Portfolio News

With VC Funding Down 53%, Wasabi Technologies Defies The Odds — Raising $250 Million

It’s hard for startups to raise money these days. So when a startup raised a quarter of a billion dollars last month, it got my attention. Such odds-defying startups offer valuable lessons for all startup CEOs. This comes to mind in considering the news that Boston-based cloud storage company, Wasabi Technologies, closed a $250 million round of funding last month at a $1.1 billion valuation, according to a company press release. Read more >>
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Landsdowne Labs Awarded Patent for Button Battery Coating to Reduce Ingestion Injuries

LANDSDOWNE LABS, LLC, has been awarded US patent 11,469,465 B2 for a novel battery coating aimed at preventing small, coin-like “button batteries” from causing bodily injuries when swallowed, the company announced yesterday. Such injuries impact many thousands of individuals each year--the vast majority of them children under age 6, who accidentally swallow batteries used to power consumer devices. “We believe our new battery coating has the potential to reduce serious injuries that impact many thousands of lives,” said Melissa Fensterstock,...
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Wine not? The stars who have released their own wines…

It started off with celebrity perfumes, now celebrity wines, what’s next? A growing list of celebrities have jumped on the bandwagon and released their own bottles. Wine not? Celebrity-owned wines: Elizabeth Banks. In 2021, the ‘Hunger Games’ actress joined the leading artisanal canned wine company U.S. Archer Roose, founded by Marian Leitner-Waldman, in a bid to democratise fine wine. Read more >>
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Fairfield startup company works on new technology that deactivates ingested button batteries

Landsdowne Labs is developing ChildLok, a technology that will deactivate the battery once swallowed to prevent burns. The company CEO says at least 3,500 button battery ingestion injuries happen in the U.S. each year. Trista Hamsmith, whose 18-month-old Reese Hamsmith died after swallowing one, says she supports this new technology. Read more >>
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Companies To Watch: CytoAgents

CytoAgents primarily focuses on developing a single lead drug, coded CTO1681, in multiple indications involving cytokine release syndrome (CRS). Simply stated, CRS is “an overreaction of the immune system, commonly known as cytokine storm.” It has many causes and affects many areas and systems of the body. CTO1681 targets the NF-kB (nuclear factor kappa B) signaling pathway to modulate cytokine production, thus reducing inflammation. CytoAgents has early programs in four areas: oncology (with CAR T-cell therapy), dermatology (atopic dermatitis), neurology...
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It’s now time to step on the gas pedal’: Group nears commercial production of single-cell protein for use in aquafeed

Massachusetts-based biotechnology company KnipBio said it is on the cusp of moving into commercial production after recently winning approval for its single-cell protein for use in salmon aquafeed in Canada. In the past year, the company has produced around 100 metric tons of its feed protein using third-party production facilities, having earlier gained regulatory approval in the United States for use in both finfish and shrimp feed. Within 15 months, or probably a little bit more than a year, is...
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Wasabi CEO David Friend: $250M Funding To Double Channel Reach, Fuel Global Expansion

Boston-based cloud storage company Wasabi Technologies this week said it has raised an additional $250 million in funding, half of which came from private equity and other institutional investors and half from debt, and said the company now has a valuation of over $1.1 billion. The new funding represents a big bet on Wasabi, which is using its large channel and alliance partner base to compete against cloud giants like Amazon Web Services by promising to provide cloud storage for...
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Entrepreneurs who succeeded against all odds

RAHUL SINGH, Co-Founder, EcoSoul Home Inc A global business leader and an entrepreneur at heart with a passion for environment sustainability, social transformation, and empowerment. Post his MBA from XLRI Jamshedpur, he built a successful career 15 years long career in Consulting, Banking and Ecommerce in New York, USA. Driven by his passion for environment and sustainability, he started his entrepreneurial journey from 2020 as the co-founder of EcoSoul Home Inc. Read more >>
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Landsdowne Labs and CBMM Form International Partnership Aimed at Enhancing Button Battery Safety for Children

With reports of a recent sharp rise in child ingestion of button batteries, Landsdowne Labs, LLC, a Fairfield, CT. spinout from the world-renowned Langer Lab at MIT, and CBMM, the global leader in Niobium products, are pleased to announce a partnership to further develop battery technology aimed at preventing severe injury or fatality if button batteries are swallowed. The patent-pending technology, under development by Landsdowne Labs, involves an innovative coating aimed at halting chemical reactions when batteries come into contact...
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