FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Close to 50 investor-ready companies will showcase investable opportunities across biotech, pharma, medical device, diagnostics, digital health, and animal health

DENVER – June 29, 2025 Colorado BioScience Association (CBSA) announces the presenting companies selected for the 2026 Rocky Mountain Life Sciences Investor & Partnering Conference Presented by BioMed Realty, bringing a powerful cross-section of high-growth life sciences opportunities to investors and strategic partners in Vail, September 30 through October 2, 2026. The lineup features close to 50 companies from Colorado and the Rocky Mountain West advancing clinical pipelines, scalable platforms, breakthrough devices, precision diagnostics, digital health tools, and patient-centered solutions designed to improve and save lives.

The conference highlights investment-ready companies and creates opportunities to build relationships that help companies grow, scale, and succeed.

“This lineup reflects why life sciences companies from Colorado and the Rocky Mountain West are increasingly on the radar for investors and strategic partners,” said Elyse Blazevich, President & CEO of Colorado BioScience Association. “The presenting companies are tackling some of the most urgent challenges in healthcare, and they reflect the ambition, ingenuity, and momentum building across our region. The Rocky Mountain Life Sciences Investor & Partnering conference is designed to turn that momentum into meaningful connections. It brings capital, strategic partners, and industry leaders together to help promising, high-growth companies move faster toward impact for patients around the world.”

PRESENTING COMPANIES – BIOTECH + PHARMA: SEED + PRE-SEED

Andon Bio: Funding Sought: $2M Pre-Seed

Andon Bio is making protein production predictable. The company is the first to measure the cell’s charged-tRNA supply, the resource protein synthesis depends on but that no existing tool can see.

GenesisTissue Inc. | Funding Sought: $5M Seed

GenesisTissue Inc. is a biotechnology company using 3D printing to develop the next generation of personalized surgical solutions for soft tissue – starting with the breast. Our platform includes Regenerative Breast Tissue (RBT), a biodegradable scaffold that supports soft tissue regeneration, and OnPlants™, a patient-specific wearable that allows patients and surgeons to evaluate aesthetic outcomes before surgery.

Illumen Therapeutics | Funding Sought: $3M Seed

Illumen Therapeutics, a University of Colorado spinout, is pursuing a novel therapeutic strategy to treat aggressive cancers, such as colorectal and pancreatic cancers, by restoring functional p53 through inhibiting the enzyme PARN. This breakthrough in oncology drug development avoids the historical problems exhibited with MDM2 inhibitors.

Intero Biosystems | Funding Sought: $5M Seed

Intero Biosystems has developed the first induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived Human Intestinal Organoid to contain the major cell types of the human intestine mimicking the organ’s spatial organization and function. GastroScreen can be used in preclinical assays, disease modeling, toxicity testing, and in functional tests to predict how drugs will behave in humans, mitigating risk, saving money, and identifying safer, more effective compounds.

Parley Neurotech | Funding Sought: $3M Seed

Parley Neurotech is a clinical-stage CU Anschutz spinout developing LOOT, a combination therapy pairing clemastine fumarate with proprietary engineered acoustic stimulation to treat age-related central auditory processing disorder (CAPD), a modifiable dementia risk factor. By restoring the ability to hear speech in noise, Parley aims to slow cognitive decline.

Pearl Scientific | Funding Sought: $10M Seed

Pearl Scientific is developing a first-in-class therapeutic platform targeting SEMA7A, a driver of therapy resistance, metastatic recurrence, and breast cancer–related mortality. Extensive preclinical studies and analyses of patient datasets demonstrate that SEMA7A functions both as a critical disease mediator and a biomarker that defines high-risk breast cancer subtypes.

Pionarus Bio, Inc. | Funding Sought: $2.5M Seed

Pionarus Bio is a pharmaceutical company developing cannabinoid-inspired therapeutics for bone health, headquartered at the Fitzsimons Innovation Community at CU Anschutz in Aurora, Colorado. Our lead candidate, PIO-001, is a selective CB2 receptor agonist engineered for enhanced metabolic stability through strategic molecular design, targeting the well-validated role of the endocannabinoid system in regulating bone remodeling.

Renovare Therapeutics | Funding Sought: $4M Seed

Renovare Therapeutics is a biotechnology company developing a pipeline of regenerative therapies for osteoarthritis (OA), a disease impacting 500 million patients globally with no disease-modifying treatments available. Our technology spans advanced particle drug delivery, regenerative biomaterials, and engineered gene therapy, allowing us to address the full disease spectrum.

2508 Biosciences | Funding Sought: $6M Seed

2508 Biosciences is a preclinical CNS-focused pharmaceutical company developing novel small molecules designed for intranasal delivery. The company’s primary focus is the treatment of acute mild to moderate traumatic brain injury (TBI) with a secondary program targeting neurodegeneration.

WaveBye | Funding Sought: $2M Pre-Seed

Wave Bye provides a proactive solution for menstrual pain and heavy bleeding by targeting the biological pathway that causes symptoms before they begin. Instead of treating cramps after they start, the product is designed to be taken shortly before menstruation to interrupt the prostaglandin cascade responsible for both pain and excess bleeding.

PRESENTING COMPANIES – BIOTECH + PHARMA: SERIES A + B

Numiera Therapeutics | Funding Sought: $14M Series A

Numiera Therapeutics is developing small-molecule drugs for oncology indications, by targeting a critical vulnerability in cancer cell metabolism.  Our orphan-designated lead asset has Phase I clinical data with a promising safety profile, plus independently replicated preclinical efficacy data. Our next step is a dose-escalation and window-of-opportunity study conducted with our world-class clinical neuro oncology partners. We are currently raising a $14M Series A round to complete this work.

PhotonPharma | Funding Sought: $5M Series A

At PhotonPharma, every patient’s tumor becomes a part of their cure. PhotonPharma utilizes patented technology to create antigen presenting tumor cells for immune activation and targeted tumor destruction.  The Innocell^TM vaccine is easily manufactured from patient tumor to deliver a personalized vaccine specific for each patient.

Rebel Medicine | Funding Sought: $8M Series A-2

Rebel Medicine is a clinical-stage company developing innovative long-acting injectable drug delivery technologies that sustain release from days to months. Our lead asset, ALX006, is a long-acting local anesthetic delivering 3-4 days of opioid-sparing postoperative analgesia from a single injection, currently in a first-in-human Phase 2 trial.

SiVEC Biotechnologies | Funding Sought: $23M Series A

SiVEC Biotech is advancing first-in-class therapies by harnessing their groundbreaking BactPac™ drug delivery platform. BactPac uses the power of engineered bacteria to overcome the biggest hurdles in developing and commercializing biologics, achieving safe, targeted delivery with the added advantage of simple, scalable manufacturing.

Think Bioscience

Think Bioscience is a privately held small molecule drug discovery company based in Boulder, Colorado, focused on developing therapeutics against targets that have historically been considered “undruggable”. The company’s team combines expertise in synthetic biology, protein biophysics, applied enzymology, computational chemistry, and medicinal chemistry to launch a first-in-class program for diseases with high unmet need.

VitriVax

VitriVax is a Boulder, Colorado-based biotechnology company advancing the ALTA® (Atomic Layering Thermostable Antigen and Adjuvant) platform, a novel technology designed to overcome key challenges in vaccine delivery. ALTA® combines thermostabilization and controlled-release technologies to protect vaccine components from degradation and enable programmable antigen release over time. The platform has the potential to eliminate cold-chain requirements, reduce multi-dose vaccination schedules to a single administration, and support the co-formulation of multiple vaccine components in a single product.

PRESENTING COMPANIES – MEDTECH, DIAGNOSTICS + DIGITAL HEALTH: PRE-SEED + SEED

Biota Labs: Funding Sought: $3M Seed

Biota delivers a fully integrated solution to modernize PFAS testing through two complementary products—combining breakthrough lab efficiency with real-time field intelligence.

Decorum Medical Innovations | Funding Sought: $3M Seed

Decorum Medical Innovations is transforming the multi-billion-dollar advanced airway market with patented technology that automates the cleaning and maintenance of tracheostomy and airway tubes. Our AutoTrach® platform addresses a longstanding unmet clinical need, reducing risk, labor, and cost while improving patient outcomes and independence.

Emet Surgical | Funding Sought: $3M Seed

Emet Surgical’s ESP is an AI-powered real-time copilot for minimally invasive surgery, built on NSF-funded University of Minnesota research. Scope and robot agnostic, ESP requires no training or workflow changes. Clinical studies launching this year on ESP’s use in endometriosis surgery will drive regulatory filings while generating real-world evidence of ESP’s financial and patient care impact.

Entirely Well | Funding Sought: $1.25M Seed

Entirely Well is a biotech/medical device company on a mission to develop preventive care and make it accessible to everyone. We believe true health goes beyond treating symptoms — empowering people to take ownership of their health before problems arise, starting with yeast infections and bacterial vaginosis, which affects 46+ million people per year in the United States.

Exocular Dx | Funding Sought: $5M Seed

ExOcular is revolutionizing the management of severe eye diseases. We’re developing a portfolio of blood-based multiplex tests built on exosome-based, disease-specific biomarkers. These tests provide early, and actionable insights, paving the way for personalized and transformative patient care.

Flari

Flari is building a breath analysis platform based on cutting-edge quantum sensing technologies that represent a new category of analytical methods for studying molecular biology and metabolomics. This platform can support R&D as well as test development and implementation. It promises to broaden testing options for a wide variety of diseases and monitoring needs.

Flourish Medical | Funding Sought: $1M Seed

Flourish Medical is a women’s health medical device company developing the first single-use, no-sizing-needed pessary for stress urinary incontinence. Designed for discreet, on-demand use without prescription, fitting appointments, or cleaning, it provides immediate symptom relief and expands access to care. The company is advancing FDA 510(k) clearance and preparing for U.S. commercial launch.

Jura Health | Funding Sought: $1.5M Seed

Jura Health is pioneering patient-centered solutions that combine genomic diagnostics, care navigation, and social determinant support for patients with rare and complex conditions that do not have access to leading medical and research institutions. By shortening the 6-year diagnostic odyssey to 5 weeks, we save healthcare costs ranging between $80,000 to over $500,000 per patient and improve medical management in up to 70% of cases.

Myomar Molecular | Funding Sought: $2M Seed Extension

Myomar Molecular is transforming muscle health monitoring through the world’s first urine-based molecular biomarker platform for the early detection and management of muscle loss, sarcopenia, frailty, and metabolic disorders.

NavaPath | Funding Sought: $1.5M Seed

NavaPath develops point-of-care cervical cancer screening tools to facilitate timely medical intervention. We provide cost-effective testing to scale cervical cancer screening to all women, regardless of location or socioeconomic status. By deploying these decentralized solutions, we improve clinical outcomes through early detection.

Omedus | Funding Sought: $3M Seed

Omedus created Triage360, a dual-use autonomous monitoring platform built to improve casualty triage in defense settings and continuous patient surveillance in hospitals and rural health systems. Its wearable Beacon captures real-time physiologic data, helping clinicians identify deterioration earlier, reduce manual spot checks, support staffing-constrained teams, and extend monitoring beyond the bedside to lower-resource and remote care environments.

SusMer

SusMer is developing next-generation bioresorbable polymer technology to enable safer, higher-performing medical devices. Our proprietary manufacturing platform produces ultra-high-purity poly-4-hydroxybutyrate (P4HB) with tunable molecular weights for applications including surgical mesh, sutures, cardiovascular devices, and drug delivery. We partner with leading medical device companies to accelerate commercialization of advanced biomaterials.

TissueForm | Funding Sought: $5M Seed

TissueForm has developed Allovia™, a flowable implant for repairing cartilage defects that provides immediate structural support. Made from natural materials derived from human cartilage tissue, Allovia is an off-the-shelf, resorbable implant designed to support the body’s natural healing response in the knee.

Transformative Biotech | Funding Sought: $2.75M Seed

Transformative Biotech is transforming PCR testing for infectious diseases with patented direct-to-PCR platform technologies. Clinically validated on more than 590,000 patient samples, our platform enables rapid, accurate, and affordable molecular testing. @ANYWHERE™, our smartphone-powered handheld PCR platform in development, is designed to expand access to testing, accelerate treatment, and reduce the spread of infectious diseases worldwide, ultimately saving lives.

Vega Surgical Systems

Vega Surgical, founded in 2022, is a medical technology company dedicated to advancing neurosurgical care. Headquartered in Aurora, Colorado, our organization was born from a direct clinical need identified by neurosurgeons Joshua Seinfeld, M.D., and Zach Folzenlogen, M.D., during their collaborative work at CU Medicine. By bridging the gap between clinical practice and advanced engineering—led by CTO Mike Bojanowski—we develop solutions for complex neurosurgical challenges.

Vital Foams | Funding Sought: $3M Seed

Vital Foams is raising a seed round to address a critical gap in trauma care: immediate control of bleeding and polymicrobial contamination before patients reach definitive treatment. The company is developing a defensible wound-care platform combining a proprietary medical foam with a ruggedized in situ generator for military, EMS, and civilian trauma settings.

VitaWave | Funding Sought: $5M Seed

VitaWave Tech is developing eBP, a clinical-grade, in-ear blood pressure monitor that delivers FDA AAMI-compliant accuracy with the ease of an earbud. Targeting hypertension, preeclampsia, and chronic kidney disease patients, eBP enables remote patient monitoring through a connected mobile app and provider portal with EHR integration.

PRESENTING COMPANIES – MEDTECH, DIAGNOSTICS + DIGITAL HEALTH: SERIES A + B

ActivArmor | Funding Sought: $5M Series A

ActivArmor is revolutionizing the orthopedic fracture care market with next-gen, 3D-printed custom casts, fabricated at the point-of-care. With over 7,500 patients successfully treated so far, our turnkey digital system gives physicians the ability to easily custom design and fabricate bespoke casts that are waterproof, breathable, sanitizable, adjustable for swelling, and recyclable, providing unmatched patient healing outcomes, comfort, hygiene, and freedom during recovery.

AOA Dx 

AOA Dx is transforming early cancer detection with its proprietary platform, a first-of-its-kind, multi-omics liquid biopsy that integrates lipids, metabolites, proteins and clinical data using advanced machine learning. The company’s lead test, AKRIVIS GD™, is designed to detect ovarian cancer early in symptomatic women, addressing a critical diagnostic gap in one of the deadliest cancers affecting women. In 2026, the company released a first-ever comprehensive women’s health exit analysis, revealing $100B+ in realized value over 25 years.

Burst Diagnostics | Funding Sought: $2M Series A

Burst Diagnostics is an early-stage diagnostics company translating laboratory-grade immunoassays into rapid, cost-effective formats for use in point-of-need settings. Its proprietary Capillary Driven Immunoassay (CaDI) platform delivers ten-minute quantitative results through an easy-to-use format, supporting both Burst-branded products and custom assay solutions.

cliexa | Funding Sought: $10M Series A

cliexa is the intelligence layer where clinical science, payer logic, and patient reality meet in real time. Health systems use it to ensure evidence-based care gets delivered and paid. Life sciences partners — including global pharma and the American College of Cardiology — use it to embed validated clinical reasoning directly into care workflows.

Eye to Eye Telehealth | Funding Sought: $8M Series A

Eye to Eye Telehealth is a glaucoma-focused medical device and digital health company modernizing care through connected home-use tonometry and data analytics. E2E’s platform helps patients measure intraocular pressure outside the clinic and gives clinicians contextual insights for timely, personalized treatment decisions.

GelSana | Funding Sought: $10M Series A

GelSana is developing innovative wound dressings with the potential to address the major challenges of the wound healing cascade by reducing inflammation, repelling bacteria, balancing moisture, and providing a protective barrier, all in a single, shelf-stable wound dressing.

HepQuant | Funding Sought: $40M

HepQuant’s mission and vision is to transform the clinical management of patients with chronic liver disease through precision diagnostics of liver health. Our testing platform includes HepQuant DuO®, currently marketed for clinical practice, and the recently FDA approved HepQuant SHUNT® Liver Diagnostic Test.

Innovative Midfoot Solutions (IMS) | Funding Sought: $6M

Innovative Midfoot Solutions (IMS) is pioneering a new standard of care for midfoot fusion and deformity correction through a differentiated platform of implants and instrumentation purpose-built for the unique challenges of the midfoot.

Lasa Health | Funding Sought: $5M

Lasa Health is an AI clinical decision support company focused on closing the diagnostic gap for chronic pelvic pain conditions. Our EHR-embedded decision support tool, LasaCDS, screens for 20+ underdiagnosed conditions and delivers actionable differential diagnoses at the point of care.

Lazzaro Medical

Lazzaro Medical addresses the lack of effective, standardized surgical solutions for patients suffering from expiratory central airway collapse (ECAC), including tracheobronchomalacia (TBM). Lazzaro Medical has developed the Lazzaro Medical Scaffold System ™, a first-of-its-kind, anatomically optimized implant designed specifically for reinforcement of the central airway during tracheobronchoplasty.

YoungHeartValve | Funding Sought: $20M Series A

YoungHeartValve is a preclinical MedTech company developing a balloon-expandable transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) with the first biopolymeric leaflet material, designed to mitigate the risks of long-term thrombosis, calcification and structural valve degeneration at a scalable cost. Our market-disruptive, durable biopolymeric technology is poised to set a new standard for the growing market of younger low-risk heart valve patients.

PRESENTING COMPANIES – COLORADO SUCCESS STORIES

Meet public and VC-backed companies that have grown rapidly in Colorado and raised significant capital.

Ambrosia Biosciences

Ambrosia Biosciences accelerated from stealth to a $100M Series B in less than 18 months. The company launched with a team of world-class medicinal chemists from Array Biopharma, which was acquired by Pfizer in 2019 for $11.8 billion in cash, the largest acquisition of a venture-backed life sciences company in the history of Colorado. Ambrosia, a privately held drug discovery company, is developing orally delivered, small molecule-based therapies for obesity and other metabolic disorders.

Biodesix (NASDAQ: BDSX)

Biodesix recently celebrated the fifth anniversary of its IPO and announced continued progress toward profitability. Recognized nationally and in Colorado for its executive leadership and as a top workplace, Biodesix is a leading diagnostic solutions company, driven to improve clinical care and outcomes for patients. To deliver on the company’s mission to transform patient care and improve outcomes through personalized diagnostics, Biodesix provides advanced diagnostic tests and custom development services.

HEALTH INNOVATORS DEVELOPING EMERGING BREAKTHROUGHS: INNOSPHERE SHOWCASE COMPANIES

The Rocky Mountain Life Sciences Investor & Partnering Conference is pleased to feature companies from the Innosphere Life Sciences Incubator in a dedicated tabletop showcase of emerging technologies. Rather than formal presentations or investor pitches, these companies will engage directly with attendees through interactive demos highlighting innovative life sciences concepts, early-stage discoveries, and technologies still in development.

This Colorado-born launchpad for pioneering health innovation companies offers an unprecedented opportunity for startups to catapult their innovative life sciences concepts into market-ready solutions. Originally launched with support from Colorado’s Office of Economic Development and International Trade in partnership with Colorado BioScience Association and Colorado BioScience Institute, the program has expanded to support promising startups in eight states, in partnership with eleven R1 Universities and three state bioscience associations with federal grant funding.

OLYMPIC CHAMPION SHANNON MILLER HEADLINES EXPANDED INVESTOR CONFERENCE PROGRAM

Olympic gold medalist, entrepreneur, cancer survivor, and women’s health advocate Shannon Miller will headline the Championing Women’s Health Breakfast at the 2026 Rocky Mountain Life Sciences Investor & Partnering Conference Presented by BioMed Realty

As America’s most decorated gymnast, Miller earned seven Olympic medals and helped lead the historic “Magnificent Seven” to the first team gold medal in U.S. women’s gymnastics history. Today, as Founder & CEO of Salto Health, she helps cancer survivors access products, services, and meaningful support throughout their journeys.

Miller will share her perspective on elite performance and leadership and how her grit, determination, and commitment to learning and reinventing herself supported her cancer journey and inspired her entrepreneurial path.

The conference is also expanding its lineup of investors, strategic partners, and market leaders with:

• Jennifer Chavez, Vice President, BioMed Realty
• Robin Cowie, Chief Financial Officer, Biodesix
• Marc Graboyes, Counsel, Foley Hoag
• Byron Hewett, Life Sciences Strategic Advisor
• Chau Khuong, Founder, Chief Investment Officer, CJNV BioVentures
• Robyn Korkus, Vice President, Enterprise Strategy, Terumo Blood and Cell Technologies
• Daniel Lyons, Portfolio Manager, Healthcare and Biotech Teams, Janus Henderson Investors
• Abby Mueller, Investment Associate, Life Sciences Private Capital, J.P. Morgan Private Capital
• Alex Porter, Senior Managing Director, New Listings & Capital Markets, Nasdaq
• Linda Secka, Executive Director, Life Sciences and Healthcare Services, J.P. Morgan
• Massimo Ruzzene, Senior Vice Chancellor for Research and Innovation and Dean of the Institutes, CU Boulder
• Carlyn Williams, Partner and Co-head of the Emerging Companies and Venture Capital Group, Arnold & Porter

Together, they will explore capital formation, investment trends, strategic partnerships, public markets, quantum innovation, and emerging opportunities across life sciences.

“The strength of the Rocky Mountain Life Sciences Investor and Partnering Conference comes from the people in the room: visionary speakers, committed sponsors, strategic partners, investors, and company leaders working together to accelerate growth,” said Matt Teter, Vice President of Partnerships, Colorado BioScience Association. “This year’s program brings powerful perspectives on capital formation, market opportunity, strategic partnerships, public markets, quantum innovation, and the future of health. We are grateful to our sponsors and partners for helping us create a high-value experience that connects companies with the relationships and resources they need to grow, scale, and succeed.”

Conference sponsors and partners include:

Presenting – BioMed Realty

Keynote Breakfast – Arnold & Porter, Biodesix, Medtronic

Keynote Lunch – Foley Hoag, J.P. Morgan, Nasdaq

Primer Partner – Metro Denver EDC, Wilson Sonsini

Track Room – Colorado OEDIT, EY, Hogan Lovells

Partnering Forum – Alder Brooks, Plante Moran

WiFi – Fisher Scientific

VIP Experience – Corporate Traveler, KBI Biopharma, McCarthy Building Companies, Richtr, Whiteford Schell IP

Lanyard – CRB

Welcome Reception – Questco, Terumo Blood & Cell Technologies

Coffee Break – OneDigital, PhRMA

Conference Supporter – BioDuro, Brownstein, Cooley, Holland & Hart

Regional Partners – AZBIO, BIOUTAH, Montana Bioscience Alliance, NMBIO

Thank you to our sponsors for their commitment to supporting the growth and success of health innovation in the Rocky Mountain West. Limited sponsorship opportunities remain available. For details, contact Vice President of Partnerships, Matt Teter.

REGISTRATION OPEN NOW

Founders, investors, strategic partners, and industry leaders from Colorado and the Rocky Mountain West are encouraged to register now for three days of company presentations, one-on-one partnering, networking, and discussions on the future of health innovation.

About Colorado BioScience Association

Colorado BioScience Association (CBSA) creates co-opportunity for the Colorado life sciences community. CBSA champions a collaborative life sciences ecosystem and advocates for a supportive business climate. From concept to commercialization, member companies and organizations drive global health innovations, products and services that improve and save lives. The association leads Capital and Growth, Education and Networking, Policy and Advocacy, and Workforce Cultivation to make its members stronger, together. Learn more: cobioscience.com