LVP Portfolio Companies

Biotechnology

Bayhill is developing a novel category of biopharmaceuticals to treat auto-immune diseases such as multiple sclerosis, diabetes and arthritis. The company was founded by Dr. Larry Steinman, Professor of Neurology at Stanford University.

 

Calistoga is a cancer pharmaceutical company developing the next generation of cancer treatments targeting PI3 Kinase.

 

 

Cellective Therapeutics

Cellective was recently acquired by Medimmune for proceeds of up to $175 million. Cellective was developing several new pharmaceuticals treating B Cell related cancer and immune diseases. The technology is based on research by Founder Tom Tedder, Chairman of Immunology at Duke University

Cell Biosciences is developing a new biomedical research instrument which enables the rapid analysis of cellular components. The management team has an impressive track record from Applied Biosystems, Molecular Dynamics, Caliper, and UC Irvine.

Evoke Pharma

Evoke is a new specialty pharmaceutical company developng a portfolio of products for G.I. applications. The company was founded by Cam Garner, who brings a long history of successful ventures to the company.

 

Femta Pharmaceuticals

Femta is developing a new generation of antibody therapeutics for several major disease indications.

ForteBio is developing a new biomedical research instrument for the rapid measurement of molecular binding useful in biotechnology research and pharmaceutical development.

Meritage Pharma

Meritage is a new specialty pharmaceutical company developing products to treat several important immune disorders.

 

Neuraltus Pharmaceuticals

Neuraltus is a neuropharmaceutical company with a portfolio of products treating Parkinsons, ALS, and other diseases.

 

Oncomed is developing a new class of cancer therapeutics targeting cancer precursor cells based on recent discoveries by Founder Dr. Michael Clarke, a Professor at Stanford University.

 

Proteolix was recently acquired by Onyx Pharmaceuticals for proceeds of up to $851 million.  The company was developing a new category of cancer therapeutics which target the proteasome. The founding team was from Amgen, Merck, Caltech and Yale.

 

Talima is developing a new generation drug delivery technology intially targeting anti-fungal applications.

 

Tetralogic is developing a new generation of cancer therapeutics based on recent discoveries by Professor Yigong Shi at Princeton.

Medical Device

Ensure Medical

Ensure was recently acquired by Johnson & Johnson for proceeds of up to $90 million. The company was developing a new bio-erodable closure device to seal the puncture wounds resulting from the millions of interventional cardiology procedures performed each year. The founders include leading engineers from Boston Scientific.

 

GMD is developing several specialty medical products with price per performance significantly superior to existing products.

Luminous Medical is developing a new device to allow the near continuous measurement of blood glucose and other analytes in the hospital environment. The founding team includes seasoned managers from Lifescan/JNJ and other leading companies.

www.luminousmedical.com

Ovalis

Ovalis was formed by several highly experienced device engineers to develop a novel set of interventional devices and delivery systems useful for the repair of various cardiovascular defects.

www.ovalisinc.com

 

Pathway is developing an impressive new atherectomy device for treating peripheral artery disease.

www.pathwaymedical.com

 

Promed, Inc.

Promed was recently formed by two successful repeat entrepreneurs to develop several new products for potential use in OB/GYN, orthopedic, and aesthetic applications.

 

Pulmonx is deveoping a new category of diagnostic and treatment devices to treat lung disorders and diseases such as COPD.

www.pulmonx.com

 

Revascular Therapeutics is developing an impressive new percutaneous device to re-open chronically occluded vessels.

 

Transcend is developing a pioneering new glaucoma treatment device with impressive clinical results reducing intra-ocular pressure.

www.transcendmedical.com

 

 

Entrepreneurial Experiences

Xtent
Founding CEO Hank Plain

"When we raised our first venture financing we sought out LVP as one of our key investors due to the solid track record of Pat and Peter in forming and growing successful new medical device companies, as well as their deep understanding of the technical and business challenges we expected to face in the evolution of our company. The combination of skills and experience which LVP contributes to us has helped significantly in our ability to make rapid progress and form strategic collaborations enhancing our value beyond what we initially envisioned. I highly recommend LVP to any entrepreneur who desires very capable investors and partners who try their best to help you succeed."

Revascular Therapeutics
Founder/Chairman             

Carl Simpson

"As with any first investment for a start-up company, you go first to the people you trust and know. I have known Peter and Pat for years, so we presented the Revascular Therapeutics plan to them first. Peter is an active interventional cardiologist, so he recognized the value of the technology as solving a key unmet clinical need in interventional medicine. Working with LVP on this venture I was impressed with their thinking from the standpoint of intuitively seeing the positive attributes of such a product and understanding how to deal with the weaker aspects in order to build a successful company. With the network that Pat and Peter have developed over the years, the due diligence was sophisticated and helpful, and we were able to close the financing very rapidly. An important aspect to realize as an entrepreneur, is that you want 'smart money' around the table as the company moves forward. Having a very experienced board and investors to work with adds tremendous value to a start-up company."

 

Proteolix
Founder/CEO Phil Whitcome

"The most critical component to any successful start-up is people, whether technical, operational, or financial. Who invests is as important as what or how much is invested. In starting Proteolix, we sought out investors whose contributions to the company would extend far beyond their role as a source of capital. The partners at LVP have a proven track record of building successful companies founded on innovative science. Pat, Jim and the LVP team possess a rare blend of scientific sophistication and successful commercial development that is essential for success in biotechnology. The partners have a compelling combination of scientific depth and personal insights which are crucial to the cultivation and nurturing of an evolving enterprise from its inception to commercial success. Their expertise and perspective have been an invaluable resource in positioning and guiding Proteolix toward commercial success. In seeking supportive investors who will invest both the time and intellectual capital to understand your business, and help guide and refine your commercial strategy, Latterell Venture Partners should be your first stop."

 

Pathway
Chairman/CEO Paul Buckman

In my experience, LVP resides in the top tier of med tech venture capital firms and I find them highly valuable to partner with.  From a medical device perspective, Pat, Peter, and Steve offer a unique combination of skills that are extremely useful to any early stage company, management team and board.  Their collective experience covers a very broad spectrum including device concept creation, development, and clinical utilization, as well as technology evaluation and investment participation in all phases of the company life cycle.  I've been fortunate to work with both Peter and Steve for the past 15 years, and the confidence and trust which I have gained in their counsel over that time truly distinguishes LVP as a business partner from my perspective.

 

Ovalis
Founder/President Ronald Jabba

"A key aspect to successfully starting and growing a company is selecting the right investors. We believe that LVP has the right combination of expertise; technical, clinical, financial and business skills to invest in and grow a company. Steve has been an invaluable partner, assisting with matters such as intellectual property and offering his guidance on a broad array of technical and strategic issues. Steve's founding experience with his own startup has been a tremendous asset for us, especially in the early stage of our company. Peter Fitzgerald's depth of knowledge in the medical device field, particularly as it relates to clinical and technical matters, is a high value critical contribution and a necessity at all stages of a company's growth. Latterell Venture Partners understands what is necessary to build successful companies."

Oncomed Pharmaceuticals
Founder Dr. Michael Clarke

"Working with Latterell Venture Partners has been great. Without them, we would not have been able to develop our spin-off company from the University of Michigan. The LVP partners were instrumental in helping us to develop a cogent business plan, identify a fabulous group of investors, and put a first-class company together. The result is a focused company poised for success!"

 

Meritage Pharma
Evoke Pharma

Founder/Chairman Cam Garner

"I have started two companies with LVP and highly recommend them to anyone desiring savvy, helpful investors.  The most overlooked component in building a successful company is choosing the right financial partners.  LVP is an exceptional partner when it comes to building a company.  Their Partners have strong technical backgrounds, but more importantly to me, they have real world operating experience.  Additionally, they do a great job of working with management and supporting their efforts in creating a successful outcome.  Given my experience with LVP, and the speed at which they can operate, they are always one of the first calls I make when seeking financing for a new venture."

Cell Biosciences
Founding CEO Linda Cahill

"Cell Biosciences' cell signaling technology requires an unusual combination of skill sets in engineering, cell biology and chemistry. The partners at LVP took the effort to understand the technology, the market and the business strategy that we were creating when we started this company - and then moved quickly to help us cement a very broad group of domestic and international venture investors to secure its future. LVP displayed the strength of character to lead this diverse group at a very difficult time in the financial markets. This strength and quality in our investor group helped us to recruit a strong and experienced management team and gave Cell Biosciences a solid start as a company."

CardioMind
Founder Julian Nikolchev

"When I think about starting a company, I always look for venture capital investors with deep knowledge of what it takes to develop and bring an innovative technology to the market as well as grow a new commercial enterprise. Pat is such an investor. His experience with medical device start-ups shows, as he helped guide and formulate my thinking about our technology, markets, strategic partners and intellectual property. In addition to Pat, Peter Fitzgerald has been an enormous help at CardioMind. Peter is one of the most creative technical, clinical and business minds in the medical device field. His early input was critical in the formulation of our vision and commercialization strategy. Pat and Peter represent a unique team in the venture community. They have the ability to help any entrepreneur with all their technical, clinical, patent, financial and strategic challenges as they grow a company from a seed idea through a successful market leader."

Bayhill Therapeutics
Founder Dr. Larry Steinman

"When I decided to form Bayhill, Pat was my first call due to his long history of successfully building new biotechnology companies and his excellent reputation for working diligently and creatively with entrepreneurial teams to overcome the many obstacles I know we will face along the way. Pat brings the full range of technical skills and company building experience to the team which exemplifies the concept of what I consider an excellent "value-added" investor. Pat has been extremely helpful in sorting out complicated patent issues, in strategizing corporate partnering, referring potential senior managers, and in creating a venture syndicate for our first financing."