| DEALFLOWUPDATE Issue #34. Friday, June 14 |
Hello Everyone, For this newsletter, we’ll be featuring the topics of the microbiome, mental conditions and directed energy, and consumer diagnostics. Additionally, we’ll also cover a new topic of supplying power to medical devices. -Neal If this is your first issue, please subscribe and consider sharing with others. Additionally, we welcome news from our readers, if you’re up to something interesting, let us know. Email chad@zoiccapital.com |
Dealflow  The Microbiome, Diabetes and Depression Treatment We have recently discussed the microbiome as an increasing area of interest for research, startups, and acquisitions. The gut bacteria that live with us are important in maintaining health and play a primary role in bowel diseases and other conditions like the cold. Now, research shows that gut bacteria play even more of a role, perhaps involved in conditions such as anxiety. Diagnostics that can determine the root cause, and, better yet, provide guidance on what dietary changes can be made can be essential in providing people with information in treating their conditions, without resorting to pharmaceuticals. In the field of consumer diagnostics, diabetes care is probably still the largest market. Measuring insulin and glucose is the realm of a large percentage of the deals that we do see, even though many of the products are commoditized. Interestingly, there has not been as much integration of the data acquired by these devices yet, even though such a collection and processing of large amounts of that data would be incredibly valuable. This would be used for research and monetized for use by pharma, for example. There are some recent attempts, though, to put together devices and record and track the data. We have covered epilepsy and seizure detection previously. Current devices either do not exist or are inadequate in early detection and location of these conditions. A system that we have been tracking for some time, though, has recently been granted expanded clearance by the FDA. This expanded coverage is especially interesting as it allows the data gathered to be personalized and over a longer period of time. The ultimate goal would be to use this data to personalize the treatment protocols that follow. In a similar field, there is still more activity in the field of depression treatment devices, especially noninvasive devices. We have seen and tracked several noninvasive systems in this area, but most were large clinic-only systems. Now, we are seeing more launches of at-home depression treatment systems. These continuously stimulate specific areas of the brand, which could lead to better effects due to constant application and, just like in the last example, provide more data for customized options. Lastly, a topic that we haven’t covered before but is quite important is powering medical devices. In particular, the push towards smaller, and more mobile devices particularly for at-home use means that innovations in battery and energy storage are just as needed here (or perhaps more so) than they are for consumer electronics and transportation. A recent try to use alternative means of energy production uses the patient’s own movements to power a prospective medical device. This may be useful for low-power devices, particularly diagnostics that continuously monitor the patient, just like the previous examples. This could fit into our investment metrics, or something similar, as it has broad applicability and, if there is a novel mechanism, IP potential as well. Spotlight  #Inventures 2019: Invent. Invest. Inspire. Zoic Capital Managing Director, Neal Mody, joined the Inventures 2019 Conference in Calgary. Focused on opportunities and challenges for health and medical tech entrepreneurs and investors the panel included distinguished guests and fellow Creative Destruction Lab investors, Ray Muzyka, Topaz Conway, Barry Allen, and moderated by Ali Ardakani, the Founder and Managing Director of Novateur Ventures Inc. #CDL – Creative Destruction Lab, Toronto Super Session. Zoic Capital attended the Creative Destruction Lab (CDL) Super Session in Toronto. Neal Mody, Zoic Managing Director, serves as program mentor to the largest and greatest session of CDL; an annual showcase of the program’s graduating early-stage tech companies.  Eugene Joseph, Founder, and CEO of Prime Discoveries, a leading microbiome discovery company.  CDL founder Ajay Agrawal leads a fireside chat with prolific investor Vinod Khosla on “AI: Scary for the Right Reasons” to close out Day 1 of CDL Super Session. What We’re Reading SMITHSONIAN How the Gut Microbiome Could Provide a New Tool to Treat Autism BLOOMBERG Drug To Replace Chemotherapy May Reshape Cancer Care WASHINGTON POST A Blockbuster Drug Appeared To Prevent Alzheimer’s. Why Was It Kept Secret? TECHCRUNCH Sequoia-Backed Whole Biome Wants To Heal Your Gut With Medical-Grade Probiotics Connect With Zoic Capital |
| The Biweekly Dealflow Update, curated by the team at Zoic Capital. |
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