Tech Coast Angels is the largest angel investor group in the United States, possessing more than 300 members in five networks in Los Angeles, Orange County, San Diego, Central Coast, and the Inland Empire. Its members provide funding and guidance to more early-stage, high-growth companies in Southern California than any other investment group.  Members invest in companies in a wide range of industries, including the life sciences, biotech, IT, services, retail, Internet, financial, software, media, consumer products, and tech startups. TCA as a whole gives companies more than just capital; they also provide counsel, mentoring, and access to an extensive network of potential investors, customers, strategic partners, and management talent.   Tech Coast Angels has been ranked by CB Insights to be among the Top 20 Angel Groups in the US; TCA was also ranked as #1 for Network Centrality, meaning we have more connections than anyone! If you are in the game-changing business, we are here to help.

Tech Coast Angels

Kairos invests in startups and research in life sciences, physical sciences, and technology led by top academic and industry minds. These technologies have the potential to improve the world. Their team is driven by a strong desire to make a significant impact on the world by establishing businesses that will improve the lives of current and future generations. They intend to accomplish this by investing in the best scientists, engineers, and entrepreneurs and assisting them in turning their knowledge, ideas, and discoveries into viable businesses. They anticipate that these companies will have a significant impact on the world while also providing significant returns to their shareholders.

Kairos Ventures

DEFTA Partners is a venture capital firm focusing on technology. They primarily make seed and first round investments in early stage information technology companies with global opportunities to accelerate growth.  DEFTA has offices and partners in the United States, Japan, Israel and the United Kingdom.  via: [DEFTA Partners](http://www.deftapartners.com)

DEFTA Partners

Bios Partners Is A Venture Capital Firm Based In Dallas/Ft. Worth Focused On Investment In Innovative Early-Stage And Growth-Stage Biotech And Medical Device Companies.

Bios Partners

Actuate Therapeutics

Actuate Therapeutics provides advanced research for the treatment of high-impact cancers and neurodegenerative diseases. It is a private biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of compounds for use in the treatment of cancer and inflammatory diseases leading to fibrosis and neurodegeneration. The company aims to discover, develop, and commercialize new agents that target GSK-3β. Actuate Therapeutics is currently advancing its lead molecule, 9-ING-41, toward the clinic in 2017. Ongoing research has demonstrated significant anti-tumor activity in many in vivo models of difficult-to-treat cancers, including cancers of the brain, pancreas, lung, and breast. We are unaware of any published research demonstrating the kind of efficacy in treatment-resistant glioblastoma that we have been able to achieve with 9-ING-41. Importantly, the toxicity and pharmacokinetic profiles of the drug candidate are quite attractive.

Actuate Therapeutics is a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing therapies for high-impact, difficult-to-treat cancers and inflammatory diseases through the inhibition of glycogen synthase kinase-3 (GSK-3). The company's lead drug candidate, elraglusib (formerly known as 9-ING-41), a novel GSK-3β inhibitor, targets molecular pathways that promote tumor growth and resistance to conventional cancer drugs such as chemotherapy. It is designed to act as a mediator of anti-tumor immunity by inhibiting NF-kB and regulating multiple immune checkpoints and immune cell function.

Actuate Therapeutics Inc. Completes $6.5 Million Series B

Cancer biotech Actuate Therapeutics files for a $50 million IPO

Cancer biotech Actuate Therapeutics slashes share offering by 50% ahead of $25 million IPO

Actuate Therapeutics Announces Initiation Of Phase 2 Clinical Study In Pancreatic Cancer

Actuate Therapeutics Completes $21.7 Million Series B Financing

ACTUATE THERAPEUTICS ANNOUNCES INITIATION OF PHASE 2 CLINICAL STUDY IN PANCREATIC CANCER

Actuate Therapeutics Receives FDA Orphan Drug Designation for Elraglusib for Treatment of Pancreatic Cancer

Actuate Therapeutics Announces Poster Presentations at the 2023 ASCO Annual Meeting

Leveraging personal data for custom-fit diagnosis and treatment

Precision Medicine

Actuate Therapeutics Announces Positive Interim Phase 2 Data of Elraglusib in First Line Treatment of Metastatic Pancreatic Cancer

Actuate Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing novel therapies for difficult-to-treat cancers and inflammatory diseases. The company's primary focus is on inhibiting glycogen synthase kinase-3 beta (GSK-3β), a molecular pathway involved in tumor growth and resistance to conventional cancer treatments. Actuate's lead drug candidate is elraglusib (9-ING-41), a proprietary small molecule GSK-3β inhibitor. Elraglusib is being evaluated in various clinical trials, including a randomized Phase 2 study for metastatic pancreatic cancer. The drug has shown promise in reversing pathologic fibrosis and demonstrating anti-neoplastic activity in preclinical models. In August 2023, elraglusib received Orphan Drug Designation from the FDA for the treatment of pancreatic cancer. Actuate Therapeutics was founded in 2015 and is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, with additional operations in Chicago, Illinois.
Key customers and partnerships
Actuate Therapeutics has established collaborations with several leading research institutions and oncology centers. The company's ongoing clinical trials involve partnerships with Brown University/Rhode Island Hospital, UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, Miami Cancer Institute, Mayo Clinic, and Sanford Research. Actuate also collaborates with researchers at institutions such as the University of Kansas, the University of Glasgow, and Northwestern University. In May 2023, the company announced scientific collaborations presenting research at the American Society for Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting, including work with Lantern Pharma Inc. and Brown University. These partnerships have been crucial in advancing Actuate's clinical programs and expanding the understanding of elraglusib's potential applications in various cancer types.

Actuate Therapeutics is a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing therapies for high-impact, difficult-to-treat cancers and inflammatory diseases through the inhibition of glycogen synthase kinase-3 (GSK-3). The company's lead drug candidate, elraglusib (formerly known as 9-ING-41), a novel GSK-3β inhibitor, targets molecular pathways that promote tumor growth and resistance to conventional cancer drugs such as chemotherapy. It is designed to act as a mediator of anti-tumor immunity by inhibiting NF-kB and regulating multiple immune checkpoints and immune cell function.Actuate's primary focus is on pancreatic cancer, where elraglusib has shown promising results. As of October 2024, the company was conducting multiple clinical trials, including a randomized Phase II study of elraglusib in combination with gemcitabine/nab-paclitaxel for the frontline treatment of patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer. Top-line results from this trial were expected in Q1 2025. Additionally, Actuate is exploring elraglusib's potential in other cancer types and is collaborating with various research institutions to further investigate its mechanisms of action and potential biomarkers. In August 2023, elraglusib received Orphan Drug Designation from the US FDA to treat pancreatic cancer.&nbsp;The company went public in August 2024, beginning trading on the Nasdaq Global Market under the ticker symbol ACTU.

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 Praxis Precision Medicines is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company that develops precision medicine for central nervous system disorders based on neuronal imbalance caused by genetic mutations.
 
 
 The company has four clinical-stage product candidates in its pipeline for treating disorders such as depression, epilepsy, movement disorders, and pain syndromes. The company&rsquo;s drug candidates include 1) PRAX-944, which is an inhibitor for essential tremor disorder linked to Parkinson&rsquo;s disease and is set to begin Phase 3 in mid-2023, 2) PRAX-222 in Phase 2 of clinical trials targets the SCN2A gene most commonly associated with early-onset epilepsy, 3) PRAX-562 was designed to block persistent sodium for patients suffering from rare diseases such as headache disorders and severe seizures and completed Phase 1 of clinical trials, and 4) PRAX-628 in Phase 2 clinical trials for treating focal epilepsy that originates in one side or area of the brain and affects one side of the body. Additionally, the firm has six pre-clinical drug candidates.
 
 
 Funding and financials
 
 
 The company went public in October 2020, trading on the Nasdaq Global Select Market under the ticker symbol &ldquo;PRAX&rdquo;. 
 <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/19453">
 In June 2023 
 </a>
 , the company announced an underwritten public offering of its common shares and pre-funded warrants, to raise approximately USD 59.1 million. The capital raised was used to support the company&rsquo;s ongoing operations and strategic initiatives, furthering the development of its pipeline and potential future endeavors.
 
 
 For the year 
 <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/16211">
 2022
 </a>
 , net losses increased by 28% YoY to USD 214 million arising from a significant increase in R&amp;D expense (up by 29% YoY). For the six months ended June 2023, the company is yet to generate revenue from drugs, however received collaboration revenue of USD 1.5 million. Further, it reported a decline in net loss by 43.0% YoY to USD 34.3 million. Its cash and cash equivalent as of June 2023 was at USD 124.3 million, compared to USD 61.6 million in December 2022, which the company believes will be adequate to fund operations till Q1 2025. 
 
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Praxis Precision Medicines

<div>
 
 Mirati Therapeutics is a commercial-stage biotechnology company developing oncology-targeted therapies to address KRAS mutations present in 25% of tumors, including lung, colorectal and pancreatic cancers. Mirati&rsquo;s lead product KRAZATI (adagrasib/ MRTX849) is an oral&nbsp; KRASG12C inhibitor approved in 2022 for certain non-small cell lung cancers.The company also has sitravatinib, a multi-kinase inhibitor, in Phase 3 trials for non-small cell lung cancer in combination with a Bristol-Myers Squibb checkpoint inhibitor.
 
 
 
 
 Additionally, Mirati is advancing multiple early-stage programs including KRAS G12D inhibitor MRTX1133 for pancreatic and colorectal cancers, which entered Phase 1 in 2023, as well as a synthetic lethal inhibitor MRTX1719. In December 2022, the company submitted an IND application for MRTX1133, a potent and selective KRAS G12D inhibitor, which was cleared by the FDA in January 2023. 
 
 
 Key partnerships and customers
 
 
 
 
 Mirati has multiple partnerships with leading biopharma companies to advance its pipeline, including discovery collaborations with Pfizer and clinical collaborations with Novartis, Boehringer Ingelheim, and 
 <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/14345">
 Incyte
 </a>
 . The company also has licensing agreements with BeiGene for sitravatinib and Zai Lab for MRTX849 in certain Asian markets.
 
 
 
 
 
 Funding and Financials
 
 
 
 
 The company went public in June 2013 to trade on Nasdaq under the ticker symbol &ldquo;MRTX&rdquo;. In August 2023, the company closed an 
 <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/20988">
 underwritten public offering
 </a>
 at USD 345 million. The new funds were used towards drug development and leadership expansion.&nbsp;
 
 
 
 
 <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/16725">
 For the year 2022 
 </a>
 , the firm's net losses increased to USD 740.9 million from USD 581.8 million. Net product revenue for the full year amounted to USD 0.7 million arising from the sale of KRAZATI, which received FDA approval for its commercial launch in December 2022. 
 
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Mirati Therapeutics

<div>
 
 Tvardi Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing precision medicine for different cancers, chronic inflammatory diseases, and fibrotic diseases. The company&rsquo;s pipeline focuses on the development of small-molecule inhibitors of STAT3, a regulatory protein that allows cancer cells to evade the immune system and survive.
 
 
 The company&rsquo;s orally administered monotherapy and lead product, TTI-101, is in Phase 1 clinical trials for patients with advanced solid tumors who have failed all other lines of therapy. Additionally, the drug is in preclinical trials for treating fibrosis and inflammation. The company is also developing TTI-102, a next-generation STAT3 inhibitor that is structurally similar but chemically different from TTI-101.&nbsp;
 
 
 Founded in 2017, the Texas-based company closed a Series B funding round in June 2021, which brought total funding to USD 81 million and the proceeds will be used to advance Tvardi&rsquo;s drug candidates through its clinical data readouts in mid-stage trials for cancer and fibrosis.
 
</div>

Tvardi Therapeutics

<div>
 
 Tango Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biotech company developing precision oncology therapies targeting synthetic lethality in cancer which leads to cell death. Its discovery platform identifies novel targets to develop drugs focused on: 1) countering tumor suppressor gene loss to help the immune system recognize and kill cancer cells, and 2) reversing cancer cell evasion of the immune system.
 
 
 
 
 Tango has five pipeline programs, including lead candidate TNG908, an inhibitor for multiple cancer indicators. The FDA approved TNG908's IND in January 2022 and granted it Orphan Drug Designation. TNG908 is in Phase I/II trials, with preliminary efficacy data expected in H1 2023. Tango also plans to file INDs for TNG260 (STK11 mutant cancers) and TNG348 (BRCA1/2-mutant cancers). In 
 <a href="https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2023/01/25/2595034/0/en/Tango-Therapeutics-Announces-FDA-Clearance-of-Investigational-New-Drug-Application-for-TNG462-Provides-Additional-Business-Updates.html">
 January 2023
 </a>
 , the FDA cleared the IND for TNG462, a next-gen PRMT5 inhibitor for cancers with MTAP deletion.
 
 
 
 
 Key partnerships and customers
 
 
 
 
 
 Outside its pipeline, the company also entered into a collaborative partnership with big pharma Gilead Sciences Inc., in October 2018 which was later expanded for two years in August 2020 to identify new immune evasion targets.
 
 
 
 
 Funding and financials&nbsp;
 
 
 
 
 
 Tango went public in August 2021 via a SPAC deal, trading on Nasdaq under the ticker symbol &ldquo;TNGX&rdquo;, and the company received gross proceeds of USD 353 million. In August 2023, the company raised USD 80 million via a 
 <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/20955">
 private placement
 </a>
 , which was led by Nextech. The new funds were used toward expanding its TNG908 and TNG462 PRMT5 programs to various other indications.
 
 
 
 
 Tango has not yet generated any drug sales and does not expect to do so for several years. However, for the full-year the company reported collaboration revenue of USD 24.9 million (down 4.42% YoY) and a net loss of USD 108.2 million (up 85.9% YoY).
 
 
 
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Tango Therapeutics

<div>
 
 IDEAYA Biosciences is a clinical-stage biotech developing precision cancer therapies based on synthetic lethality - when specific gene mutations pair to cause cell death. The company also studies combining synthetic lethality with immunotherapies and DNA damage to enhance treatment efficacy. While current drugs target limited mutations like BRCA1/2, IDEAYA aims to treat broader genetic subpopulations.&nbsp;
 
 
 
 
 Its pipeline includes synthetic lethality-driven precision medicines across four potential first-in-class clinical-stage product candidates. Of these, the company owns/controls commercial rights of the three most-advanced of these product candidates: darovasertib, IDE397, and IDE161. As of May 2024, the company was also advancing Werner Helicase program for which a development candidate has been selected in collaboration with GlaxoSmithKline, and, subject to investigational new drug-, or IND-, enabling studies, are targeting an IND in 2024. In addition. the company also works on multiple earlier-stage preclinical programs. 
 
 
 By targeting specific genetic drivers, IDEAYA advances precision oncology using synthetic lethality approaches. The company is focused on developing novel targeted therapies for patient populations with high unmet need and limited treatment options.&nbsp;&nbsp;
 
 
 In December 2023, IDEAYA Biosciences teamed up with Gilead Sciences to test the combination of IDE397 and Trodelvy in a Phase I clinical trial for MTAP-deletion bladder cancer.
 
 
 
 
 Key partnerships and customers
 
 
 
 
 The company collaborates with pharmaceutical partners to advance its pipeline, including a strategic partnership with GSK in June 2020. The collaboration with GSK covers co-development and commercialization of two synthetic lethality programs. IDEAYA received USD 100 million upfront and USD 20 million in a direct private placement through the GSK deal. In June 2022, IDEAYA announced it would co-develop its Pol Theta candidate with GSK, with a Phase 1 trial starting in the first half of 2023.&nbsp;
 
 
 
 
 IDEAYA also holds an exclusive license from Novartis for LXS196 (IDE196), a PKC inhibitor for metastatic uveal melanoma. Additionally, the company is exploring IDE196 combinations with Pfizer and its potential in other rare skin diseases. In July 2022, IDEAYA signed an agreement with Amgen to evaluate IDE397 with Amgen's AMG 193 in solid tumors. Strategic pharma partnerships help advance and expand IDEAYA's pipeline of synthetic lethality precision oncology programs.
 
 
 
 
 Funding and financials
 
 
 
 
 
 The company was listed on the Nasdaq Global Select Market under the ticker symbol &ldquo;IDYA&rdquo; in May 2019, raising USD 50 million via an initial public offering. In September 2022, the company raised USD 92 million.&nbsp;
 
 
 
 
 For 2022, the company reported a net loss of USD 58.7 million (up 17.9% YoY) while collaboration revenue was USD 50.9 million (up 82.3% YoY). 
 
 
 On October 24, 2023, IDEAYA Biosciences priced an underwritten public offering of 5 million shares of common stock and pre-funded warrants to purchase 319,150 shares of common stock. The common stock offered was priced at USD 23.50 per share, while the exercise price of a pre-funded warrant was USD 0.0001. The offering was expected to bring in approximately USD 125 million in gross proceeds.
 
 
 
</div>

IDEAYA Biosciences

Companies providing genetic tests to identify individuals with high risk or at-risk of having hereditary disease, aid physicians with a diagnosis, and support clinical decision making.

Secure cloud-based platforms and data sharing networks that collect, index, store, and analyze large amounts of health data and patient population data sets from sources including genomic, clinical, wearables, imaging, and population data.

Biopharma and biotechnology companies that develop precision medicine drugs based on novel disease biomarkers present in multi-omic patient population data and genetic insights.

Companies that study intergenomic variations in genes associated with drug response and metabolism to match patients with the appropriate drug and dosage.

Companies that develop an in-vitro medical device or imaging tools and tests that identify genetic mutations for both diagnostic (nature of the disease) and prognostic (likely course of the disease) purposes, allowing providers to match a patient to a specific drug or therapy.

Software analytics platforms that integrate multiple omics datasets (genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics) to gain insights and support target discovery, drug development, clinical trials, and diagnostics.

Some companies leverage AI/ML to develop tailored medication

Considers individual variability in genes, environment, and lifestyle for each person

Genomics is used across all the segments of precision medicine from diagnostic solutions to treatments

AI/ML analyzes genomic data to find drug targets, predict disease progression, and treatment response

<div>
 Actuate Therapeutics has revealed the terms for its upcoming Initial Public Offering (IPO), aiming to raise a fund of USD 50 million.
 The company plans to offer 5.6 million shares priced between USD 8–10 each in the IPO. The intended utilization of the raised funds remains undisclosed at the moment.
 Actuate Therapeutics is an active clinical-stage biotechnology institution that is oriented towards the development of oncology therapeutics via the inhibition of glycogen synthase kinase-3 (GSK-3). The company has several drugs in its pipeline, including Actuate-1801, an Elragusib injection which is presently part of clinical trials for treating refractory cancer and pancreatic cancer in adults. The pipeline also includes Actuate 1902, which is an Elragusib injection for pediatric patients, in addition to oral tablets for both adult and pediatric patients with refractory cancer.
</div>

Actuate Therapeutics

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