Katia Dowling’s Post

Deep-tech neuroscience startup BrainSightAI has raised $5 million in a pre-Series A funding round led by IAN Alpha Fund, along with participation from IvyCap Ventures Advisors Private Limited, Silver Needle, and its existing investors. The fresh funds will be utilized to expand its presence in India, increasing reach in Tier I and Tier II cities, making a foray into Africa, Southeast Asia, the US, and allied markets, and enhancing R&D capabilities. BrainSight AI aims to enable greater precision in the diagnosis and treatment planning of neuro-oncological and neuropsychiatric disorders. The platform combines artificial intelligence and neuroscience to enable precision in neurological and psychiatric investigations for accelerated patient outcomes. BrainSight AI helps to understand how the physiology of the brain correlates to its functions by mapping macro-scale neural connections in the brain to enable precise diagnosis and prognosis of neuro-oncological and neuropsychiatric disorders. Founders: Laina Emmanuel and Rimjhim Agrawal (Ph.D.) Follow Rise & Shine for daily funding deals. Stay ahead, stay motivated with www.riseshine.in #startup #funding #ai

🔬 Empirical Ventures Fund 1 Portfolio Spotlight: Xgenera 🔬 At Empirical Ventures, we are committed to supporting breakthrough innovations that have the potential to transform critical sectors, including healthcare. One such innovation comes from Xgenera, a portfolio company of Empirical Ventures Fund 1, which is making significant strides in early cancer detection. Did you know? - 50% of cancers are diagnosed at a late stage. - Only 10% survival rate at late stages. - A 93% survival rate when cancer is detected early. Xgenera has developed a cutting-edge AI platform that accurately predicts the stage (0-4) of 12 different types of cancer, achieving a remarkable 99.4% accuracy. This capability can significantly improve early diagnosis and, in turn, increase survival rates by enabling timely interventions. This innovation represents the potential of deep-tech solutions to address some of the most pressing challenges in healthcare today. Interested in supporting the next generation of Europe’s top deep-tech ventures? Empirical Ventures Second SEIS/EIS Fund is live - for deployment in the 2025/26 tax year. This fund will focus on identifying and supporting high-potential, early-stage deep-tech ventures like Xgenera To register your interest, please visit: https://lnkd.in/eJtJS-V7 We are also hosting a series of calls about Empirical Ventures Fund 2. Session Dates: Call 1: Wednesday, 5th February, 5:00 PM https://lu.ma/1hry93yg  Call 2: Thursday, 20th February, 5:00 PM https://lu.ma/remyjnzw Call 3: Thursday, 6th March, 5:00 PM https://lu.ma/9ygz36c9 Call 4: Wednesday, 19th March, 6:00 https://lu.ma/qpdit1fk Capital at risk. For professional investors only. #DeepTech #CancerDetection #AI #HealthcareInnovation #VentureCapital #EIS #SEIS #InvestingInInnovation #MedicalTech Dr Ben Miles, Ph.D. Alexander Fink Johnathan Matlock Madeleine Nichols, PhD Curran Kalha, Ph.D. Trang K. Nguyen Nathalie Moran Dr Andy Shapanis

Showing the world why University of California, Berkeley is #1 in Entrepreneurship! 🌎 Had a wonderful time helping out and attending Berkeley SkyDeck Batch 18 Demo Day! Here are some of this batch’s startups with awesome founders I got to connect with. I highly encourage you check them out! Deeli AI (Hanson Chou & Wilson Haung) A platform for R&D-focused organizations to discover and acquire game-changing technologies. Jellie AI (Alexander Davtyan) AI-vetted candidate database designed to streamline hiring processes and reduce costs. Taltrics (Alex Marshall) AI solutions to help software service firms grow revenue through automated quoting and optimized pricing. TLR Therapeutics (Stephen J. McCormack, PhD and Alexis Poché): Early-stage biotech company focused on developing Tomaralimab for cancer, tumors, and infectious diseases. And of course, always an absolute pleasure reconnecting with friends and partners at Cal Scott Nisbet; Ekin Günaysu! #innovation #VC #UCBerkeley #MoonShot

Last night, we hosted the first of our Investor-Founder Mixer Series, with this one being centred around AI Drug Discovery. Around the table we had six entrepreneurs from the BioFounder Club and six investors from the BioCapital Network - all either building or investing in AI Drug Discovery companies. Cc Octopus Ventures, Redalpine, Verve Ventures, First Spark Ventures, BACKED VC, Calculus Capital, Pear Bio, iuvantium, Cambridge Medixine Ltd., PentaBind, Xenos Bio and Stem Solutions. A huge thanks to the Amazon Web Services (AWS) life science team for sponsoring this dinner. Reach out to Natalie or Alex to find out more on their purpose-built solutions for techbio 👉 https://lnkd.in/eHmFq2gq Our Investor-Founder Dinner Series is centred around facilitating meaningful connections between investors and founders, enabling them to discuss thoughts on the industry and get to know each other in a more relaxed and personal manner. We theme each dinner around a specific area within life sciences. Everyone around the table is either building or actively investing in that space and we aim for a 1:1 investor-founder ratio. If you’re an entrepreneur and want to get involved in a future dinner, sign-up to the BioFounder Club here 👉 https://lnkd.in/eSPr6JtN If you’re an investor and want to get involved in a future dinner, sign-up to the BioCapital Network here 👉 https://lnkd.in/eWSVnKB5 If you’re interested in getting unique and intimate access to a group of both investors and founders, drop me a line about our sponsorship options for these dinners! Both the BioCapital Network and BioFounder Club are initiatives of the Science Entrepreneur Club. #investor #founder #venturecapital #innovation #lifesciences #aidrugdiscovery #ai #drugdiscovery #BioFounderClub #BioCapitalNetwork

BioAge Labs is poised to IPO after having raised $170m back in February. According to Crunchbase, so called longevity startups are getting a healthy dose of fresh funding from VCs. With at least 1 in 5 Americans over the age of 65, it's no surprise this category shows incredible promise. Most of the startups receiving funding are pharma-based. Yet let's not forget one of the most promising -- and proven -- anti-aging drugs out there isn't sold in a pill bottle. It's called working out. Strength training in particular has been proven to stimulate the brain's neuroplasticity and has a host of benefits including improvements in bone density, cognition, mood, metabolism, etc. Dr. Gabrielle Lyon refers to the practice of focusing therapeutic-level efforts on skeletal muscle as 'Muscle-Centric Medicine,' a term she trademarked. MCM involves a combination of strength conditioning, lifestyle, and nutrition strategies. This is not the quick way to a longer 'healthspan,' but it is the most effective and sustainable. Kudos to the VCs who see the potential of investing in longevity-based startups. Let's hope they see the value of the original longevity drug of them all - strength conditioning and a healthy lifestyle. #longevity #startups #fitness

Longetivety startups are not getting funding at the rate we are aging In the U.S., at least one in six people is now over the age of 65. At the same time, in most developed countries older adults account for an unprecedented share of the population. By 2050 1/3 of the world will be 80 years old or older. The sector of "longevity Startups" addresses human biomarkers to improve human health and life expectancy. A good example is The space is also poised to see one of its most high-profile IPOs with the upcoming debut of BioAge Labs, which develops therapeutics for obesity and other metabolic diseases by targeting the biology of human aging. The Richmond, California-based company seeks to raise $142.5 million on Nasdaq alongside a $15 million private placement. But across the board, funding worldwide is not signaling an emerging trend #venturecapital #vc #venture #startups #technews

✔ Week 4 of the Runway Programming completed! It was another great week at the Jacobs Technion-Cornell Institute at Cornell Tech. As part of the National Science Foundation (NSF) I-Corps program, I interviewed healthcare system stakeholders to learn about breast imaging challenges. I appreciate the different perspectives and insights shared. The cohort also learned about startup financing and funding… and how to do the math (correctly) and explored some tools for startups, including: ➤ ThinkUp, whose mission is to transform innovative ideas into validated, market-ready ventures that meet and exceed global investor standards: https://thinkup.global/ ➤ MathWorks, whose Accelerator Program helps startups advance their development: https://lnkd.in/eg7dbtc5 With fellow cohort members, I also attended: ➤A VentureCrush event at Lowenstein Sandler LLP, which brought together tech founders, senior executives, VC, growth equity, PE, and angel investors. https://lnkd.in/eGhJEkdc ➤A Weill Cornell Medicine event, where I learned more about SBIR/STTR non-dilutive funding and was able to meet with a National Cancer Institute (NCI) Program Director & Team Leader https://lnkd.in/eP8sMFjM I recommend looking into the tools and attending future VentureCrush events and Weill Cornell Medicine BioVenture eLab events. I’m looking forward to more networking, learning, and all the other great things week 5 will bring. 💫 #entrepreneurship #startup

Why Finding the Right Co-Founders is Essential for Success You’ve heard it before—and for good reason. Finding the right co-founders is critical for innovation and long-term success. 💡 Just look at Moderna. Here’s what their story teaches us about the power of co-founders: 🧠 Scientific Vision: Dr. Derrick Rossi’s pioneering work in mRNA technology laid the foundation for Moderna. His breakthrough in reprogramming cells paved the way for revolutionary mRNA-based solutions. 💡 Entrepreneurial Drive: Noubar Afeyan, the visionary behind Moderna’s creation, turned Rossi’s discovery into a reality. His foresight and ability to secure critical resources transformed a scientific idea into a biotech powerhouse. ⚙️ Complementary Expertise: Robert Langer, a renowned biomedical engineer, played a vital role in solving mRNA delivery challenges, while Dr. Kenneth Chien broadened the scope of mRNA’s application in cardiovascular therapies. Together, they brought the science to life. 🚀 Strategic Leadership: CEO Stéphane Bancel led Moderna’s rapid growth, taking it through the development of its COVID-19 vaccine. His business acumen was key to scaling the company and executing its global mission. A strong co-founding team is more than just a partnership—it’s the engine behind turning bold ideas into world-changing solutions. Are you ready to find co-founders who will help you dream bigger and execute smarter? 🌍 Join our global Co-Founders Network and connect with others ready to make an impact. Comment “COFOUNDER” below to become part of this dynamic community! #cofounder #startups #moderna #innovation #biotech #inovexus #startupcommunity #entrepreneurship

If you're a Business Angel or a VC, this one is for you 👇 You may decide to invest or not, but you absolutely need to know about it. Investing in Longevity may be the biggest investment opportunity of all times. During our next Longevity Startup Pitch Session happening online on Monday, the 2nd of September at 8:30AM PST / 11:30AM EST / 5:30PM CET, featuring 2 startups who are raising funds: 1. Revival Bio - universal stem cell therapy platform that could be the first and only to fundamentally replace all aged tissue 2. Longevity Health - AI tool to make $100,000/year longevity doctors available to the masses for $10/month through AI. Sign up for free here: https://lnkd.in/dXKzgcfG PS1. The Longevity Investment Club is an initiative of the "2060 Foundation" https://2060.life, whose purpose is to defeat aging by 2060. PS2. If you're not that much into investing, but you still want to help the longevity field move forward, any positive reaction (like, comment or repost), to increase the visibility of the event, is most welcome.

🧠 Meet the first 14 companies to join StartUp Health’s Alzheimer Moonshot, an initiative launched with support from Gates Ventures and the Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation (ADDF). In the coming weeks we’ll share deep dives about each company and about the amazing impact board that has come together to help guide the moonshot. Stay tuned! Preview a bit about them here ➡️ https://ow.ly/vlEi50RPqQC #AlzMoonshot #Alzheimers #HealthTransformers #HealthMoonshot