Special Guest · 8:00–8:15 AM PT
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Special guest
Guest Speaker: mHub Chicago. Melissa Lederer melissa@mhub.org and Venture Capital Manager at mHUB
Pitches · 8:15–9:30 AM PT
Aurora
Brian Edge, CEO · brian@auroramedtech.com
↩ Previously pitched at Medical Mondays · November 4, 2024
Breakthrough endoscopic suturing device that simplifies and enhances tissue closure and connection.
Round
Up to $600K Convertible Note
Closed
$3M closed and committed (Southeast MN Capital, Groove Capital, South Dakota First Capital, Highcroft Capital, 701 Fund, MedTech Catapult via Fogarty Innovation, Purdue Innovates)
FDA milestone
Pre-clinical study complete; animal lab April 24, 2026; 100% functional prototyping complete, entering Design Freeze and DFM
FDA timeline
Q2 2027 510(k) submission
Traction: Significant inbound interest from large strategics that have expressed interest in Series A participation and validated portfolio fit.
After the session
Investor sentiment
- High interest: 1
- Medium interest: 6
- Low interest: 10
- No interest: 16
Investor engagement
- Invitations to connect: 5
- Invitations to apply: 0
Aces Diagnostics
Tammy Crawford, CEO · tcrawford@acesdiagnostics.com
↩ Previously pitched at Medical Mondays · July 28, 2025
LymeSeek is a next-generation diagnostic kit for Lyme disease designed for use by clinical laboratories that dramatically improves early-stage detection, with validation studies showing >90% sensitivity compared to <30% sensitivity with current standard-of-care testing. The test is designed to run on existing laboratory equipment and is advancing toward FDA clearance.
Round
$3M Convertible Note @ $20M cap (new convertible note)
Closed
$4M total raised; first convertible $3.6M (10% interest / 20% discount, no cap); second convertible note open up to $3M (8% interest /15% discount, $20M cap)
FDA milestone
FDA agreement on classification and pathway; 510k
FDA timeline
Submission Q4 2026, approval Q1 2027
Other groups in round
Bay Area Lyme Ventures; Unispec investment group; Tulane Ventures (in discussion); Samsara (second diligence call scheduled)
Traction: 1,000+ samples validated (US + European, including pediatric); >90% sensitivity/specificity; ADLM IID Distinguished Abstract award; 4 FDA pre-submissions complete; Quest Diagnostics + 2 sites for clinical trial; Bay Area Lyme Foundation VC's first-ever venture investment; payer CMOs validated $3B budget impact model; Geneva-based multiplexing licensing partner term sheet signed
After the session
Investor sentiment
- High interest: 4
- Medium interest: 15
- Low interest: 2
- No interest: 2
Investor engagement
- Invitations to connect: 8
- Invitations to apply: 9
Pharma in silica
François Arcand, CEO · arcandf@pharma-insilica.com
A chemo without adverse effect (silica nanocarrier, IND-enabling stage)
Round
1US$ 1.3M, first tranche of a US$ 10M. Priced Round @ US$ 7,15 (first tranche)
Closed
± US$ 400k
FDA milestone
Murine proof of concept, CMC as per FDA pre-IND meetings
FDA timeline
≤ 15 months
Other groups in round
K4 Canada, NorCal, MST; various individuals from Québec
DD package
Being finalized
Traction: Own production capacity (silica-made, cytotoxic-loaded nanoparticle) and animal studies capability
What they're looking for: A medical director (nanocarrier-saavy, solid cancer oncologist)
After the session
Investor sentiment
- High interest: 0
- Medium interest: 0
- Low interest: 4
- No interest: 26
Investor engagement
- Invitations to connect: 0
- Invitations to apply: 0