Healthcare’s Once-in-a-Generation Disruption
The cost of healthcare in the United States continues to rise and the availability continues to decline. Healthcare spending accounts for 18% of U.S. GDP, and the costs in the U.S. are the highest in the world, increasing 130% in just the last decade. With this complexity comes an opportunity for entrepreneurs, innovators, and investors. iSelect is focused on finding technologies and innovations that reduce costs, increase accessibility, and improve quality of care.
iSelect Portfolio Companies
iSelect focuses on early-stage healthcare companies that are poised to help push the next healthcare revolution forward. We deliberately invest in companies that can make a positive impact on our society, as well as on the bottom line.
Shield Bio, Corp.
Shield Diagnostics Corp. (Shield Diagnostics or ‘The Company’) has developed a proprietary genotyping platform technology that substantially reduces the time and cost of genetic testing while maintaining the highest degree of accuracy. Depending on the comparative test, the Company’s technology can achieve a 16-500x improvement on cost and an 8-16x hourly reduction in time while maintaining 99.5% accuracy. The company drives down cost and increases efficiency by combining three core technologies: high-density/reusable arrays, custom phosphoramidite chemistry and a fully automated and customized microfluidics system. Shield Diagnostics’ competitors have business models built on individual tests that generate revenue from consumables. Since Shield Diagnostics has the ability to run multiple tests on reusable components, it can reduce costs and scale volume at levels not achievable by the competition. Shield Diagnostics’ platform technology has applicability across a variety of sample types (blood, urine, saliva, plant & animal samples) and industries. Shield Diagnostics will enter the market in 2H 2018 as a CLIA approved laboratory developed test (LDT), allowing them to bypass the lengthier process required for PMA or 510k approval. The company plans to first target the $28 billion sexually transmitted infection (STI) market, representing 20 million new STI infections each year. Potential future applications include low-cost, blood-based cancer diagnostic testing, infectious disease testing for tuberculosis & MRSA, animal breeding optimization, plant genotyping, and direct-to-consumer genetic testing. Shield Diagnostics is raising $6 million in Series A preferred equity at a $15 million pre-money valuation co-led by Andreesen Horowitz and Refactor Capital. Proceeds from the Series A round will be used to build out their S&M and R&D teams, R&D associated expenses, and laboratory operations. Learn more… 
Readout
Readout (or The Company) has developed a low-cost breath-analysis device with clinical grade accuracy for measuring blood-ketone levels, an important indicator of a patient’s metabolism. Learn more…
Neuros Medical, Inc.
Neuros Medical, a medical device company, develops an electrical nerve block to treat chronic pain for conditions including neuroma/residual limb pain and chronic post-surgical pain. Learn more…
Cocoon Biotech, Inc.
Fibroin is an insoluble protein that is responsible for silk’s structure and tensile strength. Additional physical properties include tunable viscosity, anti-inflammatory, and wound healing attributes. Cocoon’s fibroin is expected to yield substantial improvements in use-cases such as bio-preservatives, drug or small/molecule delivery, natural lubricants, and hydrogels across numerous industries including human and animal health, agriculture, and consumer products. Learn more…
Nix, Inc.
Nix is developing a wearable, single-use patch that monitors hydration in real-time, without the need for a power-source or companion device/app. Learn more…
Molecular Assemblies
Molecular Assemblies is developing an enzymatic DNA synthesis platform technology, enabling new products in industrial synthetic biology, personalized therapeutics, precision diagnostics, data storage, nanotechnology and more. Molecular Assemblies’ novel enzymatic DNA synthesis platform has the potential to fundamentally transform how we write genetic building blocks with applications across food, healthcare, energy, and beyond. Learn more…
MOBILion Systems, Inc.
MOBILion Systems Inc. has developed ion mobility technology that can separate and identify previously undetectable, clinically significant molecules within minutes, enabling far more accurate disease diagnosis, biomarker discovery, drug discovery, and clinical trial design among other potential applications. Today, liquid-chromatography mass-spectrometry (LC-MS), sometimes used with ion mobility (LC-IM-MS), instruments are most commonly used for molecular isolation and identification, where the LC and IM components isolate metabolites while the MS component identifies them. Due to physical constraints, LC-IM is limited in its ability to isolate molecules that are small, chemically similar or in limited quantity. In addition, LC-MS and LC-IM-MS are complicated, time consuming processes with limited throughput. As such, the widespread use of LC-MS and LC-IM-MS is limited, particularly in clinical settings. MOBILion?s Structures for Lossless Ion Manipulation (SLIM) technology eliminates the physical constraints encountered by LC and LC-IM, enabling unprecedented throughput, ion separation and ion identification, even in isomers with the same molecular structures. These advancements enable MOBILion to develop simpler instruments with significantly higher degrees of sensitivity and accuracy, while maintaining a low cost and high throughput (hours instead of weeks or months), greatly increasing the commercial viability of the technology. Learn more…
Healionics, Inc.
Healionics, Inc. has developed a novel bio-material called STAR, that features strong anti-infective properties and significant reduction in the formation of scar tissue around implanted medical devices coated with the material. Learn more…
Holobiome, Inc.
Holobiome is developing a platform for microbiome-based therapeutics to treat diseases of the central and enteric nervous systems. Learn more…
SciBac, Inc.
SciBac is developing a platform technology called MERGE that enables the Company to efficiently combine desired traits of two microbes into one stable hybrid organism through lab-induced directed evolution. Learn more…
GeneMatters, LLC
GeneMatters is a digital health platform that provides scalable, on-demand genetic counseling to meet the rapidly growing demand for genetic services. Learn more…
Flywheel Exchange, LLC
Flywheel offers a SaaS platform that provides cloud-scale data management and computational analysis. Learn more…
Cofactor Genomics, Inc.
Cofactor Genomics uses proprietary RNA sequencing (“RNA-Seq”) technology and machine learning algorithms to diagnose disease. Learn more…
Entac Medical, Inc.
Entac Medical is developing noninvasive devices for predictive and diagnostic medicine based on a novel, patented, platform technology, Previs Audio Spectral Analysis. Their first product is used to predict post operative ileus after GI surgeries. Learn more…
Gila Therapeutics, Inc.
Gila Therapeutics is developing a treatment for obesity using naturally occurring hormones known to induce satiety, leading to weight loss. Learn more…
Euclises Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Euclises Pharmaceuticals is developing novel enzyme (COX-2) inhibitors designed to increase the effectiveness of chemotherapy safely Learn more…
Immunophotonics, Inc.
Immunophotonics has developed a minimally invasive therapeutic cancer vaccine for the treatment of metastatic solid tumors. Learn more…
Meet Our Selection Committee
Our Healthcare Selection Committee consists of industry and subject matter experts who help guide iSelect’s investment decisions. With firsthand experience and a true pulse on the industry, we consider these individuals key to our success in finding and investing in healthcare innovation.
Tiffany Osborn holds a Bachelor’s of Science Degree in Biology with a minor in Chemistry from University of Houston in Houston, Texas. She earned her medical degree from University of Texas Health Science Center in…
Ruchir Sehra, M.D., is a medtech executive with extensive experience in early (private), mid (public), and late stage (acquisition) medical device companies in various health and disease areas. Dr. Sehra currently serves as the CEO…
Surekha Trivedi is VP Strategic Development at Danaher. She is a Senior Strategy, M&A, and Product Development Executive with a deep understanding of the life sciences, diagnostics, and healthcare markets. Recognized as a strategy expert…
Jill Davies is Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer for GeneMatters. Jill has more than 20 years’ experience in the genetics field, with leadership in clinical services, telehealth, product development, business development and operations. Prior to…
Vice President of Research at Matatu, Nathan McNulty is microbiologist with a passion for addressing complex problems in healthcare, nutrition, and agriculture using innovative technologies, carefully conducted science, and teamwork.
Jin-Moo Lee, MD, PhD, is Professor of Neurology, Radiology, and Biomedical Engineering; and Head of the Cerebrovascular Disease Section in the Department of Neurology; Co-Director of the Stroke and Cerebrovascular Center at Barnes-Jewish Hospital/Washington University….
Emily Fassi is a board-certified genetic counselor with experience counseling adults and children about genetic diagnoses and predisposition to genetic conditions. She currently works at the Mountain States Tumor Institute with patients who have a…
Dr. David Messina has spent the last 20 years in computational biology and genetics. He worked on the Human Genome Project at Washington University in Saint Louis, mapped disease genes at the University of Chicago,…
Dr. Bruce German is a Professor and Chemist of Food Science and Technology at the University of California, Davis and researches the role of fats and other components in the diet. He develops ways to…
Jean Roberson is CFO of Appistry, a big data analytics company focused on supporting precision medicine and next generation healthcare. She has over 25 years of experience in all areas of finance from early-stage venture-funded…
A regulatory professional with over 27 years of experience in the medical products industry, Melissa currently serves as Founder, President and CTO at Graematter, Inc. and Senior VP Regulatory at Topera. Specialties include regulatory intelligence research and reporting,…
Andy Daniels is a seasoned business executive and successful entrepreneur, an active angel investor, and serves on multiple governing boards with companies in the areas of venture capital, wealth management, agriculture, healthcare, technology innovation, commodity…
Dr. Paul D. Olivo, M.D., Ph.D., has been the Chief Scientific Officer of Apath, LLC since 2000 and served as its President. Dr. Olivo is an Entrepreneur-in-Residence at BioGenerator, where he previously served as a…
Bobby Sandage is currently President and CEO of Euclises, Chairman of the Board of Immunophotonics, member of the board of directors of EDIS, and a member of the Cultivation Capital life sciences fund investment committee. He was…
Lila Solnica-Krezel is professor and head of Developmental Biology at Washington University St. Louis, School of Medicine. She is currently investigating the cellular and molecular genetic mechanisms underlying vertebrate gastrulation, which has practical significance in…
Gian Cavallini oversees the development and execution of Advanced ICU Care’s medical staffing growth strategy and leads the implementation of various initiatives to position the company for continued growth. His expertise in development and operations,…
Mr. Don Imholz is a business executive/leader with diverse experience in Operations and IT, extensive Board involvement, and a strong track record of creating sustainable competitive advantage. His expertise in cybersecurity, big data, digital transformation,…
Presently leading Arch Cancer Care as Medical Director, Dr. Beat is a local expert in collaborative prostate cancer management. At a national level, he contributes to physician leadership committees within the US Oncology Network. Having earned an executive…
Mr. Beuttenmuller possesses over 30 years experience in Corporate Finance with Emerson Electric, Esse Health, Essence Healthcare and Innovare. He is experienced in financial analysis, risk management, mergers and acquisitions, new business development, start-ups, strategic…
Professor of Internal Medicine – Hematology, Oncology and Blood and Marrow Transplantation at UUniversity of Iowa Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine and former Professor of Medicine and Genetics at Washington University…
Dr. John Talley, Chief Science Officer for Euclises Pharmaceuticals and SARmont, brings over thirty years experience and a record as one of the world’s most successful medicinal chemists. He is best known as the co-inventor…
Dr. Rutter is founder and CEO of Metaphase Design Group, a design firm serving industrial, commercial and consumer product and packaging clients internationally. He is an acknowledged specialist in ergonomic product design and a leading…
Mark has served as ProteoSense’s CEO since 2013. Previously, Mark served as CEO/COO of several startups, including Assurex Health (2006-09). Mark earned a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from the Univ. of Dayton and an M.S….
Dr. Panagos is a Professor of Emergency Medicine and Neurology at Washington University in St Louis. He is a 1987 graduate of Dartmouth College. In 1994, he completed his medical education at Emory University. Following…
Before joining OTMIR in 2016, Brian Buntaine worked for more than 15 years in the life sciences industry. He began his career as a lab manager at Washington University in St. Louis. In 2003, Brian joined…
Dr. Raghavan brings several years of experience managing preclinical safety and efficacy studies for biologicals and small molecule therapeutics and managing strategic alliances with biotech and pharmaceutical companies. His expertise includes postdoctoral research in opioid…
Edwards was employed for 42 years in the pharmaceutical and life sciences arenas. From 1990 to 2010, he held Regulatory Affairs positions of increasing responsibility at TAP/Takeda Global Research & Development Center, Lake Forest, Illinois. …
Michael Nichols, Ph.D. presently serves as an investor and C level management for various startups. He serves as an Analyst for Vinlogx, a platform that acquires, stores, and analyses internal vehicle information enabling solutions across…
David Christenson joined BioGenerator as an Entrepreneur-in-Residence in 2015 focusing primarily on healthcare and specifically in information technology, care delivery and payment, and services. Over a 30-year career, David has developed a substantive background in…
Professor of Medicine, Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine
An accomplished senior executive with start-ups, growth, and turn-around organizations, Renato developed a healthcare technology corporation, HealthTech Solutions, from a small start-up of 3 people to a national provider of technical solutions to health care…
Resources and News
Here’s What’s Coming Next in Cancer Diagnostics
In 2019 over 600,000 people died from cancer in the United States alone. One of the primary drivers behind these high mortality rates for cancer is late diagnosis. For this reason, we’re seeing increasing demand for noninvasive methods to detect cancer easily and at earlier stages.
Therapeutics and Inflammation: What’s Coming Next?
Many of the major medical conditions that we face in our lives share an underlying cause: chronic inflammation.
Investing at the Nexus of Food and Health
Almost three years ago, iSelect strategically refocused its investment thesis on identifying the synergies between food and healthcare. At the time, food and healthcare were two completely independent, siloed verticals. But, the fact is, the more that we understand...
Solving Antibiotic Resistance isn’t a Science Problem, it’s a Business Problem
Antibiotic resistance is one of the primary public health challenges of our time. Most people alive today take antibiotics and the changes they brought to modern life for granted. Before the 20th century, you were as likely to be “cured” by a faith healer or leeches as you were from any actual drug.
System C: The Convergence of Food and Health
We’re here to talk about food system innovation. When we first started this conference, we talked about agtech, and as investors we also focus on healthcare and the convergence of healthcare and agriculture. Innovation is now being discussed as food system innovation. And, so we’ve invited you all and eager to have you participate in the conversation about how we make food improve health and life.
What Researchers are Learning About the Biome Might Just Save Your Life… or Kill You
Over Thanksgiving I overheard some parents talking about their children and dating. Apparently some young adults are now using 23andMe to determine compatibility before a date becomes a serious relationship. The parents mentioned an attempt to sneak some hair and...
How Blood-Based Diagnostics are Changing Cancer Care
iSelect hosts a Deep Dive webinar on a novel innovation topic on the first and third Wednesdays of each month at 9 a.m. central. Our most recent session focused on early cancer diagnosis using blood-based tools. Testing patients for cancer has typically involved a...
What’s the Future of Nutrition? Addiction
The modern world has a serious problem with sugar. The average American consumes more than 129 pounds of the stuff each year, according to the USDA, more than double what we ate two generations ago. And, unlike in previous decades when most sweeteners came from cane...
You Are What You Think: How New Brain Care Advances Are Increasingly Person-Centered
It’s an exciting time in the field of brain science. Researchers are working on new speech analysis tools for the diagnosis of Alzheimer’s. New studies have shown that retina scans can be used to detect early signs of the disease, long before typical symptoms show up....
4 Trends We’re Watching in Healthcare in 2019
Healthcare is massive economic burden in this country. According to the National Health Expenditure Accounts, the federal agency that has tracked healthcare spending in the U.S. since the 1960s, it now totals roughly $3.5 trillion per year, or more than $10,000 per person. As a percentage of GDP, health spending accounts for nearly 18%.
2 Companies That Are Working to Cure Cancer Right Now
In 2018, an estimated 1,735,350 new cases of cancer were diagnosed in the United States and 609,640 people died as a result of the disease, according to the National Cancer Institute. These numbers are staggering. The challenge for clinicians and researchers is...
How Shifting Spending to Healthy Foods Could Prevent Chronic Illness
The burden of chronic health issues is massive: 90% of the nation’s $3.3 trillion in annual health care expenditures are for people with chronic and mental illness, according to the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (NCCDPHP). Even...
