M Ventures

M Ventures is an early-stage venture capital firm based in Los Angeles, California, focusing on direct investments in technology companies. Established in 2017, it seeks innovative ideas, technologies, and products that can capitalize on cultural shifts and trends in a diverse global marketplace. The firm primarily invests in information technology and software, targeting companies that have the potential for substantial growth. M Ventures emerged from the merger of two successful seed funds, Cross Culture Ventures and M Ventures, creating a unified approach to identifying and nurturing promising ventures. By concentrating on early-stage opportunities, M Ventures aims to support entrepreneurs in transforming their groundbreaking concepts into impactful businesses.

Ilja Aizenberg

Principal

Jasper Bos

Vice President and Head of Healthcare

Daniel Franke

Associate

Hakan Goker

Managing Director

Keno Gutierrez

Investment Director

Nadiya Ishnazarova

Principal

Alicia Iruzun Lafitte

Principal

Therese Liechtenstein

Senior Investment Director

Zhenni Liu

Partner

Owen Lozman

Vice President and Head of Performance Materials Fund

Sarah Luppino

Associate

Michael Palank

General Partner

Christian Patze

Investment Director

Jennifer Randle

COO

Javier Rodriguez

CFO

Sebastian Schoefer

Senior Associate

Christian Uhrich

Investment Director

Noga Yerushalmi

Investment Director

Tobias Egle@m

Associate

Past deals in Switzerland

Altoida

Series A in 2022
Altoida AG, founded in 2016 and based in Lucerne, Switzerland, develops a healthcare platform and application specifically for Alzheimer’s patients. The Altoida application is the first validated solution designed to predict the risk of Alzheimer’s disease before symptoms appear, providing healthcare professionals with objective measurements of cognitive performance. The platform utilizes an augmented reality framework to conduct various tests that assess spatial memory, prospective memory, and executive functions. These tests can identify early and subtle cognitive changes up to six years prior to the onset of typical neurodegenerative symptoms. The Altoida Neuro Motor Index (NMI) serves as an active digital biomarker for early detection of cognitive and functional changes. The application is intended for patients aged 62 and older and is used as an adjunctive tool to evaluate perceptual and memory function. Results from the tests are accessible in real-time via a secure web-based dashboard, ensuring compliance with HIPAA regulations. Altoida's innovative approach aims to make brain health assessments more affordable, accessible, and actionable for doctors, researchers, and healthcare providers.

Aeler

Seed Round in 2022
Aeler Technologies SA specializes in manufacturing advanced smart containers for supply chain operations, focusing on the Internet of Things (IoT). Established in 2016 and based in Lausanne, Switzerland, the company offers the Aeler C-cube, a smart container designed with features such as insulation, encapsulation, and integrated sensors to optimize weight. Aeler's innovative containers are constructed from composite materials, making them lighter and stronger while providing protection against temperature variations. Additionally, the company has developed a cloud-based platform that automates information flows and enhances decision-making through predictive analysis. Aeler's solutions aim to improve efficiency, visibility, and sustainability in logistics, helping clients reduce operating costs, fuel consumption, and carbon emissions while ensuring real-time monitoring and traceability of goods in transit.

Calypso Biotech

Series A in 2021
Calypso Biotech SA is an immunotherapy biotechnology company based in Plan-les-Ouates, Switzerland, founded in 2013 as a spin-off from Merck Serono. The company specializes in discovering and developing monoclonal antibodies aimed at treating immune pathologies, particularly for conditions with significant unmet medical needs, including severe gastrointestinal diseases. Calypso Biotech operates as a semi-virtual organization, leveraging a highly experienced management team with expertise in drug development. The company focuses on creating substantial value for investors through a portfolio of unique proprietary antibody candidates designed to control homeostasis and improve treatment outcomes for patients.

iOnctura

Series A in 2020
iOnctura SA is a biopharmaceutical company based in Geneva, Switzerland, founded in 2017. The company focuses on developing innovative therapeutics aimed at modulating immunosuppression within the tumor microenvironment, which is a significant barrier to effective cancer treatment. Its product pipeline includes selective Pi3K inhibitors, Anti-Lag 3 antibodies, ATX inhibitors, Anti-CXCL12 antibodies, and Anti-CD73 antibodies. iOnctura aims to enhance the efficacy of existing immune checkpoint therapies by creating novel drugs that, when used in combination with these therapies, can optimize clinical outcomes for cancer patients. The company has formed partnerships with Merck and Cancer Research Technology, leveraging their resources to advance its preclinical molecules and establish promising combination therapies within cancer immunology. Supported by a distinguished scientific advisory board, iOnctura is well-positioned to innovate in the rapidly evolving field of cancer treatment.

SynSense

Series A in 2020
SynSense is a leading-edge neuromorphic computing company. It provides dedicated mixed-signal/fully digital neuromorphic processors which overcome the limitations of legacy von Neumann computers to provide an unprecedented combination of ultra-low power consumption and low-latency performance. SynSense is founded in March 2017 based on advances in neuromorphic computing hardware developed at the Institute of Neuroinformatics of the University of Zurich and ETH Zurich. aiCTX is developing “full-stack” custom neuromorphic processors for a variety of artificial-intelligence (AI) edge-computing applications that require ultra-low-power and ultra-low-latency features, including autonomous robots, always-on co-processors for mobile and embedded devices, wearable health-care systems, security, IoT applications, and computing at the network edge.

FoRx Therapeutics

Seed Round in 2020
FoRx Therapeutics AG is a biotechnology company based in Basel, Switzerland, founded in 2019. It specializes in developing innovative therapeutics for cancer treatment by targeting key molecular pathways involved in DNA replication stress. The company aims to create first-in-class compounds that represent a novel approach in the fight against cancer, focusing on drugging specific molecular targets associated with this replication stress. Through its research and development efforts, FoRx Therapeutics seeks to contribute to the advancement of targeted anticancer drugs within the healthcare industry.

iOnctura

Series A in 2020
iOnctura SA is a biopharmaceutical company based in Geneva, Switzerland, founded in 2017. The company focuses on developing innovative therapeutics aimed at modulating immunosuppression within the tumor microenvironment, which is a significant barrier to effective cancer treatment. Its product pipeline includes selective Pi3K inhibitors, Anti-Lag 3 antibodies, ATX inhibitors, Anti-CXCL12 antibodies, and Anti-CD73 antibodies. iOnctura aims to enhance the efficacy of existing immune checkpoint therapies by creating novel drugs that, when used in combination with these therapies, can optimize clinical outcomes for cancer patients. The company has formed partnerships with Merck and Cancer Research Technology, leveraging their resources to advance its preclinical molecules and establish promising combination therapies within cancer immunology. Supported by a distinguished scientific advisory board, iOnctura is well-positioned to innovate in the rapidly evolving field of cancer treatment.

Altoida

Series A in 2019
Altoida AG, founded in 2016 and based in Lucerne, Switzerland, develops a healthcare platform and application specifically for Alzheimer’s patients. The Altoida application is the first validated solution designed to predict the risk of Alzheimer’s disease before symptoms appear, providing healthcare professionals with objective measurements of cognitive performance. The platform utilizes an augmented reality framework to conduct various tests that assess spatial memory, prospective memory, and executive functions. These tests can identify early and subtle cognitive changes up to six years prior to the onset of typical neurodegenerative symptoms. The Altoida Neuro Motor Index (NMI) serves as an active digital biomarker for early detection of cognitive and functional changes. The application is intended for patients aged 62 and older and is used as an adjunctive tool to evaluate perceptual and memory function. Results from the tests are accessible in real-time via a secure web-based dashboard, ensuring compliance with HIPAA regulations. Altoida's innovative approach aims to make brain health assessments more affordable, accessible, and actionable for doctors, researchers, and healthcare providers.

Calypso Biotech

Series A in 2019
Calypso Biotech SA is an immunotherapy biotechnology company based in Plan-les-Ouates, Switzerland, founded in 2013 as a spin-off from Merck Serono. The company specializes in discovering and developing monoclonal antibodies aimed at treating immune pathologies, particularly for conditions with significant unmet medical needs, including severe gastrointestinal diseases. Calypso Biotech operates as a semi-virtual organization, leveraging a highly experienced management team with expertise in drug development. The company focuses on creating substantial value for investors through a portfolio of unique proprietary antibody candidates designed to control homeostasis and improve treatment outcomes for patients.

Inthera Bioscience

Series A in 2018
Inthera Bioscience AG is a private biopharmaceutical company based in Switzerland, established in 2013. The company specializes in developing targeted small molecule therapies aimed at treating solid tumors. Inthera employs a proprietary technology platform to create inhibitors of intracellular protein-protein interactions, which are designed to block aberrant cell signaling associated with cancer. By focusing on rationally designed oral agents, Inthera aims to enhance treatment outcomes for patients with solid tumors. The company is headquartered in Schlieren, Switzerland, and is committed to advancing innovative therapeutic solutions in oncology.

iOnctura

Seed Round in 2017
iOnctura SA is a biopharmaceutical company based in Geneva, Switzerland, founded in 2017. The company focuses on developing innovative therapeutics aimed at modulating immunosuppression within the tumor microenvironment, which is a significant barrier to effective cancer treatment. Its product pipeline includes selective Pi3K inhibitors, Anti-Lag 3 antibodies, ATX inhibitors, Anti-CXCL12 antibodies, and Anti-CD73 antibodies. iOnctura aims to enhance the efficacy of existing immune checkpoint therapies by creating novel drugs that, when used in combination with these therapies, can optimize clinical outcomes for cancer patients. The company has formed partnerships with Merck and Cancer Research Technology, leveraging their resources to advance its preclinical molecules and establish promising combination therapies within cancer immunology. Supported by a distinguished scientific advisory board, iOnctura is well-positioned to innovate in the rapidly evolving field of cancer treatment.

Inthera Bioscience

Series A in 2017
Inthera Bioscience AG is a private biopharmaceutical company based in Switzerland, established in 2013. The company specializes in developing targeted small molecule therapies aimed at treating solid tumors. Inthera employs a proprietary technology platform to create inhibitors of intracellular protein-protein interactions, which are designed to block aberrant cell signaling associated with cancer. By focusing on rationally designed oral agents, Inthera aims to enhance treatment outcomes for patients with solid tumors. The company is headquartered in Schlieren, Switzerland, and is committed to advancing innovative therapeutic solutions in oncology.

Prexton Therapeutics

Series B in 2017
Prexton Therapeutics is a Swiss-based biopharmaceutical company, founded in 2012 by Francois Conquet and MS Ventures as part of the Merck Serono Entrepreneur Partnership Program, a facility to support the creation of spin-offs from Merck Serono. Prexton Therapeutics applies a new scientific approach that fully integrates molecular, behavioural and chemistry technologies to address Parkinson’s disease and other brain disorders. Prexton Therapeutics uses its powerful discovery platform to target specific novel compounds focused on the treatment of Parkinson’s disease.

ObsEva

Series B in 2015
ObsEva SA is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company based in Geneva, Switzerland, dedicated to developing innovative therapeutics for women's reproductive health and pregnancy. Founded in 2012 by Ernest Loumaye and André Chollet, the company focuses on addressing serious conditions such as endometriosis, heavy menstrual bleeding, and preterm labor. Its key products include Linzagolix, an oral gonadotropin-releasing hormone receptor antagonist aimed at treating pain from endometriosis and uterine fibroids, and OBE022, a selective prostaglandin F2α receptor antagonist designed for once-daily treatment of preterm labor. Additionally, ObsEva is advancing Nolasiban, an oral oxytocin receptor antagonist intended to enhance clinical pregnancy and live birth rates in women undergoing in vitro fertilization. The company operates primarily in Switzerland and is committed to improving outcomes for women facing reproductive health challenges.

Asceneuron

Series A in 2015
Asceneuron SA is a biotechnology company based in Lausanne, Switzerland, founded in 2012, that focuses on discovering and developing therapeutics for neurodegenerative disorders with significant unmet medical needs. The company targets conditions such as progressive supranuclear palsy, orphan tauopathies, Alzheimer’s disease, and Parkinson’s disease. Asceneuron aims to develop orally bioavailable small molecule drugs that address both symptomatic relief and disease progression for these debilitating conditions. Tauopathies, characterized by the accumulation of tau protein deposits in the brain, are a key area of focus, as they currently lack effective treatments. With the increasing prevalence of Alzheimer's disease posing a major healthcare challenge, Asceneuron aspires to become a leading entity in the biotech sector by providing innovative and more effective therapeutic options for patients suffering from neurodegenerative diseases. The company operates as a subsidiary of Merck KGaA.

Prexton Therapeutics

Series A in 2015
Prexton Therapeutics is a Swiss-based biopharmaceutical company, founded in 2012 by Francois Conquet and MS Ventures as part of the Merck Serono Entrepreneur Partnership Program, a facility to support the creation of spin-offs from Merck Serono. Prexton Therapeutics applies a new scientific approach that fully integrates molecular, behavioural and chemistry technologies to address Parkinson’s disease and other brain disorders. Prexton Therapeutics uses its powerful discovery platform to target specific novel compounds focused on the treatment of Parkinson’s disease.

Calypso Biotech

Seed Round in 2013
Calypso Biotech SA is an immunotherapy biotechnology company based in Plan-les-Ouates, Switzerland, founded in 2013 as a spin-off from Merck Serono. The company specializes in discovering and developing monoclonal antibodies aimed at treating immune pathologies, particularly for conditions with significant unmet medical needs, including severe gastrointestinal diseases. Calypso Biotech operates as a semi-virtual organization, leveraging a highly experienced management team with expertise in drug development. The company focuses on creating substantial value for investors through a portfolio of unique proprietary antibody candidates designed to control homeostasis and improve treatment outcomes for patients.
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