We are thrilled to announce the launch of SCI Ventures, a pioneering venture philanthropy fund dedicated to accelerating the development of groundbreaking treatments for spinal cord injury (SCI) and ultimately, a cure for paralysis.
This initiative, as reported in the Financial Times on Saturday, represents a historic collaboration among leading spinal cord injury foundations from the U.S., U.K., and EU, including Spinal Research, the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation, Wings for Life, the Promobilia Foundation, and the Shepherd Center.
SCI Ventures has been launched with an initial commitment of $27 million (£21m) and aims to raise $40 million (£31m) by the end of the year. This fund is poised to catalyse the development of the next generation of SCI treatments by providing critical financial and operational support to promising early-stage companies. The ultimate goal is to transform scientific and technological advancements into real-world clinical solutions that significantly improve the quality of life for people with SCI.
Adrien Cohen, Founding Managing Director of SCI Ventures, emphasised the urgent need to bridge the gap between promising lab results and clinical applications:
“Recent scientific and technological advancements have made recovery from paralysis a real possibility for the first time in history. However, transferring these treatments to clinical settings remains a stubborn barrier. We’re bridging that gap by providing financial and operational support to promising early-stage companies. As an expert investor, we plan to attract more capital to the SCI space by lowering the investment risk through the combined network and knowledge of our backing foundations.”
Adrien Cohen, Founding Managing Director of SCI Ventures
SCI Ventures will focus on seed and Series A financing rounds, with plans to support up to 20 companies. The fund has already begun building a portfolio of innovative investments, including:
- ONWARD® Medical: Provides targeted spinal cord stimulation to restore movement and functions, in combination with brain-computer interface (BCI) technology for thought-driven movement.
- AXONIS Therapeutics: Advances drug discoveries for neuron revival and neuromodulation.
- Sania Therapeutics: Develops gene therapies to selectively target dysfunctional neural circuits, starting with spasticity.
- AUGMENTAL: Innovates the MouthPad^, an in-mouth interface for hands-free human-computer interaction.
Our Chief Vision Officer, Harvey Sihota, expressed his enthusiasm for this groundbreaking initiative: “We’re incredibly proud to have co-founded this new venture model. We’ve arrived at a stage where meaningful first-generation treatments for SCI are moving along the pipeline toward the clinic. We hope that by supporting the early-stage companies developing these treatments with both capital and access to our network of experts, we will ultimately accelerate delivery.”
SCI Ventures represents a significant step forward in our goal to restore function and independence to those affected by spinal cord injuries. By leveraging the combined expertise and resources of leading foundations and scientists, we are moving closer to making paralysis a thing of the past.
For more information about SCI Ventures and its groundbreaking work, please visit https://www.sciventures.com/.
