Engage Venture Partners, a venture capital (VC) firm committed to building a funding community for early-stage medical technology companies and their investors, announces its investment in VOCxi Health. This marks the third investment for Engage since the firm’s launch earlier this year and the first time it has led a funding round.
Engage was founded in July 2022 to provide clients access to extensively vetted investment opportunities in the medical device, digital health, and healthcare software sectors. The firm’s Special Purpose Vehicles (SPVs) allow investors to choose the startups they wish to fund. This flexible, investor-friendly model also has lower fees than traditionally structured venture capital funds.
The most recent investment is a $1.6 million SAFE (simple agreement for future equity) seed round for VOCxi Health. This financing, raised from a group of 39 individual and institutional investors in 10 states, nearly doubled the firm’s largest previous investment – a signal of successful growth for the well-established medtech venture partners. “Fundraising is one of the most important efforts for a startup, and I am so pleased with how Engage led our development funding round,” said Ping Yeh, CEO VOCxi Health.
Minnesota-based VOCxi Health is a breath diagnostics company focused on accurate, non-invasive, mobile disease identification. Born out of years of research at the University of Minnesota and a global medical device leader, VOCxi’s patented smart mask is designed to measure disease from thousands of volatile organic compounds in just one minute of breath, making late-stage diagnoses a thing of the past.
Engage Partner Morgan Evans will join VOCxi’s board of directors, bringing her industry expertise to support the investment. Evans, a medtech founder and executive, brings extensive experience in regulatory pathways, FDA clearance, and commercialization. “After a months-long due diligence process, we had such confidence in the incredible team that VOCxi has assembled, paired with its breakthrough technology that has been years in the making, that we felt very confident taking the role of lead investor,” said Evans.
“Engage’s knowledge and thoughtful advice was extremely helpful as we approached our fundraising. Through their strong network of highly engaged investors, they contributed a significant portion of this first round,” Yeh said, adding “We are also thrilled to have Morgan bring her substantial experience and expertise to our board of directors.”…
