Cedars-Sinai Leaders, Mentors to Host Startup Companies From Singapore

LOS ANGELES (May 2, 2024) -- The Cedars-Sinai Accelerator and Technology Ventures teams, together with Coronet Ventures (Singapore) Pte. Ltd., a subsidiary of Cedars-Sinai Intellectual Property Company, will host 11 startup companies from Singapore during the Singapore Innovation Week event, May 6-10 in Los Angeles. The event is designed to help companies determine how their products fit into the healthcare and provider delivery landscape—both in the U.S. and internationally.  

“Participants will explore crucial topics such as regulatory requirements, intellectual property best practices, the role of internal review boards, and legal considerations for international companies,” said James D. Laur, JD, chief intellectual property officer at Cedars-Sinai. “Our goal is for these companies to end the week with an awareness of the complex environment that healthcare solutions need to navigate in order to enter the U.S. market.”

Participating companies will have the opportunity to learn from members of Cedars-Sinai Technology Ventures group, which brings medical innovations to the global marketplace by directing the commercial development of research through long-term relationships with industry partners and investors. The team’s goal is to advance healthcare solutions and improve the health and wellbeing of patients.

As a complement to the work of Technology Ventures, the Cedars-Sinai Accelerator supports the growth and development of early-stage companies focused on improving healthcare and healthcare delivery. Mentors from this program will also interact with these Singapore-based companies to provide guidance and support to help them understand what it takes to develop and scale innovative companies in the U.S. market.

Also offering guidance throughout the innovation week event is co-host Coronet Ventures, Cedars-Sinai Intellectual Property Company’s Singapore-based investment vehicle, which focuses on advancing the development of early-stage health and biomedical startups in Singapore.

“The event is often a pivotal point in a company’s trajectory, and we are eager to see what will be unearthed during our latest innovation week,” said Nirdesh K. Gupta, PhD, managing director of Cedars-Sinai’s Technology Ventures and the accelerator, and CEO of Coronet Ventures.

Gupta said Coronet Ventures aims to invest in 12 to 15 startups over the next five years, with financial support ranging from $500,000 to $5 million.

Enterprise Singapore, a government agency dedicated to supporting the growth of Singapore enterprises, will also participate in the Cedars-Sinai event, as it has been a longtime supporter of Coronet Ventures.

“The U.S. has the largest healthcare market in the world and offers vast opportunities for emerging biomedical startups,” said Clarice Chen, PhD, director of Healthcare and Biomedical at Enterprise Singapore. “The nation also has a mature ecosystem that offers access to leading healthcare companies, FDA [Food and Drug Administration] approval, clinical trials and venture capital. We are pleased to collaborate with Cedars-Sinai to assist Singapore startups in navigating the healthcare landscape and establishing their footprint in the U.S.”

The 11 participating companies are: 

• BluMaiden Biosciences is an artificial intelligence-guided (AI-guided) drug discovery company providing actionable clinical insights to enhance clinical trial decision-making through its Pharma Service, and identifying licensable small molecule drugs via its flagship platform MAIDENTM.
   
• Carecam is redefining therapeutics by creating digital biomarkers from human body motion to enable early interventions and deliver personalized care for neurodegenerative and cardiovascular diseases.
   
• HiCura develops AI ultrasound guidance software for interventional radiology procedures.
   
• Kinexcs is an AI-driven digital health platform and wearables company with a mission to enable and empower people for mobility and a better quality of life.
   
• Kronikare is revolutionizing chronic wound care with early detection and efficiency. The AI-powered KroniKare Wound Scanner sets a new standard in healthcare technology.
   
• KYAN Technologies has a novel technology platform that combines small data AI and biological experiments in order to support clinicians to truly personalize treatment for their cancer patients and also work with pharmaceutical companies to efficiently discover drug-dose combinations.
   
• NalaGenetics develops next-generation genomic interpretation for germline sequencing, focusing on diverse populations. The company combines monogenic risk, polygenic risk, and clinical/epigenetic risk, and suggests personalized prevention strategies for cancer, cardiometabolic disorders, psychiatry, and neurodegenerative conditions.
   
• NousQ is developing the world's first robotic, handheld, automated device that inserts ear tympanostomy tubes with just one click, thus facilitating in-clinic/local anesthesia surgery instead of the usual operating theater and general anesthesia surgery. This increases affordability, adoption and access.
   
• Pedra Technology’s perfusion monitor is a Food and Drug Administration-designated breakthrough device that provides precision guidance during endovascular procedures to treat critical limb-threatening ischemia, with early U.K. data showing the potential for reducing readmission and amputation rates.
   
• Qritive designs and deploys AI-powered solutions that enable histopathologic diagnosis of cancer at scale, resulting in improved patient outcome and better health equity.
   
• TIIM Healthcare is revolutionizing cardiac triage through AI-powered software, enabling doctors to assess chest pain patients with speed, enhanced accuracy and confidence.

Read more on the Cedars-Sinai Blog: How AI Is Born: Patient Needs Drive Development