Leap Venture Studio is the first startup accelerator focused on pet care. Mars Petcare and Michelson Found Animals' commitment to improving the lives of pets and their owners through science, technology, and innovation is embodied in the Studio. R/GA, a world-class services platform that connects our startups with award-winning strategists, technologists, designers, and consultants, supports the Venture Studio. The Leap Venture Studio is the most effective startup accelerator in the pet care industry, thanks to the combined networks and resources of R/GA, Mars Petcare (Kinship), and Michelson Found Animals. Each cohort of the annual program consists of 6-8 companies that work in the studio with the Leap partners for a total of 12 weeks. The Studio program is based in Los Angeles, but participants are not required to be present for the entire duration. The Leap Venture Studio is highly tailored to the specific requirements of each company in the cohort. The Leap Venture Studio concludes with a live pitch event in which Studio companies pitch to investors, industry leaders, and the startup community. If chosen for the program, studios can receive up to $200K in funding.

Leap Venture Studio

Michelson Impact Ventures is a social change fund deploying impact investment capital into mission-aligned, for-profit start-ups in education, future of work, healthcare, human-animal bond, veterinary health, and future of food.

Michelson Impact Ventures

NovaQuest Capital Management, LLC (NovaQuest) manages product and company investments in the global healthcare industry.  Its primary focus is structured finance investments in late-stage clinical and commercialized biopharmaceutical products. NovaQuest invests side-by-side with global companies in their most strategic product programs, ensuring alignment with the biopharmaceutical companies. These customized, product transactions are an alternative to standard biopharmaceutical industry deal-making and help companies maximize the value of their product portfolios. In addition, NovaQuest invests in select private equity and other company securities, with a consistent focus on late-stage clinical and commercialized products.  The NovaQuest team has worked together for over 12 years, investing over $1 billion into the global healthcare industry. The team began pursuing its strategy in 2000 as an investment group within Quintiles Transnational Holdings Inc. (Quintiles). Today, NovaQuest Capital Management is an independent firm managing global investment capital. It is backed by investors whose relationships with NovaQuest date back to the group’s inception. NovaQuest is meeting the evolving needs of global healthcare companies and its investors with a consistent strategy, developed over multiple years and transactions, that draws on a customized mix of investment and return elements and securities.

Novaquest Capital Management

Equity Gap is a group of private individuals set up to invest in and support emerging and growing businesses. The group are particularly interested in assisting young companies that have achieved the SMART award and businesses that have gone through a pre investment commercialisation process. They will consider other high growth companies but they must demonstrate a strong market and a clear investment exit strategy. Companies that Equity Gap invest in will be provided with ongoing business expertise and continuing support. Funding will typically be between £20,000 and £500,000. Where possible this will all be from Equity Gap, however they may work with other syndicates and Scottish Enterprise Co-Investment Fund to achieve the required funds. They meet once per month in central Edinburgh. At the meetings they usually have 2 presentations from companies, discuss current investments and review plans that they have received and circulated in the past month.

Equity Gap

Scottish Enterprise is Scotland's main economic development agency and a non-departmental public body of the Scottish Government. The firm wants to stimulate Scotland’s economic ambition – creating an innovative, high-wage and highly productive economy with a competitive, international market presence and a focus on high value opportunities. Scottish Enterprise partners with the public and private sectors to identify and exploit the best opportunities to deliver a significant, lasting effect on the Scottish economy.

Scottish Enterprise

Gabriel Investments opens the door to new businesses, quickly and simply.

Gabriel Investments

Companion Fund is an investment fund for investing in the future of pet care. It specializes in the fields of pet care, investing, and financial services. It supports digital health, diagnostics, nutrition, and therapeutics for pets.

Companion Fund

Kyoritsu Seiyaku is a pharmaceutical company that handles veterinary medicines and vaccines for companion animals such as dogs and cats, as well as livestock and aquatic animals. It was founded in May 1955 and is based in Tokyo, Japan.

Kyoritsu Seiyaku

Veterinary Angel Network For Entrepreneurs offers funding, support, and mentorship to veterinary ventures.

Veterinary Angel Network For Entrepreneurs

Animal Health Angels invest in brilliant businesses destined to make animal health care better.

Animal Health Angels

Mirna

Mirna is a veterinary diagnostics company that specializes in the development of veterinary disease testing technology.

Mirna (previously known as TAmiRNA) is a biotechnology company specializing in the discovery and validation of microRNA biomarkers. The company aims to provide validated diagnostic solutions for patients with serious age-related illnesses such as osteoporosis, cardiovascular diseases, liver diseases, and aging-related conditions. Mirna's focus is on improving and prolonging patient stability, health, and quality of life as people age.

Veterinary diagnostics company raises funding

the power of microRNA biomarkers for more stabilty in life

Promoting the health, well-being, and ethical treatment of animals

Animal Therapeutics

Mirna (previously known as TAmiRNA) is a biotechnology company specializing in the discovery and validation of microRNA biomarkers. The company aims to provide validated diagnostic solutions for patients with serious age-related illnesses such as osteoporosis, cardiovascular diseases, liver diseases, and aging-related conditions. Mirna's focus is on improving and prolonging patient stability, health, and quality of life as people age.
Mirna's technology involves decoding contributing disease factors at a personalized level through the use of microRNA signatures. This approach enables better diagnosis and understanding of disease progression. The company's microRNA biomarker technology has been scientifically reviewed and proven, earning numerous grants and awards.
In July 2024, Mirna raised a Series A funding round led by NovaQuest, with participation from Kyoritsu Holdings, VANE, Animal Health Angels, Companion Fund I, LLC, Gabriel, Equity Gap, and Scottish Enterprise. The investment will support Mirna's global growth plans and partnerships with key multinational companies in the animal health sector, aiming to revolutionize animal health testing and improve disease diagnosis and wellness among pets, livestock, and equine animals. The company has not been acquired.

KeraVet Bio is a veterinary wound care company that develops keratin-based prescription products for dogs and cats. The company's flagship product, KeraVet Gel, is a wound management solution formulated to address mild and severe wounds, post-surgical incisions, and various dermatological conditions in pets. KeraVet Gel is made from a proprietary blend of keratin and utilizes patent-protected keratin technology. The product serves as a protective covering over wounds and is designed to improve healing time while reducing the need for cones or other lick deterrents. Clinical studies have shown that wounds treated with KeraVet Gel experienced significantly less swelling compared to those treated with triple antibiotic ointment in dogs and cats. The gel also demonstrated a reduction in licking behavior, with dogs licking 85% less and cats licking 87% less compared to a well-known wound management product. KeraVet Gel is available by prescription from veterinary practitioners and is distributed through major veterinary product distributors. The company is headquartered in the Innovation Quarter in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

KeraVet Bio

Eir Pharmaceuticals was a development-stage biotechnology company that operated in multiple markets, including animal health, human consumer, and human health. The company's proprietary biotechnology platform was designed to develop and commercialize health, wellness, and pharmaceutical products across these diverse sectors. Eir Pharmaceuticals aimed to leverage its technology to capture value from various applications and target different customer segments within the broader healthcare industry.

EIR Pharmaceuticals

ProteaPex Therapeutics is a biotechnology company focused on developing therapies and dietary supplements for osteoarthritis. Their key product offering is ECPF-1, a novel therapeutic compound that has demonstrated chondroprotective properties in a rat model of osteoarthritis. In October 2023, the company presented findings from a study where ECPF-1 was administered through weekly injections to rats with osteoarthritis. The results showed that the knee cartilage of treated animals had less degradation and more healthy cartilage compared to untreated controls, even four weeks after the last injection. This suggests that ECPF-1 has the potential to slow the progression of osteoarthritis by protecting cartilage from further damage.
ProteaPex Therapeutics' platform technology revolves around Extracellular Matrix Protection Factors (ECPFs), a class of compounds derived from their research on cartilage biology and chondrocyte differentiation. In addition to ECPF-1, the company is also developing dietary supplement products based on this platform.

ProteaPex Therapeutics

MedcoVet offers a patented at-home laser therapy treatment device for pets suffering from arthritis, pain, and other inflammatory conditions. The company's technology allows veterinarians to prescribe clinical laser therapy for their patients to be administered in the comfort of their homes. MedcoVet's devices utilize photobiomodulation, a scientifically proven technique that relieves pain and expedites healing in animals.
The company partners with veterinarians, shipping the treatment devices directly to pet owners while providing telemedicine support to ensure proper usage. This approach enables veterinarians to offer laser therapy as a primary treatment modality without the inconvenience and expenses associated with in-clinic sessions. As of 2023, MedcoVet had 77 prescribers across 13 states in the US, experiencing a 50% quarter-on-quarter growth in prescribers during the previous quarter.
Several veterinary professionals and pet owners have reported significant improvements in their patients' mobility, reduced swelling and discomfort, and the ability to lower medication doses after using MedcoVet's at-home laser therapy devices. The company's technology has been praised for revolutionizing the application of laser therapy in veterinary medicine, making it more accessible and convenient for pet owners.

MedcoVet

Hilltop BioSciences, co-founded by Amanda Drobnis, is a veterinary biotech company pioneering the development of innovative regenerative therapies. Their flagship product, Regenaflex, is a room temperature, easy-to-use regenerative allograft available in injectable or membrane form. It stimulates cell-to-cell communication essential for healing soft tissue by delivering a potent combination of cytokines, microRNA, growth factors, and exosomes to the affected area. Regenaflex accelerates tissue healing, reduces inflammation, and minimizes scar tissue formation, making it a more effective and faster therapy compared to traditional treatments.
Initially focused on equine applications, with over 7 million horses in the US, Hilltop BioSciences has expanded into the companion animal market. Their product line includes Regenaflex-K9 for treating acute trauma, chronic infections, inflammation, non-healing wounds, anal gland abscesses, and fistulae in dogs. Regenaflex-M Biofilm is an anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and anti-adhesion scaffold that accelerates healing and prevents postoperative complications like adhesions and suture leakage after abdominal or orthopedic surgeries. PureOptic, their eye drop formulation, normalizes damaged ocular tissue resulting from injuries or diseases.
A key differentiator of Hilltop Bio's products is their long-term room-temperature storage, consistent composition in every dose, and the ability to be reconstituted and ready to use within a minute without any special equipment or time-consuming processing. As of January 2023, the company had raised funding led by Launchpad Venture Group and other Boston-based investment groups to expand its product pipeline leveraging its intellectual property portfolio.

Hilltop BioSciences

Companies that offer specialized therapeutics for the diagnosis, treatment, and management of cancer in animals. This includes areas such as cancer diagnosis, surgery, chemotherapy, and immunotherapy.

Companies that develop vaccines and drugs for pets and livestock based on advanced research and biotechnologies such as DNA technology, with a specific focus on the treatment and prevention of diseases and medical conditions in animals.

Companies that use regenerative techniques and technologies to promote tissue repair, regeneration, and healing in animals. This involves stem cell therapy, platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy, tissue engineering, gene therapy, and wound healing treatments.

Companies that provide veterinary diagnostic services, which include a wide range of tests, procedures, and laboratory services to diagnose, monitor, and manage the health and well-being of animals. This includes laboratory testing, diagnostic imaging, endoscopy, and genetic testing.

Companies that provide specialized treatments aimed at extending the lifespan and improving the overall health and quality of life of animals, including companion animals and livestock. These approaches are designed to address the challenges of aging, prevent age-related diseases, and enhance the well-being of aging animals.

Offers advanced diagnostics and insights for animal health using AI/ML

Offers products and services specifically designed for diagnostics and treatments based on advanced genomic sciences

Offers personalized preventive care and specialty care for animals

Mirna

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