Medical Excellence Capital
Venture capitalPre-Seed–Series B · 16 people tracked
Investment thesis
MEC invests in transformative technologies and novel approaches within the life sciences sector that advance precision health. The firm believes that technologies developed in this decade will utilize artificial intelligence to drive innovation and create a golden age in life sciences, with emphasis on solutions that directly solve complex medical problems and improve patient care outcomes.
Source: firm website, verified Jul 21, 2026.
Team · 16 people
from the firm's website
Founder of Medical Excellence Capital with 30 years of healthcare experience as an operator and consultant to academic medical centers. He founded Medical Excellence Group in 2007 and previously served as president and CEO of Medix Resources, a publicly traded healthcare technology firm. He holds degrees from St. John's University and completed Harvard's Executive Program.
Senior life science investor who joined MEC in 2021. He spent two decades at Domain Associates since 2001, becoming partner in 2006, and invested in over a dozen companies including Tobira Therapeutics (acquired by Allergan for $1.7B). He also founded and led WindMIL Therapeutics and advised the creation of Nobias Therapeutics.
Venture capitalist and entrepreneur with extensive healthcare and life sciences experience. He joined MEC in 2021 and previously cofounded and led two venture-backed companies, including Upward Health and RightCare. He spent a decade at Domain Associates as an investment professional focused on life science investments and served as head of business development at portfolio companies.
Finance and operations leader with 25+ years in private equity, venture capital, and wealth management. She joined MEC at its inception and manages strategy, financial operations, and fund governance. She previously served as CFO at Artemis Wealth Advisors and held leadership roles at Mizuho Corporate Bank and Deloitte.
PhD researcher with 17+ years of experience in therapeutic start-ups and personalized medicine diagnostics. She has been instrumental in creating and serving on boards of numerous biotech companies, including several that achieved significant exits (Ariosa to Roche for $625M, Omniome to Pacific Biosciences for $800M). She has been a partner at Domain Associates since 2010.
Executive support professional with 16+ years of experience in financial services and family office operations. She joined MEC in 2020 and previously supported high-profile family office management and worked with Medical Excellence Group.
Physical chemist and pioneer in live cell printing technology. He serves as executive director of the Innovative Genomics Institute at UC Berkeley and previously directed the Biological Technologies Office at DARPA, managing research programs in genome editing, neurotechnology, biomanufacturing, and diagnostics.
Pioneer in human mitochondrial genetics with 35+ years of research experience. He directs the Center for Mitochondrial and Epigenomic Medicine at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and holds an endowed chair in pediatric mitochondrial medicine.
Leading molecular biologist and 2019 Nobel Prize winner for his discovery of the HIF-1 protein that controls gene expression in response to oxygen availability. He serves as professor at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and directs the vascular program at the Institute for Cell Engineering.
Attorney who joined MEC in 2021. He previously served as associate general counsel at Franklin Templeton Investments and general counsel at K2 Advisors. He also held senior legal roles at AIG Investments/PineBridge managing alternatives legal and regulatory matters globally.
Physician with an MBA focused on healthcare innovation and biotech investment. Before joining MEC, he served as head of business development and strategy at AI Optics Inc. and worked as a venture associate at Flying L Partners, which focused on the ophthalmology market.
Professor of genomics and computer science at Princeton University's Lewis-Sigler Institute and deputy director of genomics at the Flatiron Institute. She specializes in computational biology and biomedical informatics and has received major awards including the NSF CAREER award and Sloan Research Fellowship.
LP liaison at MEC since its inception. She is also a founding member and senior managing director of Medical Excellence Group, with extensive experience developing relationships in Russia, Eastern Europe, and China. She previously worked in Russia's private sector finance from 1995-2009.
Clinical geneticist and ophthalmology researcher specializing in retinal degenerations and metabolomic therapeutic approaches. He is known for pioneering work in genome surgery in stem cells and has published extensively in major journals including Science and Nature Genetics.
Computational biologist with expertise in AI models and data-driven disease understanding. She joined MEC full-time in January 2026 following participation in the MEC Fellows Program. Her PhD research from Princeton focused on artificial intelligence methods for multi-omic disease modeling and computational genomics.
Physician-scientist and early-stage life science investor who joined MEC in 2025. She previously served as a consultant at Foresite Capital Management and as a venture fellow at Northpond Ventures, focusing on biomedical research and early-stage investment opportunities.
What they invest in
from 10 of 23 portfolio companiesBiotech ×9Medical Devices ×8Deep Tech ×4AI & Machine Learning ×3Digital Health ×3Healthtech ×2
HQs:United States×5
Investments · 23 tracked
founders shown can be your intro pathProJenX is a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing novel, brain-penetrant therapies for neurodegenerative diseases, with an initial focus on amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The company was created through a collaboration between nonprofit Project ALS, Medical Excellence Capital, and researchers at Columbia University to develop and commercialize therapeutic candidates including prosetin.
BiotechDeep TechMedical Devices
Jenifer EstessEmily Lowry(Director of Internal Operations at the Project ALS Therapeutics Core at Columbia)Brent R. Stockwell(Chair of the Department of Biological Science, Professor at Columbia University)Hynek Wichterle(Jerry and Emily Spiegel Professor at Columbia University)
Aspen Neuroscience develops iPSC-derived autologous cell therapies for neurological diseases, with a lead product (ANPD001) in Phase 1/2a clinical trials for Parkinson's disease. The company is a clinical-stage biotechnology firm focused on personalized neuron replacement therapies.
BiotechDeep TechDigital HealthMedical Devices<UNKNOWN>, US
Andrés Bratt-Leal(Co-Founder and Senior Vice President, Research & Development)Damien McDevitt(President and Chief Executive Officer)
Development-stage biotechnology company focused on personalized cell therapies using iPSCs for Parkinson's disease and central nervous system disorders.
Biopharmaceutical company pioneering extracellular protein degraders (ATACs) for targeted protein degradation across a broad range of diseases.
Avilar develops protein degrader drugs targeting extracellular and membrane-bound proteins, using a novel class called ATACs that harness endolysosomal degradation machinery. The company focuses on treating serious human diseases where currently undrugged extracellular proteins play a pathogenic role.
AI & Machine LearningBiotechMedical Devices
Company developing oral small-molecule CLIC1 inhibitors to treat obesity and metabolic diseases through hunger-pathway modulation.
ClicBio develops oral small-molecule CLIC1 inhibitors to treat metabolic diseases by modulating appetite through hypothalamic neuron regulation. The company targets obesity and metabolic disease through a mechanism that acts independently from and additively with GLP-1 agonists.
BiotechDeep TechHealthtech
John Dobak(CEO and Co-Founder)Jay Hagan(Board Member and Co-Founder)Bruce Steel(Board Member and Co-Founder)Olivia Osborn(Co-Founder/Advisor)
GCTx develops an induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) programming platform called TFome™ that uses synthetic biology, gene editing, and machine learning to improve cell therapy development and scaling. The platform is designed to expand patient access to cell therapies across various therapeutic areas.
AI & Machine LearningBiotechMedical DevicesCambridge, US
George Church(Co-Founder & Scientific Advisor)Parastoo Khoshakhlagh(Chief Executive Officer & Co-Founder)Alex Ng(Chief Innovation Officer & Co-Founder)
Synthetic biology company programming patient-derived stem cells into specific cell types with enhanced efficiency, speed, and scalability.
Precision immunotherapy company using single-cell genomics and machine learning to develop novel cancer treatments, with lead programs in clinical development.
Immunitas discovers and develops therapeutic antibodies for cancer and autoimmune diseases, with its lead program targeting CD161 for solid tumors and hematological malignancies. The company is building on research from academic institutions including Dana Farber Cancer Institute and MIT.
BiotechDigital HealthMedical Devices
Biotech company developing Spiroligomer™ molecules as a new class of targeted therapeutic medicines for diagnostic and therapeutic applications.
Spinout from Children's Hospital of Philadelphia using AI and machine learning to develop therapies for genetic diseases in children.
Nobias Therapeutics develops small-molecule drug candidates for genetically-defined rare diseases, primarily in pediatric populations. The company leverages genomic datasets and partnerships with pediatric academic medical centers across North America to accelerate drug discovery.
Biotech
Early-stage company developing a microfluidics-based platform for highly sensitive genetic testing including minimal residual disease and multi-cancer screening.
Pleno develops an instrument platform for genomic testing that enables AI-driven precision medicine through faster, lower-cost multiomics analysis. The platform targets the clinical genomics market, particularly oncology and other applications where genomic testing can improve patient outcomes.
AI & Machine LearningBiotechMedical Devices
SonoThera develops a nonviral, ultrasound-mediated gene delivery technology to safely deliver genetic material to targeted sites in the body. The company addresses limitations in existing genetic medicine approaches for patients across various therapeutic applications.
BiotechDeep TechMedical Devices
Company developing an ultrasound-guided nonviral gene therapy platform for next-generation genetic medicines.
Truvian Health develops an all-in-one diagnostic platform that performs clinical chemistry, immunoassay, and hematology tests on-site, providing a convenient and affordable alternative to traditional off-site laboratory testing. The company serves healthcare consumers and providers seeking routine blood testing.
Digital HealthHealthtechMedical Devices
Diagnostic company providing lab-accurate blood testing at the point-of-care through a benchtop solution for early disease detection.
Biotechnology company developing polyspecific integrin-binding peptide-based cancer therapies for targeted cytotoxic drug delivery and radioligand therapy.
Board seats · per SEC filings · 2
what is this? ⓘ$5M raise · filed Sep 2022 · via Eric Heil
$6M raise · filed Jan 2022 · via Eric Heil
Inferred from directors named on each company's SEC Form D — public regulatory data, not a portfolio list published by the firm.
Frequently asked questions
- What stage does Medical Excellence Capital invest at?
- Medical Excellence Capital invests at the Pre-Seed, Seed, Series A, Series B stages.
- What sectors does Medical Excellence Capital focus on?
- Medical Excellence Capital focuses on AI & Machine Learning, Biotech, Digital Health, Healthtech, Medical Devices.
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