Clarevia Ventures

What began as a breakthrough in a University of Michigan lab is now opening the door to an entire new generation of research. Congratulations to HistoSonics, Inc. founder Zhen Xu and the University of Michigan on the launch of the $10 million Histotripsy Center! 🎉 Histotripsy uses focused ultrasound to destroy targeted tissue without an incision. The technology was invented at U-M, commercialized through HistoSonics, and has now been used to treat more than 5,000 patients worldwide. This new center marks an important next chapter. By making specialized equipment and expertise available to researchers beyond U-M at no cost, it will expand the scientific community working to investigate histotripsy’s potential across additional cancers and other diseases, including neurological conditions. It will also train the next generation of scientists, engineers, and clinicians who will carry this work forward. For Clarevia, this is a powerful example of the long-term impact of university-born innovation. A discovery becomes a company. A company brings a new treatment approach to patients. And continued investment in research creates opportunities to extend that impact into entirely new areas of medicine. Our Managing Partner, Jim Adox, was pleased to join Zhen, Mike Blue, the HistoSonics team, and the U-M community in Ann Arbor for the opening ceremony and a firsthand look at the new center. Congratulations to Zhen, the University of Michigan Biomedical Engineering Department, and everyone who helped bring this vision to life. We look forward to seeing where the next chapter of histotripsy research leads. Read the U-M article: https://lnkd.in/g98TVujS Read Zhen’s reflections on the opening: https://lnkd.in/gY_ixBai #Histotripsy #UniversityInnovation #HealthcareInnovation #MedTech #HistoSonics #ClareviaVentures

What if a cancer treatment could target the tumor cells that survive initial therapy? Iterion Therapeutics announced promising Phase 1b results for tegavivint in combination with osimertinib as an initial treatment for patients with metastatic EGFR-mutated non-small cell lung cancer, and what this signals is incredibly encouraging. Osimertinib has changed the treatment landscape for this form of lung cancer, but some tumor cells can survive treatment and contribute to the cancer’s return or progression. Tegavivint is being studied for its potential to target those persistent cells and help patients experience deeper, longer-lasting responses. Further clinical research will be important to understand the combination’s potential. But for now, the findings from the small, early-stage study offer an encouraging signal for a treatment strategy aimed at one of oncology’s persistent challenges: keeping cancer from developing resistance to therapy. Congratulations to Rahul Aras and the Iterion team, along with principal investigator Dr. Regan Memmott and the researchers at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center, on this important milestone. We look forward to seeing tegavivint continue advancing toward its potential to change the standard of care for patients with difficult-to-treat cancers. Read the full announcement: https://lnkd.in/gtaC573c #Oncology #LungCancer #ClinicalResearch #HealthcareInnovation #ClareviaVentures Paul Weiss, PhD 

A little time together outside the office goes a long way 💙 The Clarevia team gathered in Chicago last week to connect, reflect on the year so far, and discuss what’s ahead for the firm. We kicked things off with a Cubs game on Monday night, followed by a wonderful evening at Margaret Kaczor Andrew, CFA’s home, where she graciously hosted us for a meal and meaningful conversation about our strategy and the next chapter of Clarevia Ventures. As a team that spends much of our time working alongside founders and portfolio companies, it was a welcome opportunity to spend time together, exchange ideas, and strengthen the relationships that make our work possible. A big thank you to Margaret for opening her home to us, and to the entire Clarevia team for a memorable experience in Chicago. Here’s to what we’re building together! Scott Button Paul Weiss, PhD Jim Adox David Arnstein Joseph Amaral Jenni Le Cheryl R. Blanchard, Ph.D. John Neis #ClareviaVentures #TeamClarevia #VentureCapital

Earlier autism answers do not have to require more specialist time. That’s what Dr. Cheryl T., Chief Medical Officer of EarliPoint Health, explores in a recent episode of the Autism Weekly Podcast. EarliPoint’s FDA-cleared eye-tracking technology uses a short assessment to measure how a child looks at and learns from natural social scenes. It gives clinicians objective information that can support autism diagnosis and provide insight into areas including social engagement, language, and cognitive development. The potential impact on access is significant. Dr. Tierney explains that roughly 60% of children referred for evaluation may not require the lengthy traditional assessment process. Clinicians using EarliPoint have reported being able to see 33% to 50% more patients, creating more capacity for families while allowing specialists to focus their time on children with more complex needs. And the opportunity extends beyond diagnosis. Repeat assessments can help clinicians see whether a child is closing developmental gaps over time, giving families and care teams information they can use to adjust treatment earlier rather than waiting years to understand whether an approach is working. As Dr. Tierney puts it: “It’s one thing to find out two years later that the needle didn’t move. It’s quite another to know in three months.” This is why Clarevia believes in EarliPoint: bringing objective information into care can help create a clearer path to earlier answers, more efficient use of clinical resources, and better-informed care for children and families. Listen to the full conversation with Jeff Skibitsky: https://lnkd.in/efj8jJbZ #Autism #Pediatrics #HealthcareInnovation #MedTech #EarliPointHealth #ClareviaVentures

More than a decade after it was founded, EnsoData is still finding new ways to rethink how sleep disorders are identified, diagnosed, and managed. The company recently launched EnsoHST Direct, a direct-to-patient home sleep testing workflow designed to remove much of the operational burden from clinics. Devices are shipped directly to patients, setup and support are handled by EnsoData, and patients can complete up to seven nights of testing. Enabling providers to remain focused on interpreting the results and caring for patients. Flashback to University of Wisconsin-Madison, where co-founders Chris Fernandez, Sam Rusk, and Nick Glattard began exploring how machine learning could be applied to real problems in healthcare. That work ultimately led them to sleep medicine, and to building solutions that could help clinicians make sense of enormous amounts of sleep data. For Clarevia, this is a great example of what university-born innovation can become when strong science and engineering are paired with years of company building: not simply a technology, but a platform that continues adapting to the practical needs of clinicians and patients. Congratulations to Chris, Sam, Nick, Justin Mortara, Ph.D., Bobby Cockrill, and the entire EnsoData team on the latest step in that journey. Read the coverage from Sleep Review: https://lnkd.in/e8-5ur77 #SleepMedicine #HealthcareInnovation #MedTech #WisconsinInnovation #EnsoData #ClareviaVentures

In healthcare venture, progress often unfolds over years. Our latest Clarevia quarterly newsletter reflects that long arc from early scientific insight and company formation to clinical milestones, FDA approval, community engagement, and the continued work of building the conditions for innovation. In this issue: → Paul Weiss, PhD, reflects on the long road from Clarevia’s early involvement with Neurovance, Inc. to FDA approval of SIMTRIYO® for ADHD. → We welcome Margaret Kaczor Andrew, CFA as Venture Partner and Cheryl R. Blanchard, Ph.D., as Executive in Residence. → We recap our most attended Clarevia Annual Meeting yet, where we focused on Precision Medicine 2.0 and the shift toward more targeted, data-informed, and individualized approaches to care. → Scott Button shares why we invested in Rivermark Medical, Inc. and the team’s work to advance a minimally invasive, tissue-preserving approach for BPH. → John Neis reflects on his new role as Chair-Elect of the National Venture Capital Association and why the Midwest needs a stronger voice in national conversations about innovation. → We share recent firm and portfolio updates from across the Clarevia community. Thank you to our founders, LPs, co-investors, collaborators, and partners who continue to help advance breakthrough science toward patient impact. Read the full newsletter here: https://lnkd.in/gncX8dUy

We’ve gotten this question a few times since our rebrand, so let’s clear it up: How do you pronounce Clarevia? It’s Claire-VEE-ah. ✨ And while we’re at it, there’s meaning behind the name, too. Clarevia comes from clarere: “to illuminate, make clear.” We chose it because it captures the role we aim to play for healthcare founders: helping bring clarity to the path from breakthrough science to patient impact. Early-stage medtech and life sciences can be full of complexity. Clinical strategy. Regulation. Team building. Commercialization. Capital. The decisions made early can shape everything that follows. That’s why clarity is at the heart of our name—and our work. Clarevia. Claire-VEE-ah. Now you know. 💡 #ClareviaVentures #HealthcareInnovation #MedTech #LifeSciences #VentureCapital

Breakthrough healthcare companies do not get built in isolation. They grow out of strong ecosystems where researchers, founders, investors, clinicians, and industry partners can learn from one another and build together. That is why Clarevia is proud to sponsor the 2026 Wisconsin Biohealth Summit. On October 21–22, Wisconsin’s biohealth community will come together in Milwaukee to exchange ideas, build relationships, and explore what it will take to move promising science and healthcare innovation forward. For Clarevia, supporting this event for our local ecosystem is closely tied to our mission. We have spent decades investing in early-stage medtech and life sciences companies with deep roots in the Midwest, and we believe some of the most important healthcare breakthroughs are already being developed here. The stronger the connections across this community, the clearer the path becomes from discovery to patient impact. We’re looking forward to connecting with founders, researchers, investors, and partners from across the region. Learn more and register: https://lnkd.in/gWxKwHHK #WIBiohealthSummit2026 #WisconsinBiohealth #Biohealth #HealthcareInnovation #ClareviaVentures BioForward, Inc. Jenni Le Paul Weiss, PhD David Arnstein John Neis

Maneesh Arora is trying to answer a question that sounds surprisingly simple: Can we know whether a cancer treatment is likely to work before a patient receives it? That question is at the heart of our latest Founder Spotlight with the Founder & CEO of Elephas. Elephas’ elive™ platform is designed to test a patient’s live tumor tissue and assess how it responds to therapy before treatment begins. For Maneesh, that could represent a meaningful shift in oncology—from relying primarily on static biomarkers toward seeing how an individual patient’s tumor actually responds. And the need is significant. As Maneesh explains, immunotherapies have changed cancer care for some patients, but many still do not respond. Patients do not have unlimited “shots on goal,” making better information before treatment especially valuable. In the Q&A, Maneesh also shares: • What his experience at Third Wave Technologies and Exact Sciences taught him about introducing entirely new categories in healthcare • How Elephas could help pharma teams make earlier, more informed drug-development decisions • Why live human tissue may offer insights that traditional preclinical models cannot • Why the company’s vision has always been global • And what more than 20 years of working with Clarevia has taught him about trust and partnership Read the full Founder Spotlight: https://lnkd.in/gidUt8NY #HealthcareInnovation #Oncology #PrecisionMedicine #Diagnostics #ClareviaVentures Paul Weiss, PhD 

What does it really take to turn a university discovery into a company that reaches thousands of patients? In a Michigan Tech Week session, Zhen Xu reflected on the 25-year journey behind HistoSonics, Inc., from discovering the histotripsy phenomenon in a University of Michigan lab, to co-founding the company and seeing the technology reach more than 4,000 patients worldwide. One line from Zhen says it best: “If you don’t form a company to do this, your technology can be a great technology, but it will always be a technology in the lab. You will never be able to help patients.” That is the part of university innovation that often gets overlooked. Breakthrough science matters. But so do the years of company building, capital, team formation, clinical work, setbacks, pivots, and persistence required to move it into the real world. Clarevia Managing Partner Jim Adox joined Zhen and Kelly Sexton on stage to talk about that journey from the investor side. Clarevia began working with Zhen while histotripsy was still in the lab, led the Series A that helped launch HistoSonics, and stayed engaged through the hard moments—including periods when the company was just weeks from running out of money. As Jim put it: “We kept investing and we kept believing. I always saw something good and what was working.” Today, HistoSonics is treating patients around the world and continuing to expand into new applications. But the lesson from this story is bigger than one company: meaningful healthcare innovation takes time, trust, and people willing to stay the course. Congratulations to Zhen on being recognized as Michigan’s first female unicorn founder, and to everyone who helped turn an idea in a lab into a platform with global patient impact. Read the full Michigan Tech Week recap by Michigan Founders Fund: https://lnkd.in/gYwaKHTa #HealthcareInnovation #UniversityInnovation #MedTech #MichiganTechWeek #HistoSonics #ClareviaVentures University of Michigan Biomedical Engineering