Emerging Company Showcase 2018

Innovative, Fundable, Early Stage Opportunities

Each company featured in the Emerging Company Showcase was nominated, reviewed and invited to present based upon their innovative science and the quality of their management team. They presented before a panel of ‘Pitch Doctors’, early stage VCs and investors, corporate VCs, strategic partners and other investors and advisors, who asked questions about their science and strategy. View the 2017 showcase presenters here. 

2018 Presenting Companies

AAVogen, Inc.

AAVogen, Inc., Rockville, MD: Developing gene therapy to introduce Smad7 cDNA into muscle to treat muscle wasting diseases including Duchenne muscular dystrophy and cancer cachexia. (NCI)


ADT Pharmaceuticals

ADT Pharmaceuticals, Orange Beach, AL: Focused on the discovery and development novel molecules and methods for inhibiting growth of Ras-driven tumors for the treatment of lung, colon and pancreatic cancers. (NCI)

Aegle Therapeutics Aegle Therapeutics, Miami, FL: Developing extracellular vesicle therapy to treat severe dermatological conditions, including burns and epidermolysis bullosa (“EB”).
Allosteros Therapeutics, Inc Allosteros Therapeutics, Inc, Palo Alto CA: Drug discovery company targeting unique sites on key proteins in cardiovascular disease signaling pathways. (NHLBI)
Applied Immunotherapeutics, Inc Applied Immunotherapeutics, Inc., Seabeck, WA: Developing chimeric monoclonal antibody to treat sepsis and anemia of chronic disease.
Aronora AronoraPortland, OR: Developing therapeutic agents to reduce the progression and growth of life-threatening blood clots without the detrimental bleeding side effects. (NHLBI)
 Avery Therapeutics, Inc Avery Therapeutics, Inc., Tucson, AZ: Developing tissue-engineered therapeutics to treat diseases and injuries to human muscle, specifically a heart graft developed to treat heart failure. (NHLBI)
CardioCreate, Inc CardioCreate, Inc., San Diego, CA: Regenerative medicine company engineering stem cells to rebuild damaged heart tissue and restore cardiac function. (NHLBI)

Celdara Medical

Celdara Medical, Lebanon, NH: Developing a novel biologic therapy for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. (NHLBI)
Cold Steel Laser Cold Steel Laser, New York, NY: Developing remote image guided endoscopic surgery.
CuronBiotech Inc CuronBiotech Inc, Cleveland, OH: Developing small molecules that inhibit the cellular metabolism enzyme thioredoxin reductase to treat Actue Myeloid Leukemia. (NCI)
DiamiR DiamiRMonmouth Junction, NJ: Developing minimally invasive solutions for early detection and monitoring of brain and synaptic health conditions, including mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer’s disease.
Elex Biotech Elex Biotech, Portland, OR: Developing new chemical entities for the treatment of arrhythmia and heart failure.(NHLBI)
EpiVax Oncology EpiVax Oncology, Providence RI & New York, NY: A precision cancer immunotherapy company developing mutanome-directed, neo-epitope personalized therapeutic vaccines.
Forkhead BioTherapeutics Inc Forkhead BioTherapeutics Inc., Weston, MA: Developing an oral therapy for insulin-dependent diabetes by converting intestinal endocrine cells into glucose regulated insulin producing cells.
Glia LLC Glia LLC, New York, NY: Developing platform technology enabling a non-invasive, easy to administer, topical application of drug to induce secretion of endogenous substances vital for treatment of numerous diseases, including Dry Eye Disease.
Global BioTherapeutics (GBT) Global BioTherapeutics (GBT), San Diego, CA & Mexico City, Mexico: Developing a gene delivery platform & gene therapy to treat genetic diseases and chronic illnesses.
Goodwin and Wells Goodwin and Wells, New York, NY: Developing products formulated for oral use designed to reduce the side effects of radiation associated with the gastrointestinal tract.
iCell Gene Therapeutics iCell Gene Therapeutics, Stony Brook, NY: developing Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR) engineered cells that target multiple types of cancer with very poor prognoses and clear unmet medical need.
Inhibikase Therapeutics, Inc Inhibikase Therapeutics, Inc., Atlanta, GA: innovating small-molecule kinase inhibitor therapeutics targeting Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). (NCI)
Intensity Therapeutics, Inc Intensity Therapeutics, Inc.Westport, CT, Developing the DfuseRxSM platform to treat solid tumor cancers – in situ vaccination addressing both the regional and systemic aspects of cancer.
Kiromic, Inc Kiromic, Inc., Houston, TX: Developing cancer immunotherapies as consolidation therapy for triple-negative breast cancer or as first-line therapy for progressed disease. (NCI)
Kures Inc Kures Inc., New York, NY: Developing improved analogs of the known antidepressant, tianeptine, as new therapies for treatment-resistant depression.
LiberaBio LiberaBio, Santiago de Compostela, Galicia: Developing new oncology treatments based on the proprietary MPN technology.
Madeleine Pharmaceuticals, Inc Madeleine Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Madison, WI: Developing peptide replacement therapy for the treatment of worsening cardiorenal complications associated with acute (AHF) and chronic (CHF) heart failure. (NHLBI)
Manhattan BioSolutions Manhattan BioSolutions, New York, NY: Developing next-generation immunotherapies for the treatment or potential prevention of cancer.
MyReLeaf MyReLeaf, New York, NY: Developing a drug-free device for the treatment of anxiety disorders.
Neurovascular Diagnostics Neurovascular Diagnostics, Buffalo, NY: Developing a blood test for detecting unruptured brain aneurysms including patients who have such aneurysms but exhibit no symptoms.
Neurovation Labs Neurovation Labs, New York, NY: Developing a diagnostic tracer for use in PET scanning and other nuclear imaging techniques to diagnose and treat psychiatric disorders, with an initial focus on Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
NoMo Diagnostics NoMo Diagnostics, Chicago, IL: Developing a platform technology to alert when mild traumatic brain injury (concussion) is detected.
Novo Biosciences, Inc Novo Biosciences, Inc., Bar Harbor, ME: Regenerative medicine company developing small molecule therapies to activate endogenous tissue regeneration processes. (NHLBI)
NyTmT NyTmT, New York, NY: Developing therapies for the treatment of musculoskeletal diseases and disorders such as osteoarthritis, tendinopathy, and cancer.
Organix, Inc Organix, Inc, Woburn, MA: Developing small molecule Id-1 inhibitors to inhibit metastatic progression of Triple Negative Breast Cancer. (NCI)
 PainQX PainQX, New York, NY: Developing a diagnostic to objectively measure pain in humans by assessing neural activity from a patient’s brain and processing and decoding the data through proprietary algorithms.
PHD Biosciences PHD Biosciences, New York, NY: Developing topical and small molecule drugs, including a therapeutic to prevent 5-fluoropyrimidine induced Hand-Foot-Syndrome (HFS),
Regenosine, Inc Regenosine, Inc., New York, NY: Developing a first-in-class, disease modifying therapy for osteoarthritis.
Rise Therapeutics Rise Therapeutics, Rockville, MD: Developing targeted immunological-based biologics using a proprietary oral delivery platform
Rumi Scientific Rumi Scientific, San Francisco, CA/New York, NY: Developed isogenic lines that can be isolated to test compounds directly on genetic diseases, including Huntington’s Disease.
Teclison Limited Teclison Limited, Montclair, NJ: Focused on oncology diseases with lead product in Phase 2/phase 2A trials for the treatment of Hepatic Cell Carcinoma.
Trove Therapeutics, Inc Trove Therapeutics, Inc., Rockville, MD: Developing recombinant human secretoglobin proteins for the treatment of  respiratory diseases.
Venarum Medical, LLC Venarum Medical, LLC, Fair Haven, NJ: Developing an endovascular venous valve system (EVVS) for treatment of chronic venous disease (CVD), specifically valve dysfunction in the deep veins. (NHLBI)
Windmill Cardiovascular Systems, Inc Windmill Cardiovascular Systems, Inc, Austin, TX: Developing a new pumping paradigm to deliver synchronous, pulsatile, low shear flow to support patients with end-stage heart failure. (NHLBI)
ZephyRx ZephyRxAlbany NY: Breath-activated video games for respiratory therapy. (NHLBI)

*Select companies are participating with the support the National Institutes of Health – the specific supporting institute, National Cancer Institute (NCI) or National Heart Lung Blood Institute (NHLBI) is noted at the end of the company description.

2018 Participating Strategic Partners and Investors:

3E Bioventures
Accelerate NY Seed Fund
Accelerator Life Science Partners
Aisling Capital LLC
Angel Capital Association
Apple Tree Partners
AstraZeneca
BioAdvance
BioInnovation Capital
BioSense
Bristol-Myers Squibb
Bruder Consulting International, LLC
Canaan 
Cowin Capital
CRV (Charles River Ventures)
CQDM
CTI Life Sciences
Daiichi Sankyo Group
Elanco Animal Health 
Eli Lilly and Company
Evercore
FC Capital Management
Fortress Biotech Inc.
FoxHill Asset Management
Golden Seeds
H.I.G. Capital
Hatteras Venture Partners
Health Investment & Financing Corporation
Hercules Technology Capital
Inova
IVMatters
Landmark Angels and Landmark Family Office
Lexington Capital Management 
Life Science Angels
MedPro Investors LLC
Merck
M Ventures, Merck KGaG
Mid-Atlantic BioAngels
Morningside Ventures
National Angels USA
Novo Nordisk
NSIP LLC
NYU Innovation Venture Fund
OnIX
Pappas Ventures
Park Avenue Capital
Pfizer Ventures
Purdue Pharma
Remiges Ventures
Roche
SDIC Fund Management Co., Ltd
Silicon Valley Bank
Solebury Capital
SR One 
Stonehenge Growth Capital, LLC
Surveyor Capital (Citadel)
Third Rock Ventures
Torreya Partners
Two Sigma Ventures
Yonjin Capital LLC
Yunion Healthcare Ventures