The first-ever company to receive a double investment through IU Ventures’ startup support ecosystem, diagnostic cancer testing startup Amplified Sciences, just received some resounding support by way of one of the nation’s most rigorous startup competitions.
Amplifed Sciences has landed on Pepperdine Graziadio Business School’s fourth-annual Most Fundable Companies List, which was announced during a recent virtual event. It was named as one of the top 16 “Most Fundable Companies,” and was chosen for the honor based on several company variables, including financial projections, market opportunity, intellectual property, competitive advantage and management-team expertise.
Amplified Sciences commercializes the innovation of IU School of Medicine biochemistry graduate Vincent Jo Davisson, a longtime biochemist at Purdue University, where he invented the technology that Amplified Sciences is developing. Davisson is now the company’s co-founder and chief scientific officer. The company’s co-founder and CEO is Diana Caldwell, an IU Kelley School of Business alumna, who was an entrepreneur-in-residence at the Purdue Foundry when she and Davisson met. Caldwell is also a member of the industry advisory board of the Kelley School’s Center for the Business of Life Sciences.
With operations in the Purdue Research Park and key alliances on both U.S. coasts, Amplified Sciences is focused on accurately detecting and pre-empting the risks of debilitating diseases. The company’s lead assay helps clinicians test for pancreatic cancer and better treat patients with pancreatic cysts.
Amplified Sciences received an initial $125,000 investment from the IU Philanthropic Venture Fund in April 2020. Later that spring, it received a $25,000 investment through the IU Angel Network.
Upon receiving the dual investment, Caldwell praised IU Ventures for the work it continues to do to support entrepreneurship and accelerate promising startups.
“The IU Angel Network has recruited an impressive group of alumni who are interested in supporting the IU-connected entrepreneurship community, not only through investment dollars but also through their expertise and networks. We are thrilled to have them on board,” she said. “This second investment by IU Angels is a testament to the power of collaboration across the IU network and demonstrates the great work IU Ventures is doing to develop a strong startup ecosystem.”
Caldwell also expressed her appreciation for the support and expertise of IU-affiliated researchers who have helped build the company’s platform, including Dr. Mohammad Al-Haddad, a gastroenterologist at the IU School of Medicine, who has researched and published on the pancreas for years, as well as experts at the IU Melvin and Bren Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center.
A complete list of the “Most Fundable Companies” is available online, where visitors can vote for up to three of their favorite companies now through Nov. 1.