Where Dealmakers Come Together

On this podcast episode, I speak with Shlomi Raz, Managing Partner at Palomar Labs. As a Venture Builder, Palomar Labs builds companies around medicines that already have a record of use in people, focused on the aging brain.

Shlomi started his career in Finance on Wall Street, and then transitioned into Biotech, as Founder and CEO of Eleusis. Beckley Psytech acquired Eleusis, and Shlomi served as President and CEO during BPL-003's clinical development.

Within Psychiatry, Palomar has taken a unique approach to drug development, starting with human experience (rather than animal models) along with the large set of existing data sets to identify the right compounds. And this approach may lend itself to other indications within Neuropsychiatry.

In our conversation, we touch upon the evolution of Psychedelics and the promise of ‘Generation 3,’ how JnJ’s SPRAVATO eventually became a blockbuster drug, what the venture building process looks like at Palomar Labs, and why the firm is focusing on unmet needs within aging.

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On Episode 13 of the Aayaam 360 Podcast, I speak with Kenny Morand, Life Sciences Partner at CincyTech USA. Based in Ohio, the firm is focused on investments in the Ohio Region, and often acts as lead Seed investors in Drugs, Devices, and Diagnostics. CincyTech primarily focuses on Cell & Gene Therapy.

In this episode, Kenny dives into his preference for Platform companies and technologies within CG&T, how the state of Ohio is set up for success to deliver breakthrough Cell & Gene Therapy innovations, and what they look for in companies before making an investment.

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On Episode 12 of the Aayaam 360 Podcast, I speak with Nola Masterson, Partner at Portfolia, a collective of Women that are learning Venture Capital by investing in Women’s Health companies.

Nola uses her decades of Venture Capital experience (Kleiner Perkins, Oak Investment Partners, TVM Capital) to guide the Fund’s investments. The two Funds that are open now are 1) Rising America, geared towards underserved populations (Fund III) and 2) Women’s Health & Longevity, focused on things that impact women differently throughout their health span (Fund IV).

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On Episode 11 of the Aayaam 360 Podcast, I speak with Varun Turlapati, Managing Director at Chaanakya Capital. The firm is focused on investing in Neurotech and likes to work with Founders that are passionate about this space.

Some of the Founder qualities that he looks for include resilience, and ability to work well together.

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On Episode 10 of the Aayaam 360 Podcast, I speak with Gary Goldman of Global Health Impact Network & Funds. Gary is a Dentist and Anesthesiologist by training, and has also been an operator and investor in Healthcare for over 35 years.

With decades of industry experience under his belt, he built Global Health Impact Network & Funds. GHIN/F is both a Fund and a Network Platform in which Key Opinion Leaders (KOLs) and Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) weigh in on certain companies.

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On Episode 9 of the Aayaam 360 Podcast, I speak with Monica Berrondo, Managing Partner at Dare Bioventures. The firm invests in early-stage drug discovery projects that are born out of discovery platforms, with the goal of taking specific drug discovery projects through to exit (to Pharma).

Monica is excited about new ways to deliver molecules to the right place, such as ADCs, Bispecific Therapies, LNPs, and Fusion Proteins to name a few.

Check out the full episode to learn more about Dare Bioventures!

On Episode 8 of the Aayaam 360 Podcast, I speak with Mahesh Narayanan, Managing Partner at Neuvation Ventures. The firm focuses on Medical Devices and Diagnostics within the Neuro space (Central Nervous System). What fuels the firm is Mahesh’s passion for this area.

Within Diagnostics, Neuvation would like to work with companies that can move diagnosis to earlier phases of the condition. Neuvation is excited about the use of Machine Learning implementation within robotics and diagnostics, along with precision therapies such as Nano-mods, including nanorobots, nanoparticles, and nano-scaffolds.

On Episode 7 of the Aayaam 360 Podcast, I speak with Ray Jordan, Investment Manager for Elmstead Partners, a multi-generational family holding company. Ray’s background includes overseeing Corporate Affairs and Corporate Communications for large and smaller Life Sciences companies.

Some of the dimensions that Ray’s firm thinks about when considering an investment include 1) can the innovation be a potential breakthrough, 2) is the breakthrough focused on a first of its kind definitive application target, 3) is there strong IP in place, and 4) is the right team in place to be able to execute?

On Episode 6 of the Aayaam 360 Podcast, I speak with Stephanie Oestreich, Managing Director of Myeloma Investment Fund (MIF). MIF is a six-year-old fund, focused on the blood cancer of Multiple Myeloma. This investment fund is part of Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation, a 26-year-old patient foundation that provides information to patients and helps run Multiple Myeloma clinical trials. To date, MIF has made 20 investments, with 3 exits.

On Episode 5 of the Aayaam 360 Podcast, I speak with Victor Olmos at Kendall Capital Partners. The firm is named after Kendall Square, the ‘most innovative square mile on the planet.’ Its Founders are MIT Alumni, and other General Partners include Prof. Bob Langer and Prof. George Church, both influential figures in the industry.

Kendall Capital Partners invests in several disease areas and modalities, including Cell & Gene Therapies, Next-Gen Immunotherapies, Advanced Drug Delivery, and AI, Computational Biology & Scalable Infrastructure.

On Episode 4 of the Aayaam 360 Podcast, I speak with Marc Appel, Managing Partner of Pacific Bridge NY. The firm is a cross-border Venture Capital Fund, and among other things, the Fund invests in opportunities coming out of Asia and helps bring those assets to Europe or United States for further development.

If you haven’t heard yet, China has been making waves in Drug Discovery over the last few years. Marc’s firm focuses on investing in Chinese assets.

On this episode of Aayaam 360 Podcast, I speak with Matt Crozier, Managing Partner of Imbolc Partners. Matt discusses Imbolc's investment focus on early-stage startups, particularly in Healthcare and Life Sciences. He talks about his passion for Autoimmune treatments, and Imbolc's investments into Autoimmune and GLP-1 Platform companies.

On this episode of the Aayaam 360 Podcast, I speak with Deborah Hemingway, Founder and Managing Partner of Ecphora Capital. She discusses the mission and focus of Ecphora Capital, and highlights the importance of fostering local innovation in the State of Maryland.

On this episode of Aayaam 360 Podcast, I speak with Ken Horne of AN Venture Partners, about the unique opportunities in Japan's Venture Capital Landscape, why the Japanese market may be ripe for innovation and investment, and the qualities AN Venture Partners looks for in budding entrepreneurs.