Fundraising FoxHesperos
Orlando, US · Founded 2015 · 1 known investors
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Hesperos develops "Human-on-a-Chip" organ-on-a-chip platforms, offering custom multi-organ models (up to 5 organ or tissue types) with functional readouts such as gene expression and electrophysiology. The systems provide pre-clinical efficacy and toxicity data on drugs and chemicals for the pharmaceutical, cosmetic, and food industries.
Founders & leadership
Hesperos was founded in 2015 by Michael L. Shuler and James J. Hickman.
ML
Michael L. ShulerCo-founderMichael L. Shuler holds a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Minnesota and served as the Eckert Professor of Engineering at Cornell University for over 40 years; he is currently President and Co-founder of Hesperos and has spent three decades developing multi-organ systems and organ-on-chip platforms for predicting drug and chemical responses in the body.
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James J. HickmanChief ScientistDr. James Hickman holds a Ph.D. in Chemistry from MIT and an M.S. and B.A. from Penn State; he has conducted research on in vitro cell culture systems and microelectrode array toxicity studies since the 1990s, extending work across multiple cell types including neurons, cardiac, muscle, hepatocytes, and epithelial cells, and serves as Chief Scientist at Hesperos.
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Lawrence FlorinChief Executive OfficerLawrence Florin has held senior leadership roles across pharmaceutical development, biotech, medical devices, and clinical research organizations, with experience in clinical operations, business development, corporate partnerships, and strategic consulting for the life sciences sector. He is CEO of Hesperos, which develops organ-on-a-chip platforms for preclinical drug and chemical testing.
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James StankerCFO
Investors · 1
Non-dilutive funding · 14 SBIR/STTR awards
Federal grants — no equity taken| Agency | Phase | Year | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| National Institutes of Health (NIH)National Institutes of Health | Phase II | 2022 | $1.7M |
| National Institutes of Health (NIH)National Institutes of Health | Phase II | 2021 | $2M |
| National Institutes of Health (NIH)National Institutes of Health | Phase II | 2021 | $1.5M |
| National Institutes of Health (NIH)National Institutes of Health | Phase II | 2020 | $4.5M |
| National Institutes of Health (NIH)National Institutes of Health | Phase I | 2020 | $216.3K |
| National Institutes of Health (NIH)National Institutes of Health | Phase II | 2019 | $4.5M |
| National Institutes of Health (NIH)National Institutes of Health | Phase II | 2019 | $3M |
| National Institutes of Health (NIH)National Institutes of Health | Phase II | 2019 | $1.5M |
| National Institutes of Health (NIH)National Institutes of Health | Phase I | 2018 | $669.3K |
| National Institutes of Health (NIH)National Institutes of Health | Phase I | 2018 | $450K |
| National Institutes of Health (NIH)National Institutes of Health | Phase I | 2018 | $224.9K |
| National Institutes of Health (NIH)National Institutes of Health | Phase I | 2018 | $220.1K |
| National Institutes of Health (NIH)National Institutes of Health | Phase I | 2017 | $454.3K |
| National Institutes of Health (NIH)National Institutes of Health | Phase I | 2017 | $225K |
Source: SBIR.gov award data (U.S. Small Business Administration). SBIR/STTR awards are competitive federal R&D grants and contracts — non-dilutive capital alongside any venture rounds above.
Frequently asked questions
- What does Hesperos do?
- Hesperos develops "Human-on-a-Chip" organ-on-a-chip platforms, offering custom multi-organ models (up to 5 organ or tissue types) with functional readouts such as gene expression and electrophysiology. The systems provide pre-clinical efficacy and toxicity data on drugs and chemicals for the pharmaceutical, cosmetic, and food industries.
- Who founded Hesperos?
- Hesperos was founded by Michael L. Shuler, James J. Hickman in 2015.
- Who are Hesperos's investors?
- Hesperos's investors include Btomorrow Ventures.
- Where is Hesperos headquartered?
- Hesperos is headquartered in Orlando, US.