DDW Shark Tank Innovation Award

Exciting news! We are thrilled to announce a remarkable achievement from one of our esteemed portfolio companies at Innosphere Ventures Fund. Dr. Venkata Akshintala, representing ASGE, has won this year's prestigious shark tank trophy for his innovative product designed to address post-GI procedure bleeding. As a Johns Hopkins Hospital physician, Dr. Akshintala played a pivotal role in developing this groundbreaking technology.

We are proud to share that Dr. Akshintala serves as the acting Chief Medical Officer of Origin, our latest Fund investment. Origin is an exciting new entity resulting from the collaborative efforts between Monarc Partners, University of Maryland and Johns Hopkins. This partnership brings together exceptional expertise and resources to drive innovation and create meaningful impact in the technology sector.

Stay tuned for more updates on this incredible venture as we continue to support and nurture groundbreaking innovations. Congratulations to Dr. Venkata Akshintala and the entire Origin team! Check our the video here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fIbhoLUeBos

NEWS: ASGE Innovation Award Winner + Investment from Innosphere Ventures Fund and Highpoint Ventures

Fort Collins, Colorado – Origin Endoscopy, an early-stage med tech company, has won the prestigious American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE) Innovation Award for their novel sustained-release epinephrine gel technology. The award will be presented at the upcoming Digestive Disease Week (DDW) conference in May, the largest GI conference in the world.

Origin Endoscopy was formed through a collaboration of inventors from Johns Hopkins Medicine and the University of Maryland, and commercial experts in the interventional endoscopy space. Their primary technology, developed by Dr. Venkata Akshintala and Dr. Stephen Hoag, is designed to control and extend the hemostatic effects of gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding during a variety of endoscopy procedures.

GI bleeding is a common issue during endoscopic procedures, occurring in an estimated 1,000,000 cases annually in the U.S. Origin Endoscopy’s technology addresses the challenges associated with procedures such as endoscopic mucosal resection (EMR) or endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD), providing better patient outcomes.

The investment support of Innosphere Ventures and Highpoint Ventures will help Origin Endoscopy finalize ongoing safety and efficacy studies, as well as develop prototypes of the endoscopic delivery device that will be used commercially.

According to Dr. Venkata Akshintala, “Current products to treat GI bleeding have challenges and limitations, so we created a durable and innovative gel unlike anything in the market that every endoscopist can use to manage a variety of gastrointestinal bleeding conditions and promote healing of the injured site.”

“Highpoint Ventures is excited to lead this pre-seed investment in Origin Endoscopy in partnership with Innosphere Ventures. We believe the gastrointestinal market is ripe for innovation are excited to partner with a founding team that has demonstrated success in gastrointestinal medicine, applied pharmaceuticals, and medical device commercialization. Highpoint believes Origin will be able to develop innovative GI solutions in a capital efficient manner. Their products will improve outcomes, reduce costs, and provide better care for patients,” said Jason Grimes, Managing Director of Highpoint Ventures.

About Origin Endoscopy:

Origin Endoscopy is an early-stage med-tech company focused on more effective solutions to control GI bleeding. For more information, please visit www.originendoscopy.com

About Innosphere Ventures Fund:

Innosphere Ventures Fund is a venture capital fund leading early-stage investments for companies who are driving innovation in the B2B SaaS Software, Cleantech and Medtech sectors. The Fund’s general partners have extensive operator knowledge and industry experience. Our team is small, fully integrated, and impact oriented to produce successful results. We bring more than just capital; we bring differentiated domain knowledge and access to our expert partners from across the globe. Innosphere Ventures Fund has a strong foundation built on its successful first fund and its leading accelerator program which has operated for over two decades. www.innospherefund.com

About Highpoint Ventures:

Highpoint Ventures, LCC is a venture capital firm based in Boulder, CO. focused on early-stage healthcare and technology investments. Highpoint Ventures provides venture capital and operational expertise to healthcare and technology companies in select high-potential verticals, including Med Tech, Digital Health, Healthcare IT, and Enterprise Software. www.highpointventures.com