JULY, 2021

Frontier Medicines Raises $88.5 Million Series B Financing to Advance Precision Oncology and Targeted Protein Degradation Pipeline

SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. (July 19, 2021) – Frontier Medicines Corporation, a precision medicine company seeking to unlock the proteome to advance breakthroughs against otherwise undruggable disease-causing targets, today announced the closing of an $88.5 million Series B financing round. The financing was co-led by Woodline Partners LP and RA Capital Management, with equal participation by Deerfield Management Company. Full article. Article here.

JULY, 2021

Circle Pharma Appoints Evelyn Wang, PhD as its Vice President, Translational Medicine

SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Evelyn Wang, PhD has joined Circle Pharma as its Vice President of Translational Medicine and will lead Circle’s translational team in its development of macrocycle therapeutics against intractable cancer targets. Read more here.

JUNE, 2021

Circle Pharma Raises $66 Million in Series C Financing

SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Circle Pharma, Inc., a macrocycle drug discovery and development company focused on intractable cancer targets, today announced that it has raised $66 million in an oversubscribed Series C financing. Full article here.

JUNE, 2021

The UCSF Rosenman Institute Announces the 2021 Rosenman Innovators

SAN FRANCISCO, June 10, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The UCSF Rosenman Institute is proud to announce the 2021 cohort of the Rosenman Innovators, a group of early-stage health technology companies chosen for their innovative technologies and patient impact. Read more here.

JUNE, 2021

Frontier Medicines to Present at Two Upcoming Investor Conferences

SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., May 18, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Frontier Medicines, Corp., a precision medicine company drugging challenging protein targets to develop breakthrough medicines that change the course of human diseases, today announced that Chris Varma, Ph.D., Frontier's co-founder, chairman, and CEO, will present a company overview at two upcoming investor conferences. Access article here.

JUNE, 2021

4D Molecular Therapeutics Appoints Carolyne Zimmermann as Chief Business Officer

EMERYVILLE, Calif., June 07, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- 4D Molecular Therapeutics (Nasdaq: FDMT), a clinical-stage gene therapy company harnessing the power of directed evolution for targeted gene therapies, announced the appointment of Carolyne Zimmermann as Chief Business Officer. Read here.

JUNE, 2021

Thermo Fisher Scientific and Newomics Develop New Approaches to LC-MS Analysis of Native Protein Complexes

SAN JOSE, Calif., June 7, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Thermo Fisher Scientific, the world leader in serving science, and Newomics a commercial-stage biotechnology company, are collaborating to develop a novel native liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC−MS) platform to support various LC−MS applications. Article here.

Inhalon Biopharma Receives $7 Million from USAMRDC to Study Inhaled “Muco-trapping” Antibody for the Treatment of COVID-19

Durham, North Carolina, May 26, 2021—Inhalon Biopharma, a start-up immunotherapy company developing an inhaled “muco-trapping” antibody platform for treating a variety of acute respiratory infections (ARI), today announced that it has been awarded a $7 million contract by the U.S. Army Medical Research & Development Command (USAMRDC) to conduct a placebo-controlled Phase 1/2a study of IN-006 in COVID-19 outpatients. IN-006 is a potent, neutralizing monoclonal antibody being investigated for the treatment of COVID-19. Initial results of this study are expected in 2022. Read more here.

MAY, 2021

FemAging, The New Frontier in Women’s Health, Brings Hundreds Together to Understand Opportunities in $600 Billion Market

LOS ANGELES, CA (PRUnderground) May 24th, 2021 - - Individuals interested in FemTech tuned into “The FemAging Era: Advancing Women’s HealthTech Innovation and Investment” online event on Thursday, May 20th to hear founders, investors, physicians, innovators and entrepreneurs discuss the gap in HealthTech for women ages 40+ and review solutions that are currently being developed to address the needs of this population.  The event was hosted by The FemAging Project and Keiretsu Forum SoCal.  Winners of the fast pitch include the Grand Prize Madorra,  https://www.madorra.com/;  Runner Up, InControl Medical,  https://www.incontrolmedical.com/ and the People’s Choice awardee,  Bone Health Technologies http://www.bonehealthtech.com/ Full article here.

MAY, 2021

Frontier Medicines to Present at Two Upcoming Investor Conferences

SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., May 18, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Frontier Medicines, Corp., a precision medicine company drugging challenging protein targets to develop breakthrough medicines that change the course of human diseases, today announced that Chris Varma, Ph.D., Frontier's co-founder, chairman, and CEO, will present a company overview at two upcoming investor conferences. Access article here.

MAY, 2021

LogicInk’s Genetic Signal to Detect COVID-19 Named Honorable Mention In Consumer Products and Health Categories of Fast Company’s 2021 World Changing Ideas

San Francisco, CA – WEBWIRE – Wednesday, May 5, 2021--The winners of Fast Company’s 2021 World Changing Ideas Awards were announced today, honoring the businesses, policies, projects, and concepts that are actively engaged and deeply committed to pursuing innovation when it comes to solving health and climate crises, social injustice, or economic inequality. Read more here.

MAY, 2021

4D Molecular Therapeutics Announces Collaboration on Leading Machine Learning Technology and Expertise from U.C. Berkeley to Expand Therapeutic Vector Evolution Platform

EMERYVILLE, Calif., May 04, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- 4D Molecular Therapeutics (Nasdaq: FDMT), a clinical-stage gene therapy company harnessing the power of directed evolution for targeted gene therapies, announced a new collaboration with investigators at the University of California, Berkeley focused on expanding the vector invention power of 4DMT’s Therapeutic Vector Evolution platform by applying machine learning technology to the AAV vector capsid datasets generated from 4DMT’s platform. Article here.

MARCH, 2021

Frontier Medicines Appoints Seasoned Executive Gregory Chow as Chief Financial Officer

SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., March 31, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Frontier Medicines, Corp., a precision medicine company drugging challenging protein targets to develop breakthrough medicines that change the course of human diseases, today announced the appointment of Gregory Chow as chief financial officer. Mr. Chow joins the company from Aptose Biosciences Inc., where he was previously the executive vice president and chief financial officer. Article available here.

MARCH, 2021

Amplicore, Inc. Announces Closing of a Successful $4M Seed Funding Round

CINCINNATI, March 26, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Amplicore Inc., an early-stage biopharmaceutical company currently developing locally delivered and minimally invasive therapeutic solutions for musculoskeletal diseases, has successfully closed its Series Seed round of funding at $4 million. Investments were led by Photon Fund, with participation from Industrial Technology Investment Corporation, Berkeley Catalyst Fund, and SVE Capital. Continue reading.

MARCH, 2021

Resilient Biotics Wins First-Ever Beef Alliance Startup Challenge

By DROVERS NEWS SOURCE March 25, 2021 —Resilient Biotics, a North-Carolina-based startup company, has been named the winner of the 2021 Beef Alliance Startup Challenge. Resilient Biotics uses data analytics to design microbiome-based therapeutics and advanced methods for prevention and precision treatment of disease in animals. Access full article.

MARCH, 2021

4D Molecular Therapeutics Announces First Patient Dosed in Phase 1/2 Clinical Trial of 4D-310 for the Treatment of Fabry Disease

EMERYVILLE, Calif., March 09, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- 4D Molecular Therapeutics (Nasdaq: 4DMT), a clinical-stage gene therapy company harnessing the power of directed evolution for targeted gene therapies, announced that the first patient has been dosed in the Phase 1/2 clinical trial of 4D-310 for the treatment of Fabry disease. Fabry disease is an inherited lysosomal storage disease with high unmet medical need that results from loss of function mutations in the alpha-galactosidase (AGA) enzyme. Continue reading here.

MARCH, 2021

Wellcome Sanger Institute Selects Arima Genomics as HiC Technology Partner; Company Announces Early Access Program for high-coverage HiC

SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Arima Genomics, Inc., a biotechnology company accelerating the adoption of the genome structure information, announced today that its new high-coverage HiC technology has been evaluated and implemented at the Wellcome Sanger Institute for projects, including the Darwin Tree of Life project, in an effort to explore the true genetic diversity between species and between individuals within a species. The original article was published in October 2020. Access full article.

FEBRUARY, 2021

Demetrix Signs Its First Contract Manufacturing Organization For Commercial Scale Production Of Rare Cannabinoids

BERKELEY, Calif., Feb. 23, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Demetrix, Inc., a biotechnology company that makes safe, legal, and effective cannabinoids, took another major step towards commercialization today, announcing that it has signed its first contract manufacturing organization, or CMO, partner for commercial scale production of rare cannabinoids using fermentation. Read full article here.

DECEMBER, 2020

Oyla looks to drive the fusion of video, AI and 3D sensing technologies

(SEW), Joel Girffin--One technology that has gained traction across the security industry in recent years is Lidar, which uses a stream of lasers to create a 3D image of the surrounding area. It is one of the technologies that makes autonomous vehicles possible and has also been touted as a potential game-changer for perimeter security applications. Read more here.

DECEMBER, 2020

4D Molecular Therapeutics Announces Closing of Initial Public Offering and Full Exercise of Underwriters’ Option to Purchase Additional Shares

EMERYVILLE, Calif., Dec. 15, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- 4D Molecular Therapeutics, Inc. (4DMT), a clinical-stage gene therapy company harnessing the power of directed evolution for targeted gene therapies, announced today the closing of its initial public offering of 9,660,000 shares of its common stock, including 1,260,000 shares sold pursuant to the full exercise of the underwriters’ option to purchase additional shares, at a price of $23.00 per share. Access article here.

DECEMBER, 2020

PrinterPrezz Announces Completion of $16 Million Series A Financing

FREMONT, CA, USA, December 8, 2020 /EINPresswire.com/ — PrinterPrezz, Inc., a trailblazer in combining polymer and metal 3D printing, nanotechnologies and surgical expertise to design and manufacture next generation medical devices, today announced completion of a $16 million Series A financing round which includes $9 million of new money. D. One Vision Management through its DOV Singularity Fund served as the largest financial investor and co-lead, Boutique Venture Partners served as the investment syndicate organizer and co-lead, Berkeley Catalyst Fund served as co-lead investor, and Solvay Ventures as strategic investor. Read more.

NORTH CHICAGO, Ill., and SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., – AbbVie (NYSE: ABBV), a research-based global biopharmaceutical company, and Frontier Medicines, Corp., a precision medicine company drugging challenging protein targets to develop breakthrough medicines that change the course of human diseases, today announced a global strategic collaboration to discover, develop and commercialize a pipeline of innovative small molecule therapeutics against high-interest, difficult-to-drug protein targets. Full article here.

DECEMBER, 2020

Newomics Closes $7.9 Million Series B Financing to Accelerate Growth

BERKELEY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Newomics Inc., a biotechnology company developing and commercializing mass spectrometry solutions for molecular detection applications, today announced the closing of their $7.9 million Series B financing, led by MSA Capital. Joining the round are new investor LDV Partners, and existing Series A investors, including the Berkeley Catalyst Fund and the Photon Fund…continue reading here.

NOVEMBER, 2020

Water quality data for every address in the USA

BERKELEY, Calif., Nov. 20, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- SimpleLab debuts Water Quality Search. Consumers and water treatment professionals can now analyze water quality data at any US address. SimpleLab, the science and health services company behind the popular Tap Score water testing service, today launched Water Quality Search–a new choice for families and businesses exploring their tap water quality. Full article.

NOVEMBER, 2020

4DMT retries IPO with $75m filing

EMERYVILLE, Calif.--(GLOBAL UNIVERSITY VENTURES)--US-based gene therapy developer 4D Molecular Therapeutics (4DMT) refiled for an initial public offering on Tuesday, giving Berkeley Catalyst Fund, a venture unit aligned with University of California, the chance to exit. The company has filed to raise up to $75m in an offering on the Nasdaq Global Market, the same market where it originally…read the rest here.

NOVEMBER, 2020

4D Molecular Therapeutics Appoints Nancy Miller-Rich and Shawn Tomasello to its Board of Directors

EMERYVILLE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--4D Molecular Therapeutics (4DMT), a clinical-stage gene therapy company harnessing the power of directed evolution for targeted gene therapies, announced the appointment of Nancy Miller-Rich and Shawn Tomasello to the Board of Directors. Full article here.

NOVEMBER, 2020

Demetrix begins CBG sampling for health and wellness products

BERKELEY, Calif – November 10, 2020 – Demetrix Inc., a biotechnology company that makes safe, legal and effective cannabinoids, today announced that it has launched a sampling program for the rare cannabinoid cannabigerol (CBG). The program makes CBG available in samples up to tens of grams to companies developing skincare, pharmaceutical, and other health and wellness products using cannabinoids. The program follows the company’s recent successful 15,000-liter demo scale production of CBG earlier this year. Read more here.

NOVEMBER, 2020

Newomics Launches New Platform for High-Throughput Biomedical Analysis

BERKELEY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Newomics, a biotechnology company developing and commercializing mass spectrometry solutions for molecular detection applications, today announced the launch of a novel biomedical analysis platform to drive innovation in clinical diagnostics and drug discovery research. The new Microflow-nanospray Electrospray Ionization (MnESI) Source offers unmatched sensitivity, robustness and reproducibility for small-volume, high-throughput analysis of antibodies, proteins, nucleic acids and lipids derived from cells and human plasma. View the rest of the article here.

OCTOBER, 2020

Circle Pharma Appoints James Aggen, PhD as Its Vice President, Medicinal Chemistry

SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. — (Business Wire) — James Aggen, PhD has joined Circle Pharma as its Vice President of Medicinal Chemistry and will lead Circle’s chemistry team inits discovery and development of macrocycle therapeutics against intractable cancer targets. Full article here.

SEPTEMBER, 2020

4D Molecular Therapeutics Appoints John F. Milligan, Ph.D., as Executive Chairman of Board of Directors

EMERYVILLE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--4D Molecular Therapeutics (4DMT), a clinical-stage leader in the development of precision-guided AAV gene therapy based on directed evolution, announced the appointment of John F. Milligan, Ph.D. as Executive Chairman of the Board of Directors. Read more here.

AUGUST, 2020

4D Molecular Therapeutics Appoints Susannah Gray to Board of Directors

EMERYVILLE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--4D Molecular Therapeutics (4DMT), a clinical-stage leader in the development of precision-guided AAV gene medicines based on directed evolution, announced the appointment of Susannah Gray to the Board of Directors. Ms. Gray brings more than 30 years of biopharmaceutical experience specifically in corporate finance and capital markets roles, most recently serving as EVP, Finance & Strategy of Royalty Pharma Management, LLC. Full article here.

AUGUST, 2020

$2 million awarded to nanotech pioneer Nelumbo Inc. for efficient refrigeration solution, supporting a robust food supply chain

HAYWARD, Calif., Aug. 04, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Nelumbo, a pioneer in the field of advanced materials and surface modifications, announced that it has been awarded $2 million in funding from the California Energy Commission (CEC) through their Electric Program Investment Charge (EPIC). The EPIC program invests in scientific and technological research to accelerate the transformation of the electricity sector to meet the state’s energy and climate goals.

JULY, 2020

4D Molecular Therapeutics Announces First Patient Dosed in Phase 1 Clinical Trial of 4D-110 by Intravitreal Injection for the Treatment of Choroideremia

Emeryville, CA – July 27, 2020 – 4D Molecular Therapeutics (4DMT), a clinical-stage leader in the development of precision-guided AAV gene medicines based on directed evolution, announced that the first patient has been dosed in the Phase 1 clinical trial of 4D-110, a Roche-licensed product candidate, delivered by a single intravitreal injection for Choroideremia (CHM). CHM is a blinding and currently untreatable X-linked inherited retinal disease. Read more here.

(National Institute of Aging) -- “Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a devastating neurodegenerative disease that affects millions of people worldwide, including more than 5.5 million Americans, and this number is expected to increase significantly. There is currently no blood-based biomarker for early diagnosis or target therapy of AD. The field is calling for transformative technologies and approaches.

Newomics developed the integrated silicon microfluidic chips as a high-throughput and multiplex platform for liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC-MS)–based multiomics assays..” Continue article here.

MAY, 2020

Newomics’s m3 emitter technology

On May 18th, Newomics’s M3 emitter technology was listed as one of the top innovations in medical technology from 17 DOE national labs in the last 75 years. Read article summary here, see full report here, with Newomics is on page 24.

MAY, 2020

Johnsonville invests in Iowa agricultural technology company SwineTech

“Johnsonville Ventures… participated in a recent $5 million Series A round of financing for SwineTech, which is based in Solon, Iowa.”

“Innova Memphis led the investment round. Other venture funds that participated in the round were Ag Ventures Alliance, Quake Capital, SVE Capital and The Berkeley Catalyst Fund…” Read full article here.

APRIL, 2020

Nelumbo raises $14m series A round

HAYWARD, Calif. --(PR NEWSWIRE)--"Nelumbo, a pioneer in the field of advanced-surface modifications, announced that it has raised $14 million in new funding—part of a Series-A expansion led by Prime Mover's Lab and the University of Tokyo Edge Capital (UTEC), with support from Safar Partners, Darwin Venture Management, Neue Fund and additional investment from existing shareholders Berkeley Catalyst Fund, Photon Fund, and Danfoss.” Click here to continue reading.

APRIL, 2020

swinetech closes $5M series A

(NATIONAL HOG FARMER)-- SwineTech Inc., … completed a $5 million Series A round of financing. Innova Memphis led the investment round with participation from existing and new investors Johnsonville Ventures, Ag Ventures Alliance, Quake Capital, SVE Capital, The Berkeley Catalyst Fund, as well as many angel investors, family offices and pork producers. Full article here.

MARCH, 2020

Circle Pharma secures $45M in series b financing

SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. --(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Circle Pharma, Inc., a macrocycle drug discovery and development company focused on intractable cancer targets, today announced that it has raised $45 million in a Series B financing.

The financing was led by The Column Group, with participation by Nextech Invest. All investors from the prior round – ShangPharma, LifeForce Capital, and the Berkeley Catalyst Fund – joined the financing. Read more here.

OCTOBER, 2019

BCF’s Laura smoliar invited to speak at Morrison & Foerster’s second annual GP + LP Global Venture Summit

Morrison and Foerster’s GP + LP Global Venture Summit will be held on October 24th in Palo Alto, and is focused on some of the most compelling topics in today’s global investment space. Laura Smoliar looks forward to joining the panel and discussing: top considerations before launching your first/next fund, the secondary market (LP interests, portfolio companies, and rollovers), CFIUS from the GP and LP Perspective, and trends in fund terms. Learn more about the event here.

OCTOBER, 2019

Berkeley catalyst Fund’s LAURA smoliar is a featured speaker at synbiobeta 2019

“Meet the innovators and companies, find new opportunities, partner up and discover the potential of the biological industrial revolution.. Join us October 1-3 in San Francisco to see how synthetic biology is disrupting consumer products, food, agriculture, medicine, chemicals, materials, and more.” Learn more about SynBioBeta 2019 here, and Laura’s specific panel on company partnerships here.

SEPTEMBER, 2019

BCF’s TED HOU Talks Opportunities and Challenges for STEM Startups at uc Berkeley’s chemx conference

Register today for UC Berkeley’s second annual ChemX Conference on Saturday September 21st! This event will bring together our students, alumni, faculty, and corporate sponsors to learn, network, and engage in the current research being performed here at our College. Learn more here.

SEPTEMBER, 2019

4D Molecular Therapeutics Files for IPO, Applies to List on Nasdaq

Having participated in 4D Molecular Therapeutics Inc.’s most recent Series B round, the Berkeley Catalyst Fund is excited for the company’s next steps. Update provided by Dow Jones.

NOVEMBER 14, 2018

SURFACE MODIFICATION TECHNOLOGY START-UP NELUMBO RECEIVES $5.5 MILLION IN SERIES A FUNDING

HAYWARD, Calif., --(GLOBE NEWSWIRE)-- Surface Modification Technology startup Nelumbo has raised $5.5 million in a Series A offering led by the Berkeley Catalyst Fund with syndicate partners that include Photon Fund, 1517 Fund, UPC Renewables, and Danfoss. The Series A financing, which was oversubscribed, enables Nelumbo to bring first products to market and establish additional strategic partnerships focused on developing and commercializing new products. See Article Here.

AUGUST 17, 2018

NEWOMICS USING NEW FUNDING TO DRIVE COMMERCIALIZATION OF MEA PRODUCTS

NEW YORK --(GenomeWeb)-- Having this month closed a $3.9 million Series A funding round, mass spec technology firm Newomics aims to bring three new products to market within the next year.

The company's core technology is its multinozzle emitter array (MEA) device, which splits sample flow into multiple smaller streams to improve sample ionization and mass spec performance. See Article Here.

AUGUST 8, 2018

GASTROINTESTINAL GENE THERAPY BIOTECH DNALITE THERAPEUTICS RAISES $1.5M IN SEED FUNDING

SAN FRANCISCO --(BUSINESS WIRE)-- DNAlite Therapeutics, Inc., an early stage preclinical therapeutic company has raised $1.5 million in a seed-stage financing. DNAlite was founded by UC Berkeley graduates Mubhij Ahmad and Timothy Day in 2016. The proceeds of the round will be used to continue development of gastrointestinal tract gene therapy treatments for patients who suffer from genetic intestinal diseases, utilizing DNAlite’s proprietary delivery platform technology.

Berkeley-based Berkeley Catalyst Fund led the Seed round. See full article here.

SEPTEMBER 5, 2018

4D MOLECULAR THERAPEUTICS RAISES $90 MILLION SERIES B FINANCING

EMERYVILLE, Calif., --(BUSINESS WIRE)-- 4D Molecular Therapeutics (4DMT), a world-leader in Therapeutic Vector Evolution for adeno-associated virus (AAV) gene therapy vector discovery and product development announced the closing of its $90 million Series B Financing. The round was led by Viking Global Investors, with participation from ArrowMark Partners, Janus Henderson Investors, The Biotechnology Value Fund, MiraeAsset Financial Group, Pappas Capital & Chiesi Ventures, Pfizer Ventures, Perceptive Advisors, Ridgeback Capital Investments, CureDuchenne Ventures and Berkeley Catalyst Fund. The proceeds from this financing will be used to advance its proprietary Therapeutic Vector Evolution platform and pipeline of next-generation AAV gene therapeutics. The company’s lead intravitreally-delivered AAV gene therapy asset for choroideremia is expected to enter clinical trials in 2019. Real the article here.

AUGUST 9, 2018

NEWOMICS CLOSES $3.9M SERIES A ROUND

NEW YORK --(GenomeWeb)-- Mass spec technology firm Newomics has closed a $3.9 million Series A funding round.

The Berkeley, California-based company closed the round on Wednesday, said Daojing Wang, Newomics' founder and CEO, adding that it surpassed its initial target of $3.5 million. The round was led by the Berkeley Catalyst Fund and the Photon Fund. See Article Here.

JUNE 22, 2018

NELUMBO: THIEL FOUNDATION ANNOUNCES 2018 THIEL FELLOWS

SAN FRANCISCO --(BUSINESS WIRE)-- The Thiel Foundation today named 20 people into the 2018 class of Thiel Fellows. The Fellowship program, which launched in 2011, encourages talented young people to pursue big ideas and start companies instead of attending college. See Article Here.