to fostering innovation and supporting groundbreaking research in the medical field.

A UC San Diego spin-out, Papillon is advancing a pipeline of innovative treatments for life threatening conditions including Friedreich’s ataxia and Alzheimer’s disease. The company’s platform technology builds upon discoveries published by scientific co-founder, Stephanie Cherqui, Ph.D., demonstrating the therapeutic potential of gene modified hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells to durably restore function of diseased tissues throughout the body. This approach has already shown positive results in a completed Phase 1/2 clinical trial led by Dr. Cherqui.

“Our decision to invest in Papillon stems from our belief in their mission and the potential of their technology to make a significant impact on patients’ lives,” said Meredith Fidler, Ph.D., who will join the Board of Directors at Papillon. “We are thrilled to be part of this journey and to contribute to the advancement of genetic medicines.”

“NuFund has established an exciting portfolio of promising and successful biotechnology companies,” said Carter Cliff, Chief Executive Officer at Papillon. “We are grateful that they recognize the potential of our approach to develop powerful new medicines for patients who suffer from devastating diseases.”

Serhat Pala, President at NuFund Venture Group, expressed his enthusiasm for NuFund’s latest investment. “Papillon Therapeutics embodies the type of innovation and drive we look for in our investments. Their work has the potential to change the face of genetic medicines and bring hope to patients around the world,” said Pala.

About NuFund Venture Group

NuFund Venture Group represents a new wave of angel investors, pioneering a novel fund model focused on emerging technology leaders. NuFund was formerly known as Tech Coast Angels – San Diego (TCA-SD), and the organization is one of the largest, most active, and most successful early-stage investor groups over the past 20+ years. We continually strive to foster a culture that is friendly, innovative, engaging, rewarding, and fun for all stakeholders. For more information, please visit http://www.nufund.com

About Papillon Therapeutics

Papillon Therapeutics is a clinical stage biotechnology company focused on advancing multi-systemic genetic medicines. Founded by world-class leaders in cell and gene therapy, Papillon is developing a robust pipeline of potentially curative treatments for diseases with neurologic, cardiac, and other tissue pathologies. Papillon’s unique multi-systemic approach enables therapeutic protein to be delivered throughout the body and utilizes commercially proven approaches for product administration and manufacturing. For more information, please visit: https://www.papillon-tx.com/

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March 5th, 2024 , San Diego, CA – NuFund Venture Group, a trailblazer in the angel investment community, is thrilled to announce its latest strategic investment in Ordaōs, a human-enabled, machine-driven drug design company that creates novel and customized mini-proteins. This investment is part of Ordaōs’ recent completion of a $5M seed financing round, aimed at rapidly designing new drug candidates across therapeutic areas, particularly for difficult-to-treat diseases.

Ordaōs, a New York-based seed stage startup, is transforming the biotechnology industry with its proprietary Design Engine that leverages multitask meta-learning to create novel mini-proteins from scratch. Mini-proteins are a new class of proteins that have the potential to revolutionize biologics in medicine. Mini-proteins have several potential advantages over larger alternatives, including better penetrability, stability, solubility, and lower costs.

With this investment, NuFund Venture Group continues to demonstrate its commitment to a founder-fair, mentorship-driven approach, offering more than just financial support to its portfolio companies.
Lorenzo Berti, Deal Lead at NuFund Venture Group, shared his enthusiasm for the partnership: “The field of AI in drug discovery is ripe for disruption. Ordaōs’ AI engine is a testament to innovation, blending predictive AI with traditional training set mining and a self-learning module to enhance predictive accuracy. Their in vitro success demonstrates a promising future for faster, more effective drug discovery. This investment reflects our confidence in Ordaōs’ potential to redefine the industry.”

Ordaōs CEO, David Longo, expressed optimism about the collaboration: “At Ordaōs, we’re not just discovering drugs; we’re designing them. With discovery, we are limited by what we can see and what already exists. With design, we are limited only by our imagination, opening up a world of unique possibilities. With NuFund Venture Group’s support, we’re poised to lead this transformation, delivering on our mission to design drugs that reduce suffering and save lives.”

“Since the launch of OpenAI’s ChatGPT in November 2022, AI—and particularly Generative AI—has revolutionized the landscape, heralding a new era of innovation across all sectors worldwide. Among these, healthcare stands out as the most transformative, with its vast potential for impact,” remarked Pankaj Kedia, a distinguished figure in the AI community, serving as NuFund AI Chair & Board Member and 2468 Ventures Founding Managing Partner.

“At NuFund Venture Group, we’re leading the charge in nurturing next-gen technologies and startups poised to revolutionize the healthcare industry. Through our NuFund AI Demo Days, we’ve scouted for trailblazing startups and founders, identifying Oradaos as a particularly promising enterprise among the multitude of participants. We’re truly impressed with Oradaos’ commitment to utilizing AI for enhancing drug discovery processes and are thrilled to support their endeavors. Congratulations to Ordaōs on their achievements thus far; we eagerly anticipate their future successes as they expand in this era of AI.” he continued.

NuFund Venture Group’s investment in Ordaōs underscores a shared commitment to leveraging AI for meaningful advancements in healthcare. As Ordaōs continues to develop its AI platform and expand its partnerships, this collaboration marks a significant step forward in the journey towards more efficient, effective, and personalized drug discovery.

About NuFund Venture Group:
NuFund Venture Group represents a new wave of angel investors, pioneering a novel fund model focused on emerging technology leaders. NuFund was formerly known as Tech Coast Angels – San Diego (TCA-SD), and the organization is one of the largest, most active, and most successful early-stage investor groups over the past 20+ years. We continually strive to foster a culture that is friendly, innovative, engaging, rewarding, and fun for all stakeholders. For more information, please visit www.nufund.com.

About Ordaōs:
Ordaōs is a human-enabled, machine-driven drug design company with the sole mission of leveraging advanced technologies to efficiently and effectively design novel life-changing therapies for patients in need. Our flagship solution, miniPRO™ mini-proteins, enable drug hunters to deliver safer and more effective treatments in a fraction of the time of traditional discovery methods. For additional information, please visit www.ordaos.bio.