Hi everyone,

I’m Jenna Abelli, a Principal on Anzu’s investment team and am excited to share some updates about one of our portfolio companies, BioFlyte, where I am also a Board Member. BioFlyte is a biothreat detection and identification firm based in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

BioFlyte’s flagship product, BioTOF™ z200 Bioaerosol Identifier, is a first-of-its-kind, comprehensive biothreat surveillance system for critical infrastructure protection and mail screening. The z200 uses state-of-the-art MALDI time-of-flight mass spectrometry combined with robotics and AI/ML algorithms to continuously and autonomously collect and analyze aerosol samples. The high sensitivity system accurately identifies an unprecedented range of toxins, viruses and bacteria, such as anthrax, ricin and fentanyl, with results in less than five minutes. 

Commercial Progress: 

• Infrastructure Protection:  the company launched a comprehensive pilot program with Pittsburgh International Airport’s xBridge Innovation Center. BioFlyte’s z200, stationed within the airport’s HVAC system, will provide continuous, autonomous surveillance of the air moving through the terminals. If the device detects a dangerous airborne agent, it directly alerts operations staff and sends details about the potential threat for expedited investigation. You can read more about the project on PIT’s BlueSky publication.
• Mail Screening: following a successful pilot program, BioFlyte received its first commercial purchase order from a large financial institution in New York City.

Team Updates:

Bill Rule joined the team as Vice President of Manufacturing to manage a robust supply chain model as the company scales its commercialization efforts. Rule brings more than 20 years of international supply chain and manufacturing expertise. Most recently, he served as the Director of Manufacturing and Supply Chain for Everactive, an IoT platform company. 

Facility Upgrade:

In March, the company tripled its corporate office space and manufacturing operations with the opening of a new facility located in Sandia Science and Technology Park. The 5,300 square-foot-space will allow the firm to leverage multiple laboratories and testing environments to support an evolving product set and growing production schedule as the company ramps up its manufacturing program. 

Series B Financing:

The company also just announced that In March, the company it raised $5.4M in Series B financing to help expand its reach within aviation and mail screening applications. The round was led by Scout Ventures and Cottonwood Technology Fund with additional funding from New Mexico Vintage Fund. BioFlyte plans to use the financing to continue scaling its manufacturing and sales operations to meet customer demand and to develop new product configurations that will serve new markets.

We are excited about the recent progress at BioFlyte and we are eager to see what the rest of the year holds for the company. In the meantime, check out BioFlyte’s new website, with a new look and feel that better encompasses its mission and vision.

Thank you for your continued support,

Jenna Abelli

PORTFOLIO COMPANY UPDATES

NTx Partnered with Ginkgo Bioworks as part of Gingko’s DARPA Contract to Reimagine the Manufacturing of Complex Therapeutic Proteins

Nature’s Toolbox (NTx), a life sciences company enabling novel pharmaceutical RNA and protein development and production, is joining Gingko Bioworks’ team to help carry out its DARPA Reimagining Protein Manufacturing (RPM) project. Ginkgo Bioworks, which is building the leading platform for cell programming and biosecurity, was awarded a 4-year contract by The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) worth up to $18 million to reimagine how to manufacture complex therapeutic proteins.

As a performer on the DARPA RPM project, Ginkgo aims to deliver revolutionary advances in on-demand protein manufacturing by leveraging Cell-Free Protein Synthesis (CFPS) to enable rapid, high-yield, distributed production of human therapeutic proteins that support national security objectives. Ginkgo will lead the team including Alex Koglin from NTx, Professor Paul Freemont from Imperial College London, and consultant Michael Feldhaus, a former VP of Antibody Discovery at Adimab.

This news was covered by Fierce Pharma, Endpoints News and BioSpace.

BioSkryb Genomics and BIOKÉ Announced a Distribution Agreement for the Benelux and Nordic Regions

BioSkryb Genomics, a pioneer in comprehensive single-cell multiomic research solutions, has partnered with BIOKÉ, a leading distributor of life science technologies throughout Europe, to distribute Primary Template-directed Amplification (PTA) technology across the Benelux (Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg) and Nordic (Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Finland) regions.

By combining BIOKÉ’s in-depth knowledge of the genomics market space with BioSkryb’s innovative ResolveDNA and ResolveOME™ solutions, which enable whole genome and whole transcriptome analysis within each individual cell in an integrated workflow, this agreement will provide tools to researchers to study genomic heterogeneity and enable the development of new diagnostics for insights into human disease at the cellular level.

This news was covered by Genome Web.

 e-Zinc Appointed Accomplished Financial Executive Rhonda Landers as CFO

e-Zinc, the company enabling sustainable, long-duration energy storage with its zinc-air battery, appointed Rhonda Landers as its Chief Financial Officer. Ms. Landers will lead the company’s financial operations and play an integral role in business strategy development. She joins e-Zinc at a pivotal growth stage for the company and completes the executive leadership team, along with the recent additions of Zakiul (Zaki) Kabir, Chief Technology Officer, Rob Howard, Chief Operating Officer, and Balakrishnan (Balki) Iyer, Chief Commercial Officer.

Ms. Landers has more than two decades of experience in leadership roles within finance, strategy, and operations. Through similar advanced technology CFO positions at companies such as Nanosteel, Globe Wireless, and Seawave LCC, she has demonstrated leadership in capital raising, strategic planning, scaling operations, and strategic initiatives including strategic investments, licensing and acquisitions to progress technology maturation and achieve commercialization. Her experience spans diverse environments including startups, turnarounds and large industrial, public and private international companies in advanced materials and communications industries. Ms. Landers began her career at PriceWaterhouseCoopers.

Rhonda’s appointment was covered by Batteries News.

XGS Energy Added Two More Energy Industry Experts to its Leadership Team

XGS Energy, a leader in geothermal energy technology, has expanded its leadership team with the appointments of Axel-Pierre Bois, Ph.D. as Senior Vice President, Technology and Lucy Darago, Ph.D. as Vice President, Strategy.

Axel-Pierre Bois, Ph.D., SVP, Technology has more than 30 years of advanced geomechanics experience. Prior to XGS, Axel founded and served as CEO of CURISTEC, a geomechanics, well cementing, and wellbore integrity consultancy for the oil & gas, geothermal, and geological storage industries. He holds a Ph.D. in Geomechanics from the Université de Sherbrooke, in Quebec, Canada.

Lucy Darago, Ph.D., VP, Strategy is an expert in clean energy strategy and implementation. Previously, Lucy was a Principal at Boston Consulting Group, where she served as a strategic advisor to Fortune 500 energy companies and energy consumers in both the private and public sectors. Lucy holds a Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of California, Berkeley.

Excision BioTherapeutics Received FDA Fast Track Designation for its First-in-Class CRISPR-Based Gene Therapy Candidate to Functionally Cure HIV-1

Excision BioTherapeutics, Inc., a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing CRISPR-based therapies to cure viral infectious diseases, announced that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted Fast Track designation for its CRISPR-based therapy, EBT-101, a dual-cut CRISPR-based gene therapy for the treatment of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1). EBT-101 is being tested in an ongoing Phase 1/2 trial to assess its safety and tolerability in adults (18 to 65 years old) with HIV-1 who are on continuous antiretroviral therapy with HIV RNA below the level of detection.    

HIV-1 affects 38 million people worldwide, including 1.1 million in the US, with no available cures. EBT-101 is a potentially curative, one-time CRISPR-based treatment which makes two cuts in integrated retroviral DNA to remove large portions of the HIV genome and prevent HIV from escaping and reproducing. Excision’s ongoing Phase 1/2 trial is the first clinical evaluation of a CRISPR-based therapy targeting an infectious disease using a multiplexed in vivo gene editing approach.

Fast Track designation is intended to facilitate the development and expedite the review of potentially important new drugs to treat serious conditions with unmet medical needs. Therapies granted this designation are given the opportunity for more frequent interactions with the FDA and may qualify for other designations including accelerated approval and priority review.

This news was covered by San Francisco Business Journal, THEM and Contagion Live.

Liquid Instruments Kicked Off Global Roadshow to Explore Emerging Trends in Test and Measurement

Liquid Instruments, a leading innovator of software-defined instrumentation, announced that it is hosting a 2023 Global Roadshow in more than a dozen major cities across Asia, Europe, and North America to share the latest trends in test and measurement, strategies to overcome test challenges with modern tools, and the benefits of software-defined instrumentation.

Liquid Instruments kicked off the roadshow in Shanghai on July 12 during Laser World of Photonics China, an event that attracts leading scientists and engineers from around the world. As a nod to China’s strategic importance in the test and measurement market, Liquid Instruments partnered with regional distributor Aunion Tech to host a welcome reception where distinguished industry leaders discussed the transformative benefits of software-defined instrumentation, how to use artificial intelligence to accelerate test goals, and other current topics.

MedCrypt Partnered with Kansas State University to Drive Research on Medical Device Cybersecurity with Lifesaving Capabilities 

MedCrypt, Inc., the proactive cybersecurity solution provider for medical device manufacturers, has partnered with Kansas State University by providing a grant to drive advancements in quantifying regulatory and cybersecurity risk in the medical field. This summer, the partnership will aim to enhance medical device cybersecurity research by focusing on validating the tools used to assess client risk, incorporating a holistic approach, and seamlessly integrating technical elements and public and regulatory policy considerations.

The collaboration, led by Dr. Eugene Vasserman from Kansas State and Dr. Seth Carmody, MedCrypt's VP of Regulatory Strategy, aims to address the varied challenges of assessing and quantifying cybersecurity risks associated with interconnected medical devices and their impact on clinical care delivery, patient safety, and business continuity. The MedCrypt and Kansas State collaboration brings together premier research institutions to tackle challenging problems faced by MDMs. Additionally, it provides the possibility for working together between MedCrypt, Kansas, and Tufts University.

This announcement was covered by Health IT Security.

ADDITIONAL PC MEDIA COVERAGE

• Anzu Partners' Whitney Haring-Smith was quoted in an Alt Assets article on why VCs are focusing on regions outside of Silicon Valley for investments.
• InterVenn Biosciences' Co-Founder Carolyn Bertozzi was profiled in Fast Company.
• BioSkryb Genomics' Co-Founder Chuck Gawad contributed an article to Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News on single-cell whole genome sequencing.
• 6K was covered by The Eagle-Tribune following Senator Elizabeth Warren’s visit to its North Andover, MA facility.
• Xendee's VP of Mobility Joshua Goldman was featured in Electric Vehicle Charging & Infrastructure, highlighting the need for energy management platforms to scale EV charging projects. Xendee was also included on StartUs Insight’s list of the Top 10 Power Distribution Trends for 2024.
• Liquid Instruments' CEO Daniel Shaddock was interviewed by Easy Engineering about how Liquid Instruments is revolutionizing test equipment for scientists, engineers and students.
• AM Batteries was featured in Battery Technology as one of the leaders in dry battery electrode processing.
• OTI Lumionics' CEO Michael Helander wrote an article for Chemical Industry Journal on the challenges of streamlining materials discoveries for OEMs. 

CAREER OPPORTUNITIES

Anzu Partners and our portfolio companies are hiring

Browse the open roles here and learn more about joining our amazing teams.

FOLLOW US

To stay up to date on the latest news from both Anzu and our portfolio companies, follow us on social media.

ABOUT ANZU PARTNERS

Anzu Partners is an investment firm that focuses on industrial and life science technology companies with the potential to transform their industries. Anzu works with entrepreneurs to develop and commercialize technological innovations by providing capital alongside deep expertise in business development, market positioning, intellectual property, global connectivity, and operations. For more information, please visit:  https://anzupartners. com/