News

D.C.-based maternal mental health startup Seven Starling has raised $10.9 million in an oversubscribed round to expand its virtual care services — which include supporting postpartum, early parenthood, infertility, miscarriage and loss and other experiences — further across the country.

San Francisco women’s health-focused venture firm RH Capital led the round and existing investors Menlo Park, California’s Pear VC; San Francisco’s Expa; Santa Monica, California’s Magnify Ventures; Palo Alto, California’s Emerson Collective; and Emeryville, California’s Inflect Health also took part.

Emerson Collective is led by Laurene Powell Jobs, who is an investor in D.C.’s Monumental Sports & Entertainment, the owner of the Washington Wizards, Capitals, Mystics and other sports ventures. Emerson counts The Atlantic magazine, which is based in the District, among its holdings.

Foreign investors highlighted innovative and high-quality human resources as a strength of Korean biotech companies. They also recognized advantages in Korea’s active government investment and robust infrastructure for clinical trials and development. However, they also pointed out that Korea’s conservative corporate culture and limited funding needed improvement.

During the ‘Bioplus-Interphex Korea 2024 (BIX 2024)’ conference at COEX in Samsung District, Seoul on July 12, in a special session themed ‘The charm of Korean biohealth according to foreign investors’, Hwee Juin Lee, Vice President of Asia Pacific Region at Flagship Pioneering, emphasized, “Seoul is a cosmopolitan city as the premier global hub for clinical trials, hosting a diverse array of cutting-edge research centers.”

COLUMBIA, Md., (July 16, 2024) — TEDCO, Maryland’s economic engine for technology companies, announced a recent $500,000 investment in OmniSpeech. This investment was made in two parts, with $300,000 coming from TEDCO’s Venture Funds and the remaining $200,000 coming from TEDCO’s Social Impact Funds.

“After decades of research and development, we are excited to expand our reach to improve more apps and devices with AI/ML-powered speech,” said Carol Espy-Wilson, founder and chief technology officer at OmniSpeech. “With TEDCO’s generous investments, we are excited to advance our innovative AI and machine learning technologies.”

CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA – July 15, 2024 – Today AMPEL BioSolutions, with collaborators Lupus Therapeutics and Aker Biomarine, revealed peer-reviewed results that supplementation with Omega3-rich Krill Oil improves disease activity of autoimmune Lupus patients. 

Omega3 lipids called polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) that are found in microscopic shrimp-like crustaceans called Krill from the waters around Antarctica are key to maintaining a low inflammatory state.  Some studies indicate that Krill contains Omega3 in an easily digested phospholipid form that may achieve more effective integration into cellular membranes compared with the triglyceride-rich form predominant in fish oil.  And the concentrated Superba Boost Krill Oil (AKBM-3031) was highly ranked by the evidence-based CoLTs (Combined Lupus Treatment Scoring) published approach for testing in the ORKIDS clinical trial.

As we gear up for the 10th Annual BioHealth Capital Region Forum on September 17^th-18^th, 2024, at the US Pharmacopeia in Rockville, MD, we invite your organization to become a sponsor. This year’s forum marks a decade of innovation and collaboration within the biohealth sector and offers unique sponsorship opportunities that promise substantial visibility and engagement. You can become a sponsor with unique new sponsorship opportunities this year, including “Lunch Sponsor” and “Reception Sponsor” for both days.

Sponsoring the forum ensures that your organization’s logo will be prominently displayed on all event materials, daily presentation decks, and standees positioned strategically throughout the venue. This visual branding extends throughout the event, ensuring your message reaches all attendees. Furthermore, all sponsors are invited to an exclusive VIP Leadership Dinner, providing a prime networking opportunity with top industry leaders.

In this episode of BioTalk with Rich Bendis, we have the honor of speaking with the U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Tunisia, Joey R. Hood. With an impressive diplomacy and international relations background, Ambassador Hood sheds light on the vital collaboration between the U.S. and Tunisia in scientific research, innovation, and technology transfer.

Ambassador Hood discusses the current status of U.S.-Tunisia cooperation in scientific research and technology transfer, emphasizing these areas’ critical role in Tunisia’s development. He highlights the importance of scientific research, innovation, and technology transfer in Tunisia and explains how the U.S. can support and enhance these efforts.

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Maryland-based company seeks to revolutionize green algae growth factors 
COLUMBIA, Md., (July 11, 2024) — TEDCO, Maryland’s economic engine for technology companies, announced a recent $200,000 Pre-Seed Builder Fund investment in Phycin, Inc. TEDCO’s Pre-Seed Builder Fund is housed under TEDCO’s Social Impact Funds which were created to engage and invest in economically underserved founders and communities.

“At Phycin, we are focused on revolutionizing growth factor production, allowing researchers to continue their efforts with an efficient and cost-effective alternative,” said Jun Wang, CEO of Phycin, Inc. “Thanks to TEDCO’s investment, we can continue our research and development and hopefully offer more affordable and efficient solutions for various industries.”

As the first of its kind in South Africa, through a partnership between Eduvos and Task and supported by Wesgro, the inaugural Bio Centrifuge Africa competition will be selecting the winners on 17 July at the exclusive live pitching event in Cape Town.

The competition was launched this year to highlight South African talent in the expanding biotech sector and serve as a bridge between the country and the USA’s BioHealth Capital Region (BHCR). This groundbreaking event promises to propel visionary health-focused innovators and biomedicine students onto the global stage.

South Africa, through the Western Cape’s biotech hub, has forged a partnership with the BioHealth Capital Region in the US. As part of this collaboration, the winner of Bio Centrifuge Africa will have the opportunity to compete at the prestigious Crab Trap competition, scheduled for September 18, 2024, in Rockville, Maryland.

COLUMBIA, Md., (July 11, 2024) — TEDCO, Maryland’s economic engine for technology companies, announces the appointment of Graham Dodge as the vice president of the Innovation Connectors department. Dodge will be responsible for providing leadership and oversight to TEDCO’s Cultivate Maryland and Innovation Connectors.

The Innovation Connectors department, previously known as TEDCO’s Entrepreneur & Ecosystem Empowerment (E3) department, is responsible for driving strategic collaborations, supporting entrepreneurial innovation and defining strategies to leverage networks and resources for innovative success. The department houses influential programs intentionally created to support entrepreneurial growth, such as the Rural Business Innovation Initiative, Urban Business Innovation Initiative, Network Advisors, Prelude Pitch and more.

RICHMOND, Va., July 8, 2024 – Activation Capital, an innovation ecosystem development organization, announced today that Chandra Briggman, president and chief executive officer of Activation Capital, will depart the organization to pursue new opportunities to build innovation ecosystems and drive economic development.  

“Chandra Briggman’s pivotal time at Activation Capital has been defined by impact, and her impressive body of work has energized our region,” said Michael Rao, chairman of the Virginia Biotechnology Research Partnership Authority Board and Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) president. “In 2020, Chandra was recruited from Boston/Cambridge, MA, to grow the economic impact of Activation Capital. In four years, two of which were at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, she helped reenergize the organization with a new vision and strategy. Chandra executed a bold roadmap that has since grown our regional innovation economy and strengthened Activation Capital’s sustainability model for the future.”