Early stage venture capital is in its infancy in Louisiana. Historically early stage investing in Louisiana has been done by high net worth individuals but it is sporadic, not well organized and does not provide sufficient capital or resources to early stage companies. Out of state venture funds and Louisiana CAPCO’s provide large pools of capital to late stage companies requiring large equity and debt financing. As a result of this gap in financing, early stage high technology companies either do not get started, struggle for financing or move out of Louisiana.
Targeted investments, are companies developing commercially promising technologies with an emphasis on those originating in Louisiana Universities, Louisiana companies and companies relocating to Louisiana. The companies will be in life sciences, including: pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, agritechnology, information technology and other high technology opportunities that offer venture capital returns.
Closing the gap between
the hardships of investment and research
Louisiana Funds are an early stage venture capital funds focused on the identification of investment opportunities emanating from research universities and other organizations in the state of Louisiana.
Louisiana universities spend over $500 million annually on research in the areas of interest to Louisiana Funds.
Richard Babb
Managing Director
Mr. Babb has over 30 years of diverse business, accounting and financial management experience, having been a Manager with Ernst & Young’s Entrepreneurial Services Group handling various venture capital clients, having been the Chief Financial Officer for Medical Science Partners, a Harvard-affiliated life science venture capital fund and as the NASD Chief Compliance Officer, for Apeiron Partners LLC.
Richard holds a BS in Business Administration from American International College and is an inactive Certified Public Accountant, and has NASD licenses Series 7, 24, 28 & 63.
Joseph Lovett
Managing Director
Mr. Lovett has over 34 years of venture capital and operations experience in the healthcare areas of biotechnology, medical devices and equipment, diagnostics, imaging and services. Operations experience included increasingly responsible positions in marketing and general management at CR Bard, Mallinckrodt and Damon Biotech. Venture capital experience includes three venture capital funds (1988-2003) as general partner in affiliation with Harvard University managing $70,000,000 which resulted in 13 IPOs, 6 sales of private companies, 3 private companies. Mr. Lovett has a BA in economics from the University of Vermont and an MBA from California State Polytechnic University (Pomona).
Precisis is developing an implantable treatment modality for chronic epilepsy. The implant will be located under the scalp (subgaleal) but outside the skull (epicranial) and is based upon an electrode technology to deliver electrical stimulation allowing the precise targeting of defined areas of the brain. There are 2.8 million people in the US and a larger number of people worldwide diagnosed with epilepsy and 1/3 do not respond to drug therapy.
Developing unique and innovative targeted oncolytic cancer therapeutics that utilize a novel mechanism of action to selectively kill cancer cells. These targeted products kill only cancer cells that express the target specific molecules such as receptors or antigens on their surface. Normal cells that do not express these surface molecules remain unharmed. Target indications for our products include breast, prostate, ovarian, endometrial, pancreatic, liver, skin, blood (leukemia and lymphoma) and testicular cancers.
Mezzo’s core product technology is based upon a compact, lightweight micro-tube heat exchanger that is used for high-end thermal management applications in the areas of propulsion systems cooling, electronics cooling (computers, power electronics, radar, lasers), air conditioning, nuclear and other applications.
Developed a catheter with oxygen sensing technology to locate the opening of the coronary sinus for the insertion of a pacemaker lead which will be placed through the coronary sinus and maneuvered through the coronary vasculature into the wall of the left ventricle for use in biventricular pacing. Currently placement is performed by the use of fluoroscopy which is time consuming and exposes the physician to large amounts of radiation.
Active Battery Management complete battery maintenance regimen that utilizes cutting edge technology to improve battery health, automate processes, and generate savings. It is more than simple battery monitoring.
Novel proprietary aortic valve repair and valve sparing implant that addresses aortic insufficiency (AI). Maintains the native valve, remodels the annulus, and avoids anti-coagulation therapy. Model 300 for tri-leaflet and Model 200 for bicuspid disease
Calosyn has developed intra-articular therapeutic drugs for osteoarthritis of the knee based on proprietary combinations of ion channel modulators (ICM’s) currently in clinical use. Osteoarthritis (OA) is a chronic joint disorder which results in the deterioration or breakdown of articular cartilage and is the most single common cause of disability in older adults. The morbidity associated with OA includes pain and limitation of mobility and function. Surgical replacement of weight bearing joints is often required.
A customer-centric web-based e-Learning training products company, providing services to corporate, academic and government clients.
Primorigen provides innovative solutions for stem cell maintenance, proliferation, differentiation and large scale production. Existing products include Vitronectin XF™, a recombinant human protein that offers a defined, xenobiotic-free substrate for pluripotent cell proliferation and differentiation, MesoTotal™ a high efficiency, high yield hematopoietic stem cell differentiation medium, high quality monoclonal antibodies validated for stem cell characterization--including flow cytometry, human cytokines and growth factors, and others.
Tesa Medical, Inc. has developed the GraftGrab soft tissue fixation device for use in anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction
Sinopsys surgical has developed the Sinopsys Lacrimal Stent (SLS™), and pioneered the Lacrimal Ethmoid Access Procedure (LEAP™), which are intended to significantly reduce symptoms and improve quality of life. The company is currently enrolling an FDA Investigational Device Exemption clinical study in the United States to evaluate LEAP and the SLS for chronic sinus disease. Sinopsys Surgical is poised to bridge the gap between what has traditionally been a choice of surgery or medication in the treatment of sinus disease.
A cloud-based, enterprise business platform designed to take over a company’s entire workflow environment end to end, handling all business forms, approvals, mobile applications and portals. Perfect for any business trying to create a competent and long-term IT strategy, Omnidek consolidates these services and eliminates the need to have several apps.
Embera NeuroTherapeutics is a clinical stage, specialty pharmaceutical company that has been formed to develop novel treatments for a broad range of addictions. The company is running clinical trials with a patent-protected combination drug designed to treat a wide array of addictions by targeting specific brain functions that lead to cravings and relapse. The technology has been licensed from the LSU Health Sciences Center based upon research performed in the laboratory of Dr. Nicholas E. Goeders, Head of the Department of Pharmacology, Toxicology & Neuroscience.
Dowley Security, Inc. is a security provider operating in the Southwestern US and is a DOD and NSF certified provider of security systems. DS is uniquely positioned to exploit the burgeoning security demands of private and public infrastructure customers impacted by compliance mandates from expanding federal and state security regulations. In addition to providing the installation and recurring monthly services for leading technology systems the company’s focus includes regulatory compliance consulting, security audits, and vulnerability assessments.
NuPotential is pioneering the discovery and development of next generation “Epi-drugs”, novel compounds that modulate epigenetic targets and their processes, initially for the treatment of cancer, and potentially for metabolic, inflammatory, and neurodegenerative disease. NuPotential’s proprietary understandings of key epigenetic pathways and related biology have elicited a number of attractive drug targets and formed the basis for select discovery strategies for novel pharmaceutical intervention towards them.
Bioceptive has developed a patented suction based replacement for the cervical tenaculum and a revolutionary new intrauterine device (IUD) inserter. The disposable suction cervical retractor received FDA 510(k) clearance in 2014 and serves as a platform device for creating a number of other devices for a number of other intrauterine procedures.
Mirata Pharmaceuticals is developing new options for patients and physicians that provide the powerful pain relieving benefits of opioids, but without the significant side effects.
Qure4u software is a supplemental product for large EHR packages that are not patient friendly. Allows patients to access all their medical records and medical device data on one platform. Company was successful in Denmark with 2 million users