The Band of Angels AgFood Tech vertical was inaugurated as a Special Interest Group (SiG) in 2016. The goal was to invest in new markets created by digitalization of farming and food systems including consumption and delivery. In the past few years, we have witnessed amazing innovations and creation of new markets that is nothing short of transformative. As she outlines in this presentation (https://bit.ly/AFHvertical), Chair Jaleh Daie is broadening the group's mission and investment theme to go beyond food and agriculture to include wellness and healthspan and changing the name of this SiG to AgFoodHealthspan (AFH). She is also innovating by adding a formal way for non-members to participate; her Advisory Council (https://bit.ly/AFHadvisors) will expand the number of people with deep domain expertise (eg. real life farmers/growers, journalists, other early investors) participating in the group. Check out the “rules” for participating and consider people you might nominate to join. The AFH vertical will host a Luminary Talk with Gabrielle "Ellie" Rubenstein, Co-founder and CEO of the private equity firm Manna Tree, on November 17th from 1 PM to 2 PM on the topic “Improving Human Health - One Investment at a Time”.
Deep Blue Medical Advances Announces FDA Clearance and U.S. Clinical Launch of the T-Line Hernia Mesh
In positive portfolio news, Deep Blue Medical (March 2019 Dinner) received 510(k) clearance from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its T-Line® Hernia Mesh with integrated suture-like extensions (http://bit.ly/deep-blue-510k).
UNest Portfolio News: Nevertheless She Persisted: How A Female Fintech Founder Raised Her Seed Round
Ksenia Yudina, founder of UNest UNEST
The average annual cost of a private four-year college is $32,410 and a public college (in-state) $9,410, according to the CollegeBoard. College is expensive. More than 44 million Americans owe $1.6 trillion in student debt, writes Zack Friedman, a Forbes contributor. What if there were a way for students to incur no debt or less debt?
Portfolio News: US FDA grants EUA for Cepheid’s SARS-CoV-2 test
Cepheid has received emergency use authorization (EUA) from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its rapid molecular diagnostic test, Xpert Xpress SARS-CoV-2. The test is designed for the qualitative detection of SARS-CoV-2 virus, which causes coronavirus (Covid-19) disease.
Portfolio News: ClinCapture, Inc. is Providing Free Electronic Data Capture (EDC) for Clinical Researchers Investigating the Treatment of COVID-19 Coronavirus
Band portfolio company ClinCapture, Inc., a leading provider for Electronic Data Capture (EDC) systems and eClinical solutions, announced that it will begin offering EDC at no cost for specific clinical trials investigating COVID-19 Coronavirus. The decision to offer free EDC for BioPharma and Diagnostic companies conducting COVID-19 clinical trials was announced after the World Health Organization issued a statement that the confirmed number of COVID-19 cases has surpassed 100,000 globally.