PCI Ventures

We hope to see everyone tonight from 4pm to 7pm at Pennovation Works for the PCI Ventures Showcase! The agenda is as follows: 4-5pm - Networking and Poster Showcase 5-6pm - Opening remarks by Pennovation Works Managing Director, Denita L. Henderson, and PCIV Portfolio Manager, Bhavana Mohanraj then founders from Cogwear, Sahay AI, and Vasowatch will present  6-7pm - Networking Register here: https://lnkd.in/eVpQU47U

Eric was a wonderful person and an invaluable member of the PCI Ventures community. We are deeply grateful to have had the privilege of knowing him.

Exciting news. PCI Ventures will be holding weekly office hours on Wednesdays in November and December. Each week, a member of the PCI Ventures team will be available to answer business questions on topics ranging from company formation and legal agreements to benefits and insurance. Anyone is welcome to take advantage of the office hours. The dates and times for these virtual sessions are as follows: 🔵 Melisa Lopez Anton, Nov 6 or Dec 11 (9am to 12pm EST) 🔵 Yi-Yen Chen, Nov 13 or Dec 4 (9am to 12pm EST) 🔵 Bhavana Mohanraj, Nov 27 (10am to 1pm EST) or Dec 18 (9am to 12pm) Register here: https://lnkd.in/eghyVBxE

I hope everyone can make it to our annual showcase. It's a great opportunity to visit with many of the companies, but also reconnect with the community!

Exciting news! In celebration of its 14 years of service to the Penn community, PCI Ventures is bringing together a diverse group of entrepreneurs, faculty members, investors, and industry leaders for an evening of education and networking on November 20th for the PCIV Showcase. The Showcase will feature companies from PCI Ventures’ portfolio alongside Pennovation Works member companies. Learn more and register here: https://lnkd.in/gWrYwbEz

PCI Ventures is excited to announce that we're hosting another session of our Entrepreneurial Empowerment Series on Thursday, Oct 17th from 5-7pm at the Pennovation Center (Pennovation Works). The session is called "Small Steps for Big Returns: Best Practices when Working with Life Sciences Vendors and Service Providers" and it is designed exclusively for entrepreneurs and founders building new ventures. Experts Andrew Hamilton, Esq. and Jacqueline Berman, Esq., Partners at Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP, will speak on how to effectively work together with vendors and service providers to get the most out of your relationships. Learn more and register here: https://lu.ma/x5326j8e

PCI, PCI Ventures and Yale Ventures are excited for Innovators Ignite: A Penn & Yale Showcase, where aspiring and diverse academic entrepreneurs from both universities will present promising technologies to a panel of industry experts. The event will take place virtually on September 17th and feature a diverse array of pioneering projects, from affordable robotic exercise systems for stroke rehabilitation to novel treatments for endometriosis and retinal degeneration. Venture capitalists, industry players, innovation enthusiasts, network builders and supporters of diversity from both university communities are welcome to attend. Penn's presenters will include: 🔵 Michelle Johnson, PhD, Associate Professor of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at the University of Pennsylvania, presenting Rehab CARES, a Rehab Community-Based Affordable Robotic Exercise Systems 🔵 Avery Posey, Jr., PhD, Assistant Professor in the Department of Systems Pharmacology and Translational Therapeutics at Penn Medicine, presenting Immunocytokines to Enhance CAR T-cell Efficacy 🔵 Eileen Wang, MD, Professor of Clinical Obstetrics and Gynecology at Penn Medicine, presenting IUDINE, a postplacental IUD retention system 🔵 Akhila Mallavarapu, PhD, Postdoctoral Researcher at the Kagan Research Group, Department of Electrical and Systems Engineering (ESE) & Internet of Things for Precision Agriculture (IoT4Ag) Engineering Research Center at Penn Engineering, presenting on Biodegradable optical sensors for precision agriculture 🔵 Raghavi Sudharsan, PhD, Research Assistant Professor of Experimental Ophthalmology at Penn Medicine, presenting on Targeting PRLΔE1: A Novel Gene-Agnostic Strategy for Retinal Degeneration Therapy Read more about all of the teams presenting and access registration here: https://lnkd.in/eFNGRRp3

PCIV, Penn Center for Innovation, The Mack Institute and Wharton are co-hosting the Entrepreneurial Empowerment Series. This is a dynamic seminar series designed exclusively for entrepreneurs and founders building new ventures. The first session will take place on September 19th at the Pennovation Center. David Hsu, the Richard A. Sapp Professor of Management at Wharton, will present strategies for entrepreneurial commercialization of academic science. Expect to engage in lively discussion and walk away with actionable insights. Learn more and register here: https://lnkd.in/e2wRdYxm

PCI Ventures portfolio company EpiVario, Inc., a biotech company focusing on memory-related psychiatric disorders, received a $295,000 grant from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) to research small molecule inhibitors for reducing cocaine craving and preventing relapse in Cocaine Use Disorder (CUD) patients. CUD, affecting millions in the U.S. alone, lacks FDA-approved pharmacological treatments, making EpiVario's epigenetic approach using ACSS2 inhibitors a promising new avenue. The grant will fund animal model studies, potentially leading to an Investigative New Drug (IND) application with the FDA and addressing the critical need for reliable CUD pharmacotherapy. Read more here: https://lnkd.in/g7Mn7yHN

PCI Ventures portfolio company Exyn Technologies, which offers advanced autonomy and mapping solutions, has partnered with Canadian unmanned technology provider Measur to expand its presence in Canada. Measur, which has grown significantly since its founding, will integrate Exyn's cutting-edge technologies like the Nexys 3D SLAM LiDAR payload to enhance safety, efficiency and cost savings for customers. This collaboration aims to provide robust and innovative geospatial solutions, leveraging Measur's expertise and Exyn's autonomous technologies to deliver even more advanced solutions to buyers. Learn more here: https://lnkd.in/gBEweBjy