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.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact info:

Zeynep Ilgaz
Zilgaz@brekaway.partners
619 867 5576

 

NuFund Venture Group (Formerly Tech Coast Angels – San Diego) Celebrates Over 20 Years of Success and Welcomes New President

 

San Diego, CA – January 31, 2023 – NuFund Venture Group, a leading angel investing group in the United States, is celebrating its 20+ anniversary. NuFund was formerly known as Tech Coast Angels – San Diego, but rebranded in 2022 to better reflect its national reach and fund-first model.

 

Over the past five years, NuFund has invested in more than 90 companies, typically allocating about $10M annually through its innovative Annual Fund.  This impressive portfolio and investment strategy have not only catalyzed significant economic growth but also positioned NuFund as a leader in the angel investing community. It is in this dynamic and influential environment that NuFund is excited to welcome its new president, Serhat Pala. Bringing over two and a half decades of experience as a seasoned entrepreneur, Pala has successfully built, grown, and strategically exited companies in the health and technology sector. His experience includes navigating both self-funded ventures and those backed by institutional investors.

 

“Celebrating our 20-year journey, we have achieved incredible milestones,” said Caitlin Wege, the former President of NuFund Venture Group. “Our contributions have not only shaped some of the most successful global companies, but also made a substantial impact on the San Diego community and beyond. I am particularly thrilled about Serhat Pala stepping into the role of President, confident that his leadership and vision will steer us towards even greater accomplishments in the future.” she continued.

 

“Serhat is a visionary leader who exemplifies the entrepreneurial spirit at NuFund, having founded multiple successful startups before making the leap to full-time investor where he has developed a strong track record of supporting the best founders and teams,” added NuFund’s Executive Director, Ashok Kamal. 

 

NuFund focuses on investing in technology and life science startups, with notable recent exits including DTx Pharma, Doctible, Discover Echo, and others. In line with this strategic vision, Serhat Pala comments, “I am incredibly excited and honored to assume the role of President. Our dedication to investing in technology companies that can positively influence the world remains steadfast. We firmly believe that through our investments, we can significantly support groundbreaking innovation and drive economic development, and I look forward to spearheading these efforts. 

 

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.

Tech Coast Angels – San Diego is now NuFund Venture Group
 

Industry leading angel investor organization coming off record-high performance in 2021

SAN DIEGO, CA – March 23, 2022 – Catalyzed by changes during the COVID pandemic, the venture group formerly known as Tech Coast Angels – San Diego (TCA-SD) has rebranded as NuFund Venture Group. Based in San Diego, CA, the group has been actively funding innovative companies for over 20 years as a licensee of the Tech Coast Angels brand. During that time the organization has been one of the largest and most active early-stage investor groups in the country.

With more than 350 members, over $13M invested in 2021 and 4 Annual Funds with $17M AUM, NuFund Venture Group has been strengthened by record-high membership, investing activity and performance including nearly tripling in member size over the past three years. Some of its recent exits include Doctible (8x), Discover Echo (5x), Companion Medical (58x), Zentalis Pharmaceuticals (6x), Insight Medical Systems (4x) and Portfolium (6x). Much of the group’s recent growth and success can be attributed to its hybrid virtual operations and launch of a proprietary Annual Fund model, now in its 4th vintage, that pools member investments into a transparent and efficient process that allows rapid investments into early stage startups.  

“The pandemic forced us to re-examine and adjust our culture and operations in a way that reached a larger scope of investors and founders in order to not only continue our business but also thrive by investing in the best startups around the country,” said Ashok Kamal, the group’s Executive Director and Co-Fund Manager.  NuFund has invested in not only San Diego-based companies, but also other high-performing portfolio companies including Casana, a New York-based connected device for measuring heart health that just closed a $30M Series B round after NuFund’s investment in the seed round. In fact, NuFund had already started to shift to a more virtual, expansive model before the pandemic, which only accelerated its strategy and implementation.

“Our roots are firmly in San Diego, but we have expanded into a national group that can rapidly fund a startup company with up to $500,000 of capital.  This has helped us access some of the best people and investments everywhere,” said Caitlin Wege, NuFund’s Board Chair, President  and also a Partner at the investment company MooDoos. “We have a unique position in the early-stage investor market with a leading fund and member-managed culture that is diverse, inclusive, engaging, rewarding and fun all at the same time.”

NuFund Venture Group and the Tech Coast Angels network have a long history of working together and plan to continue to closely share deals, community and best practices as pioneers in the exploding SoCal startup ecosystem.

For more information, please contact Ashok Kamal (ashok@nufund.com). 

About NuFund Venture Group:

NuFund Venture Group is a new wave of angel and venture investors with a new fund model for investing in new 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. The group continually strives to foster a culture that is inclusive, friendly, innovative, engaging, rewarding and fun for all stakeholders. 

For more information, please visit www.nufund.com / @nufundventures

In case you msised it, check out our Fall 2021 Community Newsletter!