Anzu Partners Monthly Newsletter: August 2023
Anzu Partners
We are an investment firm that focuses on early stage companies with breakthrough industrial & life sciences technology
Hi everyone,
This month, we are excited to share an update on our portfolio company, BioSkryb Genomics, straight from its CEO, Suresh Pisharody.
Suresh joined BioSkryb at the beginning of the year, and he and the rest of the leadership team have continued to drive significant commercial progress. We are grateful that he has taken the time to share an update directly with our community.
Thank you,
Anzu Managing Partners
Hello Anzu Partners community,
I’m Suresh Pisharody, CEO of BioSkryb Genomics, a Durham, North Carolina-based company transforming single-cell analysis by enabling the most complete multiomic view of the cellular ecosystem, from discovery to diagnostics.
BioSkryb’s mission is to support scientific discoveries that drive novel biological insights and deliver a more complete understanding of the relationship between genes and disease. Traditional genomic amplification technologies have not been able to provide a precise and holistic view of genomes of individual cells without artifacts or bias. To overcome these challenges, we utilize our novel Primary Template-directed Amplification (PTA) method to provide a highly accurate, scalable, and efficient nucleic acid amplification and sequencing method.
PTA is the flagship technology that drives BioSkryb’s industry-leading products, including ResolveDNA? and ResolveOME?, a first of its kind multiomic solution that provides whole genome and whole transcriptome analysis from the same single cell in a single workflow. Following the completion of a successful Early Access Program with key scientific partners, we celebrated the official commercial launch of ResolveOME? and our BaseJumper? Bioinformatics Platform at the Advances in Genome Biology and Technology (AGBT) 2023 General Meeting.
Recently, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office issued a composition of matter patent, US Patent 11,643,682 related to this Primary Template-Directed Amplification method and applications for research, diagnostics, and treatment. The patent is exclusively licensed to BioSkryb by St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, where BioSkryb co-founder Dr. Chuck Gawad invented the technology. This patent issuance was a major milestone for our team. The patent serves as not only a cornerstone of BioSkryb’s IP portfolio, but as the foundation of our best-in-class single-cell analysis products. Since the filing of this original patent application, we have generated approximately 60 other patent applications in several key countries that have allowed us to build upon the original power of this transformational technology. You can read the press release on this milestone for more information.
We remain deeply focused on bringing the power of our core technologies to key markets. This summer, we announced two strategic distribution agreements. First, we partnered with BIOKé, a leading distributor of life science technologies throughout Europe, to distribute ResolveOME and ResolveDNA across the Benelux (Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg) and Nordic (Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Finland) regions. Second, we partnered with Research Instruments Pte Ltd, a premier distributor for genomic and life science research products in Southeast Asia, to increase our presence throughout Singapore and the region.
We were also excited to announce that our team had optimized a high-throughput workflow of our ResolveDNA Single-Cell Whole Genome Amplification technology on HP’s new D100 Single Cell Dispenser to deliver single-cell genomics at scale. In the press release, Dr. Alexander Bick, M.D. Ph.D. from Vanderbilt University Medical Center’s Division of Genetic Medicine said, “The ability to read out the entire genome of individual cells at high resolution will transform our efforts to understand cancer development. The combination of BioSkryb’s high throughput ResolveDNA solution with the HP D100 Single Cell Dispenser has enabled us to increase our single cell whole genome sequencing throughput by a factor of 50.”
BioSkryb has achieved several major milestones over the course of this year, and there is still much more to come. We are excited and encouraged by the continued interest we have seen from prospective investors and are hard at work on fundraising to propel this commercial growth. Be sure to follow BioSkryb on LinkedIn for real time updates.
Thank you for your continued support,
Suresh Pisharody, CEO, BioSkryb Genomics
Anzu Update
Anzu Partners Elects Cathryn Paine to Partner
We are excited to announce the election of our Head of People, Cathryn Paine to Partner. Cathryn leads a team that drives portfolio company performance through recruiting and retaining exceptional people.
Since joining Anzu Partners in 2017, Cathryn and her team have recruited hundreds of highly specialized scientific, technical, and industry experts across more than 25 of Anzu’s portfolio companies. In 2022, 93 team members, representing approximately $10 million in annualized salary and more than 50% of headcount growth, joined some of Anzu’s highest potential portfolio companies. She also recruited six public company officers and board members, half of which are women.
In addition to her role managing Anzu’s recruiting, organizational development, and people operations, Cathryn has been instrumental in developing and supporting some of Anzu’s leading investments, including EnCharge AI, where she serves as a board observer. Cathryn also serves as a committee member of the Women on Boards Project, where she conducts Board-level searches for venture-backed businesses. In 2022, Cathryn was named one of the 40 Rising Stars Under 40 by Venture Capital Journal. She received her BA and MA from the George Washington University.
Please join us in congratulating Cathryn on this milestone.
Read the press release here.
Portfolio Company Updates
NUBURU Announced Contract with NASA for Next-generation Blue Laser Space Technology and Appointed John Bolton to its Board of Directors
NUBURU, Inc.,?a leading innovator in high-power and high-brightness industrial blue laser technology, announced it has been awarded a contract by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to demonstrate the feasibility of power beaming in space using the company’s proprietary Blue Laser technology. Through NASA’s Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) funding initiative, NUBURU has been selected to create a qualified solution that mitigates the high costs associated with transporting copper or aluminum wires that are critical to provide power to lunar or planetary bases in remote locations.?
The announcement was covered in several industry trade publications, including Semiconductor Today, Photonics.com and Laser Systems Europe. Get full details in the press release.
NUBURU also announced the appointment of former National Security Advisor John Bolton to its Board of Directors. Bolton will provide valuable strategic insight to NUBURU to support the company’s efforts to expand its presence in the defense, energy, and aerospace markets as well as provide guidance on the impact of international relations and regulations on NUBURU’s business and customer base.
The announcement was covered in Semiconductor Today and Optics.org.
Read the press release here.
领英推荐
BioFlyte Raised $5.4M in Series B Financing and Announced Pilot Program with Pittsburgh International Airport
BioFlyte, a biothreat detection firm with a revolutionary new class of fieldable biological threat collection, detection, and identification solutions, announced that it raised $5.4 million in new financing led by?Scout Ventures and?Cottonwood Technology Fund, with additional funding from?New Mexico Vintage Fund. BioFlyte will use this capital to continue scaling its manufacturing and sales operations to meet customer demand and to develop new product configurations that will serve new markets.
“This round of funding will allow us to scale our manufacturing operations and create a sales organization to drive market penetration and support our growing customer base,” said Todd Sickles, CEO, BioFlyte in the press release. “We plan to expand our market presence by providing disruptive biothreat surveillance solutions that meet the needs of business operators and emergency management personnel within enterprises that are strongly focused on protecting people and minimizing business disruption emanating from biological threats.”
The announcement was covered in Albuquerque Business First, Fortune Term Sheet, GenomeWeb, Global Biodefense and more. Read the press release here.
BioFlyte also officially announced the launch of its pilot program with Pittsburgh International Airport. In partnership with PIT’s xBridge innovation center, the first-of-its-kind pilot biothreat surveillance pilot program will add another layer of security to the airport. BioFlyte’s?BioTOF? z200?bioaerosol identifier automatically collects and analyzes aerosol samples for biological and chemical threats with its state-of-the-art Matrix Assisted Laser Desorption/Ionization (MALDI) time-of-flight mass spectrometer. This new class of diagnostic tool incorporates robotics and AI/ML algorithms to continuously screen for more than 1,100 toxins, viruses and bacteria that could impact critical infrastructure with up to 95% accuracy.
As a part of this pilot program, BioFlyte’s modules are stationed within the airport’s HVAC system to provide continuous, autonomous surveillance of the air moving through the terminals. If the device detects a dangerous airborne agent, it directly alerts operations staff and sends details about the potential threat for expedited investigation.
KRQE, a local broadcast TV station in Albuquerque dedicated a segment to this project, you can watch it here.
The announcement was covered in The Albuquerque Journal, Albuquerque Business First, PittsburghInno, Aviation Pros, and other trade publications.
Read the press release here.
6K Appointed Former Waymo Legal Executive David Tressler as Chief Legal Officer and Announced Strategic Partnerships with Forge Nano and Agile Space Industries
6K, a leader in the sustainable production of critical materials for lithium-ion batteries and additive manufacturing, announced the appointment of David Tressler as Chief Legal Officer. The company will leverage Tressler’s world-class experience to support its future investments, fundraising, M&A strategy, commercial growth, and construction of new production facilities. In April, 6K announced a $200 million investment and the selection of Jackson, Tennessee, as the site of its new PlusCAM facility, a battery materials plant.
Before 6K, Tressler was Deputy General Counsel of Waymo, LLC, the autonomous driving technology company that began as the Google self-driving car project and remains a subsidiary of Alphabet, Inc. Prior to Waymo, Tressler was a partner at Kirkland & Ellis.
The news was covered by Bloomberg Law Automation, Batteries News, Law.com and other trade publications. See the press release here.
6K Energy also announced that it signed an agreement with Forge Nano Inc., a global leader in precision nano-coating technology,?to implement the commercial-scale production of?6K?Energy’s American-made battery materials with Forge?Nano’s proprietary Atomic Armor? surface technology platform. This collaboration will support a robust and protected supply chain for next-generation, domestically sourced batteries and give the U.S. the advantage it needs to compete with the global market. Read the press release here.
6K Additive announced a partnership with Agile Space Technologies (Agile) to advance a mission to the moon. 6K Additive’s Ni625 powder is being certified for use at Agile’s manufacturing facility. The first parts to be produced will be used in?Agile’s A2200 bipropellant hypergolic engine. The engines are powered by a pressure-fed hypergolic bipropellant, which does not require ignition as the hydrazine derivative fuel, M20, and MON3 oxidizer combust on contact. Leveraging additive manufacturing, the engine was designed to weigh just 5.9kg and produce 500-lbf of thrust, underscoring the benefits of light weighting with additive manufacturing while delivering tremendous power.?
Read the press release here.
South 8 Technologies Secured Strategic Investment from Lockheed Martin Ventures
South 8 Technologies, Inc., the San Diego clean tech company innovating safer and higher performance electrolytes for the next generation of lithium-ion batteries, closed a strategic investment with Lockheed Martin Ventures, the venture arm of the defense and aerospace technology company, with participation from current South 8 investors LG Technology Ventures, Foothill Ventures and Anzu Partners.
"The exceptional performance capabilities of the LiGas electrolytes are an enabling technology for increasingly aggressive customer requirements, particularly those set forth by the aerospace and defense industries,” said Cyrus Rustomji, CEO for South 8 Technologies in the press release. “We are excited to receive Lockheed Martin’s support as we continue to improve battery technology, reach new markets and lead the transition towards a greener future."
The announcement was covered by the San Diego Business Journal, Defense Daily, Executive Biz and more.
Read the press release here.
Codetta Bio Appointed New Vice President of Product Management to Lead Commercial Strategy
Codetta Bio, the life sciences company developing advanced multiomic biomarker measurement tools, announced that Jeremy Lambert has joined the company as Vice President of Product Management. In this role, Lambert will lead the development and execution of Codetta’s commercial strategy as the company brings its breakthrough multiomic solution to market.
Lambert joins Codetta with more than 20 years of experience working in product development and commercialization of life science research technologies. Most recently, Lambert served as Vice President of Product Management at Quanterix, where during his tenure, the company grew from $12 million to more than $100 million in revenue in protein biomarker measurement platforms. He has also held product marketing roles at several other life sciences technology companies including Caliper Life Sciences and PerkinElmer.
The announcement was covered in BioBuzz, along with several other trade publications.?
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Anzu Partners is an investment firm that focuses on industrial and life science technology companies with the potential to transform their industries. Anzu works with entrepreneurs to develop and commercialize technological innovations by providing capital alongside deep expertise in business development, market positioning, intellectual property, global connectivity, and operations. For more information, please visit:?https://www.anzupartners.com/
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The information contained in this newsletter is being provided by Anzu Partners for informational purposes only. The information was obtained from various sources, but Anzu Partners cannot assure its accuracy. This is neither an offer to sell nor a solicitation for an offer to buy an interest in any fund managed by Anzu Partners. Any such offer or solicitation will only be made to qualified potential investors pursuant to a private placement memorandum. Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Inherent in any investment is the potential for loss.