Venture Investors Health Fund

A promising step forward in pandemic preparedness. BlueWillow Biologics, Inc., one of Venture Investors Health Fund’s portfolio companies, has published results in Nature Communications demonstrating that its intranasal, adjuvanted bird flu vaccine safely generated broad immune responses across multiple H5N1 strains. In collaboration with researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, the Phase I clinical trial showed that BlueWillow’s NanoVax® W805EC adjuvanted vaccine not only elicited systemic and mucosal immune responses—but also primed the immune system to recognize diverse variations of the virus. Why it matters: 🦠 H5N1 continues to pose a global threat, with recent human cases underscoring the urgency for next-generation countermeasures. 🌍 An intranasal, shelf-stable vaccine could offer a scalable, noninvasive solution for pandemic readiness worldwide. 💡 The results also highlight BlueWillow’s NanoVax® adjuvant as a potential platform technology for advancing mucosal vaccination against a range of respiratory diseases. Congratulations to CEO Dr. Chad Costley and the entire BlueWillow team on this milestone, and to Dr. Justin R. Ortiz and colleagues at the University of Maryland for their leadership in this important study. Read more about the findings here: https://lnkd.in/gCVcjKmn #HealthcareInnovation #Vaccines #LifeSciences #Immunology #PandemicPreparedness #MidwestInnovation #VentureCapital #BlueWillowBiologics

Congratulations to Elephas Biosciences on raising $40 million to accelerate commercialization of its Live Tumor Profiling Platform! 🎉 For patients facing cancer, faster and more accurate treatment decisions can change everything. The Elephas Live™ Platform represents a new frontier in personalized cancer care—using live tumor tissue to predict how individual patients will respond to immunotherapy. By preserving the native tumor microenvironment, Elephas helps clinicians move closer to matching the right patient with the right therapy, faster. This latest round was supported by existing investors including Northpond Ventures, ARCH Venture Partners, the State of Wisconsin Investment Board, Tao Capital Partners, Sands Capital, and Venture Investors Health Fund, underscoring strong conviction in both the science and the team. As long-term partners, we’re proud to support Maneesh Arora and the Elephas team as they bring this groundbreaking technology closer to clinical practice and help more patients benefit from precision immunotherapy. 🔗 Read the full announcement: https://lnkd.in/gg_XHSNV #HealthcareInnovation #Immunotherapy #MedTech #CancerResearch #MidwestInnovation #VentureCapital #PrecisionMedicine

When innovation meets access, patients win. This marks another step toward making histotripsy broadly available to patients who need non-invasive treatment options, and reflects years of collaboration among clinicians, researchers, and payers to bring this innovation to the front lines of care. Congratulations to Mike Blue and the HistoSonics, Inc. team for achieving another important milestone in advancing the future of non-invasive surgery. 👏 This is what long-term venture partnership looks like—turning pioneering science into real-world access for millions.

When discovery meets development, innovation accelerates. VI portfolio company Invenra has announced a new collaboration with Xcellon Biologics, a U.S.-based leader in developing and manufacturing antibody–drug conjugates (ADCs). Together, they’re advancing a new generation of targeted cancer therapies designed to destroy tumor cells while sparing healthy tissue. This partnership combines Invenra’s advanced antibody engineering platforms—led by CEO Roland Green and EVP of R&D Bonnie Hammer—with Xcellon Biologics’ specialized expertise in drug-linking and biologics manufacturing, guided by Abhishake Chhibber and Yuk Chun C. The result: faster progress from discovery to clinical testing, and ultimately, to patients who need it most. It’s another example of how collaboration across the healthcare ecosystem turns deep science into real-world progress for patients. 🔗 Read more: https://lnkd.in/etU3EWtG #HealthcareInnovation #Biotech #LifeSciences #CancerResearch #AntibodyDrugConjugates #MadisonWisconsin #VentureCapital

“Simplifying the complex should be a mainstay of future medical device innovation.” 💡 That’s one of many insights shared by Dr. Joseph Amaral, Chief Medical and Scientific Officer at Venture Investors Health Fund, in his feature for MedTech Opinion Leader magazine. In this wide-ranging interview, Joe reflects on: 🤔 How curiosity and collaboration have guided his career—from the operating room to the boardroom. 🧠 What it takes to lead teams that innovate without micromanaging. 🔬 Why minimally invasive therapies and intuitive device design are transforming patient care. 🗣️ And how luck, timing, and listening carefully can make all the difference in advancing ideas that improve lives. It’s an inspiring read that captures Joe’s philosophy of patient-centered innovation and the values that drive our firm. 📖 Read the full interview in MedTech Opinion Leader (pages 24–29): https://lnkd.in/gB_SgGRv #HealthcareInnovation #MedTech #Leadership #MinimallyInvasiveSurgery #VentureCapital #PatientCare #LifeSciences Good MedTech News

From record-breaking exits to new fund milestones—it’s been a defining season for Venture Investors Health Fund and the Midwest healthcare ecosystem. Our latest newsletter captures it all in one place, including: 🩺 Fund 7 officially closed at $80M, continuing our mission to back founders transforming the standard of care. 🔬 Five new investments across diagnostics, devices, and therapeutics—including EarliPoint Health, Elephas, Rivermark Medical, Inc., Sanacor, and Ten Bay Bio. 💥 HistoSonics, Inc.’ $2.25B acquisition, the largest exit in VI’s history—plus a powerful patient story from Bruce Sherman, who underwent two histotripsy procedures, and firsthand insights from Dr. Joan Vidal-Jové, one of the first clinicians in the world to treat patients using the Edison® platform. 🏆 Jim Adox’s induction into the Michigan Venture Capital Association Hall of Fame. 💡 Founder story: Adam Kadlec from Rivermark Medical, Inc. is redefining treatment for BPH. Each milestone reflects what we believe in: the power of partnership between visionary founders, leading universities, and long-term investors to turn breakthrough science into better care for patients everywhere. 🔗 Read it here: https://lnkd.in/grE8zxCG 📬 Subscribe: http://eepurl.com/i8Fw0-/ #HealthcareInnovation #Midwest #VentureCapital #LifeSciences #MedTech #Biohealth #UniversitySpinouts #HealthcareInvesting

Data proves that Wisconsin’s biohealth ecosystem is gaining momentum. BioForward, Inc.'s latest Biohealth Investor Portfolio Report highlights over $288 million in VC funding raised by 57 Wisconsin-based biohealth companies in 2024 and Q1-2025. The report showcases a thriving environment where innovation, capital, and collaboration intersect—an environment we’re proud to call home. Several VI portfolio companies are featured for their recent milestones, including: 🌎 Elephas – Expanded globally with the first cancer patient screened using its Elephas Live™ Platform in India. 💡 Rivermark Medical, Inc. – Advanced its pivotal study for the FloStent device in benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). 🌙 EnsoData – Closed a $20M Series C round to accelerate AI innovation in sleep health. 🧬 Ten Bay Bio – Continued progress developing novel peptide therapeutics in Milwaukee’s growing biotech cluster. 💊 Sanacor – Launched its next phase of cardiovascular drug development programs. 🔬 Invenra – Sustained growth in antibody discovery partnerships with leading biopharma collaborators. 🧫 FLUGEN, INC. – Advanced its clinical-stage vaccine research to strengthen future pandemic preparedness. Together with the other startups in the report, they reflect the depth and diversity of healthcare innovation emerging from the Midwest—from imaging and AI to therapeutics and diagnostics. 📊 Read the full report from BioForward Wisconsin to explore the data and stories shaping the future of healthcare innovation in Wisconsin. Kudos to Lisa Johnson, CEO of BioForward Wisconsin, for championing this work and shining a light on the companies and people propelling our state’s biohealth economy forward. #HealthcareInnovation #Biohealth #VentureCapital #Wisconsin #MedTech #LifeSciences #MidwestInnovation

It’s remarkable to see how far HistoSonics, Inc. has come—from an early-stage idea to destroying tumors with sound waves, backed by Midwest research, to attracting global investors. 🌎 The company just announced an oversubscribed $250 million growth financing—led by its new ownership group and joined by investors including Thiel Bio, Founders Fund, K5 Global, Bezos Expeditions, Wellington Management, and Venture Investors Health Fund. 🎉 This new capital will accelerate HistoSonics’ global expansion, advance new clinical indications across the body, and strengthen operations for the next phase of growth. It follows the recent $2.25 billion majority stake acquisition, positioning the company to scale its Edison® Histotripsy System—the first and only histotripsy platform cleared for clinical use globally. For patients and physicians, that means broader access to a truly non-invasive therapeutic technology capable of destroying tumors with precision, without the invasiveness or toxicity of traditional procedures. We’re proud to have been the first investor in HistoSonics, and participated in each round of financing through exit. We continue to be shareholders in HistoSonics post acquisition, and Jim Adox continues to serve on the Board—and love to see this company continue redefining what’s possible in patient care. Read more: 🔹 BusinessWire: https://lnkd.in/d-U4WQvv 🔹 Bloomberg [paywall]: https://lnkd.in/gryug8v7 #VentureCapital #HealthcareInnovation #MedTech #Histotripsy Mike Blue Jim Adox

Congratulations to Elephas Biosciences on screening the first cancer patient using the Elephas Live™ Platform at inDNA Life Sciences Private Limited! 🎉This marks the first international deployment of Elephas’ live-cell imaging technology, which enables clinicians to predict how patients will respond to immunotherapy before treatment begins. For patients and care teams, that means faster access to the right therapy and fewer trial-and-error treatments—an especially meaningful step toward improving cancer outcomes in regions where access to precision diagnostics can be limited. As an investor, we’re proud to see Elephas’ technology expanding globally and delivering on its mission to help clinicians personalize cancer care in real time. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/gsYHKUTn #HealthcareInnovation #Immunotherapy #LifeSciences #PrecisionMedicine #CancerResearch Maneesh Arora

The next generation of life sciences companies often begins with a breakthrough discovery—and a team ready to bring it to life. That’s why Innovation Partnerships and the Accelerate Blue Foundry are connecting experienced entrepreneurs with promising technologies emerging from the University of Michigan. The Foundry provides hands-on mentorship, commercialization strategy support, and access to seed investment through the Accelerate Blue Fund—helping bridge the gap between the lab and the marketplace. Applications for the next cohort are open through November 5. Learn more about the program and how it’s shaping Michigan’s innovation landscape: https://lnkd.in/gKKgeCwS #VentureCapital #LifeSciences #UniversitySpinouts #Commercialization #HealthcareInnovation #Entrepreneurship