Adams, Harkness & Hill Technology Ventures

Kodiak Venture Partners pursues a disciplined investment strategy that is focused on building seed and early stage technology companies into high-growth industry market leaders. Kodiak partners have deep expertise in building and investing in market leaders. The team invests in markets where they have had proven success over the years.  Founded in 1999, Kodiak manages three funds totaling $676M and targets companies in eastern North America. Kodiak forges deep relationships with entrepreneurs at the earliest stages and works with a hands-on approach to formulate business strategies, build management teams, and develop critical alliances and customer relationships.

Kodiak Venture Partners

RBC Capital Markets is A Premier Investment Bank that provides a focused set of products and services to institutions, corporations, governments and high net worth clients in 160 countries. With nearly 3,000 professional and support staff, we operate out of 75 offices in 15 countries and deliver our products and services through operations in Asia and Australasia, the UK and Europe and in every major North American city.  According to Bloomberg, we are consistently ranked among the top 15 global investment banks.   We are part of a leading provider of financial services, Royal Bank of Canada (RBC). Operating since 1869, RBC has more than US$612 billion in assets and one of the highest credit ratings of any financial institution - Moody's Aaa and Standard & Poor's AA-.

RBC Capital Markets

Forbion Capital Partners is a Netherlands-based venture capital firm focused on investing in life sciences companies in drug development as well as MedTech companies addressing high medical needs. Forbion's investment team of nine investment professionals has built an impressive performance track record since the late nineties with successful investments in Rhein Biotech, Crucell, Neutec, Glycart, Borean, Impella, Alantos, Acorda, Fovea and PanGenetics. Current assets under management exceed â‚¬400m ($500m), split between three active funds. Finally, Forbion co-manages BioGeneration Ventures, an early stage fund focused on academic spin-outs and seed investments in the Netherlands.

Forbion Capital Partners

Fonds de solidarité FTQ is a private equity and venture capital firm specializing in investments in start-ups, early venture, mergers, business acquisitions, management buyouts, market development project or a buyout, financing for new programs, organic growth and cash flow, growth and expansion financings, development capital, business succession, financial restructuring, business transition financing, family and non-family buyout, consolidations, turnaround, and leveraged management buyouts. It also invests in new markets, product and business line developments, market diversification, interim financings, new product marketing, additional working capital, purchase of tangible and intangible assets, equipment modernization, equipment purchases or upgrades, and integrator projects. The firm has regional funds that do not invest in retail, real estate, farming, biotechnology, and financial services.  Fonds de solidarité FTQ invests in small and medium-sized businesses. It typically invests in export projects, forest products, productivity improvement, natural resources, aerospace, agri-food, wood, pulp and paper, chemicals, construction and construction materials, printing, transportation equipment and automobiles, transportation services, furniture and fixtures, combinatorial chemistry and other lead generating technologies, mining and exploration, social economy, textiles, plastics, life sciences, business services, telecommunications, distribution and consumer goods, environment, equipment and machinery, financial services, information and communication technology, metal products, recreational tourism, and culture sectors.  Within the culture sector, Fonds de solidarité FTQ seeks to invest in pre-production and creative projects, production projects, infrastructures and services, post-production projects, distribution, and broadcasting and multiplatform broadcasting. Within the environment sector, it invests in waste management and energy conversion for residual waste; air treatment and reduction of greenhouse gas emissions; processes to reduce industrial energy and water consumption; water treatment; and soil rehabilitation and decontamination (metals and organic compounds).  Within the life sciences sector, Fonds de solidarité FTQ focuses on services for the biopharmaceutical industry; nutraceuticals and cosmeceuticals; diagnostics and medical supplies and equipment; biopharmaceuticals and generic drugs; biotechnology, and animal health. Within the tourism sector, it focuses on urban tourism, nature tourism, resort type tourism, and local tourism for Quebecers, and in the textiles sector it invests in companies engaged in development and production of specialty textiles as well as development of industrial applications for the construction, transportation, health and safety, and work apparel industries.  Fonds de solidarité FTQ prefers to invest in Quebec and in companies impacting the Québec economy. It focuses on investing in the following regions- Abitibi –Témiscamingue, Bas Saint Laurent, Chaudière-Appalaches, Côte-Nord, Estrie, Gaspésie Îles-de-la-Madeleine, Lanaudière, Laurentides, Laval, Mauricie - Centre-du-Québec, Montérégie, Nord-du-Québec, Outaouais, and Saguenay-Lac-St-Jean.  Fonds de solidarité FTQ seeks to invest in projects of $3 million or more and also provides loans of up to $ 2 million. It invests in companies in business succession sector having minimum capitalization of $500,000 and EBITDA of over $35.5 million in case of majority interest; equipment and machinery sector with average investment in excess of $3 million; environment sector with funding needs of more than $500000; financial services sector having net assets between $20 million and $50 million in equity; metal products sector having annual sales of over $5 million and financing needs of at least $2 million; and printing sector having investment needs of over $1 million.  In the information technology sector, Fonds de solidarité FTQ seeks to invest $2 million as initial investments while total investments can be more than $10 million. It invests in the form of equity financing (common or preferred shares) and unsecured debt requiring no collateral (debenture).  Fonds de solidarité FTQ can take both a minority interest including an equity stake of up to 49 percent as well a majority interest in its portfolio companies in case of business succession financing. It seeks a minority stake for the portfolio companies in the equipment and machinery sector. It typically holds its investments for a period of five to ten years in case of equity financing and for more than ten years in case of business succession financing.  Fonds de solidarité FTQ began operation on June 23, 1983. It has its headquarters in Montreal in Canada with additional offices in the same city and Quebec in the same country.

Fonds de solidarité FTQ

Pharmstandard develops and manufactures pharmaceutical products designed to meet the requirements of the healthcare system and the needs of patients. Pharmstandard manufactures medicines for a range of conditions, including cardiovascular diseases, diabetes mellitus, growth hormone deficiency, gastroenterological and infectious diseases, neurological disorders, metabolic disorders, oncology, and other illnesses.

Pharmstandard

We are the ambitious team of professionals with comprehensive experience in academic and biopharmaceutical industry, drug discovery and development, venture investments. We are supported by the Advisory Board of internationally recognized KOLs in various therapeutic areas. We are dedicated to investing in breakthrough drug development projects worldwide.

Inbio Ventures

With a 30-year reputation as a leading North American healthcare and life sciences venture capital firm, with offices in Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver and Boston, Lumira Ventures collaborates with and invests in entrepreneurial management teams to build best-in-class, innovation-centric biotherapeutic and medical device companies that are meeting significant unmet needs and creating transformation impact in communities worldwide. Since 1989, Lumira Ventures has invested in over 100 healthcare companies and currently has a portfolio of 30+ active investee companies located in Canada and the United States.

Lumira Ventures

enGene

enGene is a developer of a mucosal immunotherapy platform designed to treat inflammatory bowel disease and diabetes. The company's mucosal immunotherapy platform has developed a flexible nucleotide delivery technology targeting mucosal tissues to treat numerous prevalent, chronic diseases via the induction or suppression of protein expression levels, enabling physicians and doctors to regenerate physiologic, meal-regulated insulin secretion from the gut of subjects with diabetes.

enGene is a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on developing genetic medicines through its proprietary Dually Derivatized Oligochitosan (DDX) platform. The company's DDX technology enables the penetration of mucosal tissues and delivery of various types of genetic cargo, including DNA and RNA, to transform cells into therapeutic production factories that generate proteins and RNA for localized treatment effects without systemic toxicities. The company's lead product candidate, detalimogene voraplasmid (formerly EG-70), is being evaluated in a pivotal Phase 2 LEGEND study for BCG-unresponsive non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) with carcinoma in situ. In preliminary data from the LEGEND study, detalimogene demonstrated a 71% complete response rate at any time point, with 67% response rate at three months and 47% at six months, while being well-tolerated with no treatment-related discontinuations. The company's product candidates are designed to deliver localized treatment specifically to target sites without the immunogenicity and systemic effects typical of viral vector-based genetic medicines. As of April 2024, enGene had USD 264.8 million in cash and cash equivalents.

Novel therapies to reboot cells and organs

Cell & Gene Therapy

enGene Reports Full Year 2024 Financial Results and Provides a Business Update

enGene is a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on developing genetic medicines through its proprietary Dually Derivatized Oligochitosan (DDX) platform. The company's DDX technology enables the penetration of mucosal tissues and delivery of various types of genetic cargo, including DNA and RNA, to transform cells into therapeutic production factories that generate proteins and RNA for localized treatment effects without systemic toxicities. The company's lead product candidate, detalimogene voraplasmid (formerly EG-70), is being evaluated in a pivotal Phase 2 LEGEND study for BCG-unresponsive non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) with carcinoma in situ. In preliminary data from the LEGEND study, detalimogene demonstrated a 71% complete response rate at any time point, with 67% response rate at three months and 47% at six months, while being well-tolerated with no treatment-related discontinuations. The company's product candidates are designed to deliver localized treatment specifically to target sites without the immunogenicity and systemic effects typical of viral vector-based genetic medicines. As of April 2024, enGene had USD 264.8 million in cash and cash equivalents.Key functionality of the DDX platform includes its ability to enable carriers to penetrate mucosal tissue and deliver a wide range of cargo sizes and types, turning mucosal cells into therapeutic production factories that generate proteins and RNAs for desired local effects. The platform is designed to support localized treatment specifically to the target site without the immunogenicity and systemic effects typical of viral vector-based genetic medicines. The company is positioning detalimogene as a patient and practice-friendly option that can seamlessly integrate into medical practice.Key customers and partnershipsThe company's pipeline development has been supported through collaborations with several pharmaceutical and investment firms.&nbsp;

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 Tenaya Therapeutics is a developer of therapeutics for heart disease. The company develops its therapeutics using precision medicine, gene therapy, and cellular regeneration. Tenaya produces therapeutics that also use proprietary in-vivo and in-vitro models. Additionally, the company has developed in-house adeno-associated virus (AAV) capsid engineering capabilities and has screened over one billion variants from more than 30 diverse, proprietary AAV libraries. The company is publicly listed on the Nasdaq and trades under the ticker symbol TNYA.&nbsp;&nbsp;
 
 
 In October 2023 Tenaya Therapeutics (Tenaya) received FDA clearance for the company&rsquo;s investigational new drug application (TN-401) to initiate clinical testing. TN-401 is Tenaya&rsquo;s adeno-associated virus serotype 9-based investigational gene therapy drug candidate for the treatment of arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy caused by mutations in the plakophilin-2 gene. 
 
 
 As of May 2024, the company&rsquo;s clinical pipeline included two candidates in Phase I clinical trials, a gene therapeutic for the treatment of Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy, and a small molecule inhibitor for the treatment of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction. Additionally, Tenaya had one gene therapy candidate and two genetic medicine candidates in preclinical testing phases, along with five genetic medicine candidates in the discovery stage. 
 
 
 
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Tenaya Therapeutics

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 Sarepta Therapeutics is a gene therapy provider for conditions such as Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD), Limb-Girdle Muscular Dystrophy 
 (LGMD), and Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease. The company&rsquo;s therapeutics incorporate technology related to gene therapy, RNA technologies, and gene editing. The company leverages a proprietary phosphorodiamidate morpholino oligomer (PMO) platform for the development of its RNA-based therapeutics. As of August 2023, the company had four FDA-approved treatments for DMD: ELEVIDYS, EXONDYS 51, VYONDYS 53, and AMONDYS 45. Sarepta Therapeutics is also listed on the Nasdaq, trading under the symbol SRPT.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
 
 
 
 
 As of May 2024, the company had several RNA, gene, and gene editing therapeutics in various clinical stages. Sarepta had two RNA therapeutics, both for the treatment of DMD, one in clinical testing, and the other in pre-clinical testing. Additionally, the company had six gene therapeutics, one for the treatment of DMD (both in clinical testing), four for the treatment of LGMD (three in clinical testing, one in preclinical testing) and one for multiple targets (in preclinical testing). Also, Sarepta had two gene editing-based therapeutics in development for the treatment of DMD, both in preclinical testing phases. 
 
 
 
 
 Key customers and partnerships
 
 
 
 
 Over the years since its founding, Sarepta has partnered with several industry and academic partners. The list includes Dyno Therapeutics, Genethon, Genevant Sciences, Hansa Biopharma, Roche, Columbia University, Harvard University, Translational Laboratory of Murdoch University, University of Florida College of Medicine, The Abigail Wexner Research Institute at Nationwide Children&rsquo;s Hospital, University of Massachusetts Medical School, and the University of Western Australia.&nbsp;&nbsp;
 
 
 
 
 In October 2021, Sarepta and healthcare giant Roche announced they would collaborate on carrying out a clinical study of Sarepta&rsquo;s therapeutic candidate SRP-9001 for the treatment of DMD.&nbsp;
 
 
 
 
 Sarepta and pharmaceutical company Catalent announced that in January 2023, the companies were signing a commercial supply agreement. Through the agreement,&nbsp; Catalent would manufacture Sarepta&rsquo;s gene therapeutic for the treatment of DMD; delandistrogene moxeparvovec (SRP-9001).
 
 
 
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Sarepta Therapeutics

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 Mesoblast is a cell therapy manufacturer that provides therapeutics for oncology, cardiovascular, orthopedic, hematology, immunity, and inflammation-related conditions. The company is listed on the Australian Stock Exchange and trades under the ticker symbol &ldquo;MSB.&rdquo; Mesoblast develops therapeutics using its proprietary mesenchymal lineage cell technology platform, which is used to produce cryopreserved, off-the-shelf, and cellular-based solutions. The company also incorporates 3D bioreactor technology and automation into its production process to produce higher yields.&nbsp;
 
 
 
 
 As of May 2024, the company had five candidates that are in various stages of clinical testing. Mesoblast&rsquo;s steroid-refractory candidate for Acute Graft Versus Host Disease is currently in late-stage Phase III clinical testing and is the closest candidate to commercialization. The company&rsquo;s drug candidates for acute respiratory distress syndrome, chronic low back pain, and chronic heart failure and reduced ejection fraction are also in Phase III clinical testing while its candidate for inflammatory bowel disease is in Phase II of clinical testing.&nbsp;
 
 
 
 
 Key customers and partnerships
 
 
 
 
 The company has secured several agreements with international companies with regard to development and commercialization of Mesoblast&rsquo;s candidates, including Gr&uuml;nenthal GmBH, JCR Pharmaceuticals, Tasly Pharmaceutical Group, TiGenix NV, and the Lonza Group.&nbsp;
 
 
 
 
 Additionally, in April 2020, Mesoblast partnered with The US NIH&rsquo;s National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute to conduct testing of its allogeneic mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) product candidate, &ldquo;remestemcel-L.&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
 
 
 
 
 
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Mesoblast

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 Ocugen is a gene therapy manufacturer that develops vaccine, cell, and gene-based therapeutics for infectious, eye, and orthopedic diseases. Its cell therapy includes a three dimensional tissue-engineered cartilage disk through the growth of chondrocytes &ndash; the cells responsible for maintaining cartilage health. Its gene therapy solution consists of creating a copy of the patient&rsquo;s gene in order to replace mutated/damaged genes. The company is publicly listed on the Nasdaq, and trades under the symbol &lsquo;OCGN&rsquo;.&nbsp;
 
 
 As of May 2024, the company had five therapeutic solutions being clinically tested. The company was developing four gene therapies for the treatment of retinitis pigmentosa, Leber congenital amaurosis, geographic atrophy, and orphan disease. Its treatment candidate for retinitis pigmentosa was in Phase III of clinical study, while its other gene therapies were in Phase I/II. 
 Ocugen was also developing a biological material, in the IND stage, for diabetic macular edema, diabetic retinopathy, and wet age-related macular degeneration. The company's cell therapy for the treatment of articular cartilage defects in the knee was in Phase III of clinical study. Finally, the company was also developing three vaccines, all in IND stages, for prevention of diseases caused by the flu, Covid-19, and a combination of the flu and Covid-19.
 
 
 Key customers and partnerships
 
 
 Ocugen partnered with biopharmaceutical manufacturer Jubilant HollisterStier of Spokane in June 2021 to manufacture its Covid-19 therapeutic COVAXIN. Through the partnership, Jubilant would be the potential commercial manufacturer of Ocugen&rsquo;s vaccine for the US and Canadian markets.
 
 
 
 
 
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Ocugen

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 MeiraGTx is a developer of gene therapies that aim to treat ocular diseases and problems, neurodegenerative disorders, and salivary gland and autoimmune disorders. MeriaGTx is also developing riboswitch-inducible expression programs for the treatment of inherited obesity and Wilson disease, along with producing small-molecule riboswitch inducers. The company is listed on the Nasdaq and trades under the symbol MGTX.&nbsp;&nbsp;
 
 
 As of May 2024, the company had four gene-based therapeutic candidates in Phase II of their clinical trials for the treatment of (1) xerostomia, Parkinson's Disease, and RPE65-Associated retinal dystrophy and (2) achromatopsia. The company also had one therapeutic being developed to treat Sjogren&rsquo;s Syndrome that was in Phase I/II of its clinical trials. Additionally, MeiraGTx had seven other therapeutics in discovery/preclinical stages. The company was also developing a therapeutic for X-linked retinitis pigmentosa in collaboration with Janssen, which was in Phase III of clinical trials. 
 
 
 Key customers and partnerships
 
 
 MeiraGTx partnered with the International Institute of Risk and Safety Management (IIRSM) in November 2022 to influence risk agendas, raise awareness, the standards of risk, and safety management across the industry.&nbsp;
 
 
 Funding and financials
 
 
 Meira last raised funds in October 2023, when the company secured a strategic investment of USD 30 million from Sanofi. As part of the transaction, Sanofi was granted the right of first negotiation for MeiraGTx's gene regulation technology in certain targets.&nbsp;
 
 
 
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MeiraGTx

Companies producing cells, genes, tissues, and biomaterials such as exosomes and extracellular matrix for drug developers and pharmaceutical companies developing regenerative medicine

Chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CAR-T) therapy involves genetically engineering T cells to target and kill cancer cells

Companies conducting R&D on therapies that modify or introduce new genes into the body to treat diseases

Includes therapies that use cells (other than CAR-T and stem cells) such as Adipose-Derived Regenerative Cells (ADRCs), cardiosphere-derived cells, and gamma delta T cells (GDT cells)

Stem cell therapy involves using stem cells usually extracted from the bone marrow and umbilical cord blood to repair a variety of diseases

Startups in the hub consider individual patient profiles, involving variability in genes, environment, and lifestyle

Genomics helps understand the genetic information stored in the DNA to develop targeted treatments

<div>
 
 Gene therapy firm enGene Holdings has raised USD 200 million in an oversubscribed private offering. This was achieved through the sale of 20 million common shares, each priced at USD 10.00. This price represents a 31% premium from the closing price as of February 13, 2024.
 The offering attracted interest from both new and existing investors, including Adage Capital Partners and Surveyor Capital. The offering is anticipated to formally close on February 16, 2024.
 The funds raised are set to feed into the ongoing development of enGene's main program, EG-70, along with potential new R&amp;D programs and other corporate objectives. The influx of capital is expected to ensure financial stability for the company until 2024.
 enGene's developmental focus centers around bacillus Calmette-Guerin unresponsive non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (BCG NMIBC) through the therapeutic candidate EG-70. The company's proprietary Dually Derivatized Oligochitosan (DDX) platform aids this development. This platform has been designed to penetrate mucosal tissues, allowing for the delivery of various cargo forms, including DNA and different RNA forms. enGene first became a public company in November 2023, after entering a business collaboration with Forbion European Acquisition Corporation.&nbsp;
 
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enGene

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