Our newest portfolio company is Blue Water Vaccines, notable for its bold mission (a universal flu vaccine, the "holy grail of vaccines," to quote CincyTech director Sam Lee, MD) and the pedigree of its core technology (University of Oxford, UK). In early July, the company closed an oversubscribed $7M seed financingled by CincyTech with participation from CincyTech-affiliated investors. CEO Joseph Hernandez told the Cincinnati Business Courier, "We had a lot of interest in the investment outside of CincyTech – in Boston, New York and even across the pond in Europe. We could have housed this company anywhere we wanted to, but we’re committed to Cincinnati."
CORDATA HEALTHCARE INNOVATIONSfeatured for impact in battle against opioids
Huntington, WV, for years the epicenter of the nation's opioid crisis, has experienced a 40% drop in overdoses. "That turnaround," writes OZY.com's Nick Fouriezos, "coincides with the decision to enlist Cordata." Portfolio company Cordata Healthcare Innovations' tech platform helps quick response teams of local police, medics and mental health providers to optimize their efforts, "identifying hot spots where support teams should proactively reach out and base operations, and automatically nudging first responders to check back with patients." Quick response teams in SW Ohio are also having success with Cordata's technology.
ENABLE INJECTIONS EXPANSION
Enable Injections is planning to build temporary office space and additional parking adjacent to its current 42,000 square foot facility, to accomodate rapid growth. The medical device company has hired 60 people in the last six months, more than doubling its workforce. Enable is developing the enFuse™, an on-body drug delivery platform that would enable patients to self-administer high-volume therapeutics that must currently be infused in a clinical setting. In June, Enable announced a multi-product deal with global pharma giant Sanofi.
