Day: May 11, 2022

Lighthouse Labs will leverage the round to grow its team, broaden the ecosystem of worlds it partners with and targets summer 2022 launch

MONTREAL, May 11, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Lighthouse, the company building the open metaverse navigation engine, today announces that it has raised a US$7 million seed round co-led by Accel, BlockTower and Animoca Brands. The round includes participation from White Star Capital, Sparkle Ventures, Gemini Frontier Fund, The Graph core developers StreamingFast, Tiny VC and angels including Patricio Worthalter (founder, POAP), Ryan Selkis (founder, Messari), Alex Svanevik (founder, Nansen), Thibault Launay (founder, Exclusible) and other high profile Web3 investors.

On the back of a year that saw virtual worlds like The Sandbox, Decentraland and Otherside sell hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of land and attract names such as Adidas, Tommy Hilfiger and Snoop Dogg, the metaverse has rapidly captured public interest. Many new worlds have emerged to empower creators and capitalize on a market opportunity estimated at US$680 billion by 2030 (Grand View Research). The ecosystem’s rapidly growing level of fragmentation is making discovery an increasingly daunting experience for users and creators, who are now left wondering which world to explore and build experiences into.

Founded by Jonathan Brun and Justine Massicotte, Lighthouse seeks to solve this problem by simplifying discovery and mobility across the spatial web. Its platform, which will launch this summer, will enable users to search for places, events, creators, experiences, and even friends across and within virtual worlds. Beyond search, Lighthouse will offer a portal where users will be able to see trending activities, build groups of friends to explore the metaverse, see where their NFTs are usable and follow the work of specific brands and creators. Prior to launching Lighthouse, Jonathan Brun was Entrepreneur in Residence in White Star Capital’s Digital Asset Fund while Justine Massicotte was in charge of the Query Suggest engine at Coveo, a publicly-traded enterprise search company with global operations.

“If you are curious about the metaverse and don’t know where to start, Lighthouse will be the place to go,“ says Jonathan Brun, co-founder and CEO of Lighthouse. “Right now, discovery in the metaverse feels more like gaming, where you need to jump from one game to the next to find things, than the internet, where you can access everything from a single entry point. By building Lighthouse, we take the view that siloed worlds will eventually merge to become closer to the web. We’ve all seen how much standards and principles of openness propelled our digital lives with the internet. We are confident that Web3 virtual worlds will unite behind our vision of making the open metaverse a searchable place.”

“Lighthouse has the exciting opportunity to build a part of the unifying infrastructure for the metaverse,” said Andrei Brasoveanu, Partner at Accel. “The power of the metaverse lies in making it discoverable to a broad range of users, creators, and brands. Jonathan and Justine have thought hard about the opportunity ahead and what it takes to enable everyone to immerse themselves in this increasingly fragmented virtual world. We’re looking forward to partnering with the Lighthouse team on this journey!”

To power its platform, Lighthouse partners directly with the worlds for which it provides search capabilities. “Web search engines like Google or Brave use crawlers to discover publicly available web pages. However, because of the heavy and dynamic nature of 3D interactive media, powering real-time search across and within virtual worlds requires direct data integration. The open metaverse is still early, which gives us the opportunity to work hand-in-hand with projects to deploy standards that will ensure that the spatial web forms a cohesive unit,” said Lighthouse’s co-founder and CTO, Justine Massicotte.

Yat Siu, the executive chairman and co-founder of Animoca Brands, commented: “As a long-time builder and supporter of the open metaverse, Animoca Brands is well aware of Lighthouse’s overall value proposition and in particular of the pain points that the company is working to solve. We believe that Jonathan and Justine have the right vision and expertise to execute and we look forward to providing our assistance as they expand the universe of worlds they partner with.”

“As users will be spawning with their Avatars identity into many parallel virtual worlds in the open metaverse, we believe a new standard for a navigation system allowing for both content discovery and socialization layers will be needed, to aggregate metadata that facilitates connecting with your friends and communities across them and exploring content from one to another,” said Sebastien Borget, COO & co-founder of The Sandbox. “Lighthouse’s vision just focuses on that and we are happy to be working closely with them at The Sandbox and look forward to continuing providing our support to make the future truly open, transparent and interoperable.”

The funding will be used to grow Lighthouse’s engineering and community teams, expand the universe of worlds it partners with and launch its platform in Summer 2022.

To stay up to date with Lighthouse, keep an eye on their Discord, Medium and follow them on Twitter.

About Lighthouse Labs
Lighthouse is an open metaverse navigation engine that enables the search for places, events, friends, creators, assets, and experiences across and within virtual worlds. Through its portal, Lighthouse empowers users to find trending activities, build groups of friends to explore the metaverse, see where their NFTs are usable and follow the work of specific brands and creators. Lighthouse powers its solution by directly integrating with the virtual worlds for which it provides searchability capabilities. For more information visit: https://www.lighthouselabs.xyz/

Lighthouse is currently looking to expand the universe of worlds it partners with. If you are building a virtual world and would like to collaborate, go to https://www.lighthouselabs.xyz/ to book an intro meeting with the Lighthouse team.

Media Contact
Cat Staffell
cat@serotonin.co

The vaping industry veterans hope to cause waves with water-based vaping technology

Featured Image for Innokin Technology

Featured Image for Innokin Technology

LONDON, May 11, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Innokin Technology has announced the launch of a new arrival to their industry-leading lineup of vaporizers. Introducing Lota: Innokin’s all-new sub-brand pushing the boundaries of performance, reliability, and innovation within the entry-level vaping sector.

Innokin’s Lota is set to shake up the vaping space by combining Innokin’s decade plus of industry-leading innovation expertise with Aquios Labs: a new technology firm that enables water-based e-liquid.

The partnership offers Lota an innovative new technology and approach to closed vaping systems. Aquios Labs’ first generation of water-based vape juice, AQ30, supports 30% water content. Water-based vaping delivers smoother vapour and faster satisfaction compared to traditional vaping systems. The extra 30% water content of AQ30 also reduces the dehydrating qualities that typical vapour can cause. Additionally, water-based vapes operate at a lower temperature compared to their traditional counterparts, which allows for greatly increased chemical stability during the vaping process.

Water-based technology and e-liquids result in a vaping experience that no other device can replicate, with no leakage, enhanced flavour clarity and faster nicotine satisfaction. These strengths paired with Innokin’s manufacturing experience catapult Lota into the spotlight of the disposable vape sector.

Lota will initially launch with a portfolio of three water-based devices, each with their own position for specific global markets and consumer needs: the Lota Enviro, F600, and Prefilled Pod Kit.

The Lota Enviro is a disposable device with a clear mission to reduce the carbon footprint of typical disposable vapes. The Lota F600 is Lota’s flagship disposable vaporizer, targeted for TPD markets. Rounding off Lota’s launch is the Lota Prefilled Pod, a closed pod system with a rechargeable battery integrated with revolutionary Aquios water-based vaping technology.

Commenting on the launch, Innokin Technology Co-Founder George Xia said: “Innokin has always believed in embracing new technology. When first introduced to Aquios Labs, our product development team was impressed with the unique advantages of water-based vaping. Through this exciting partnership, Innokin is proud to launch the Lota brand, offering high performance water-based vaping in our continued quest of tobacco harm reduction across the globe.”

You can find out more about Lota at innokin.com.

For further information and enquiring about collaborating with Innokin, please contact marketing@innokin.com.

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SOLVE FSHD’s Venture Philanthropy Model

The model will enable SOLVE FSHD to be financially self-sustainable through return on investments.

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, May 11, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Following SOLVE FSHD’s recent acclaimed launch, the organization is pleased to formally announce the appointment of Dr. Eva Chin as the Executive Director. SOLVE FSHD’s Founder, Chip Wilson, has personally committed USD100 million to find a cure for facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD), a rare disease he was diagnosed with at the age of 32. As the inaugural Executive Director for SOLVE FSHD, Dr. Chin will be responsible for aligning the organization’s goals with the expertise of researchers, scientists and companies to promote and fund the discovery and development of new therapies for FSHD.

“Dr. Chin’s experience and specialization in rare neuromuscular diseases add immense value to our organization. We are excited to gain her expertise and guidance to achieve the organization’s goal of finding a cure for FSHD by December 2027,” says Chip Wilson, SOLVE FSHD Founder. He added, “Within just a few weeks of the organization’s launch, SOLVE FSHD has received a tremendous response to the call for qualified grant applications and new therapeutic technologies, which will be reviewed under Dr. Chin’s leadership. In addition, she has worked tirelessly to build strong industry alliances for SOLVE FSHD, closely assessed the exciting projects to fund and facilitated collaborative funding opportunities across the academic and industry sectors in FSHD research and drug development.”

Dr. Chin obtained her Ph.D. in Physiology from the University of Waterloo in Canada and completed post-doctoral training at the University of Sydney, Australia and U.T. Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, focusing on intracellular calcium in muscle fatigue and transcriptional regulation of gene expression in muscle fibre type determination and muscle plasticity.

“I am honoured to join the Solve FSHD team, supporting Chip and the Wilson Family in our mission to improve the quality of life for those affected by rare neuromuscular diseases by funding qualified research projects and pre-clinical and clinical research that will accelerate finding a cure for FSHD,” says Dr. Eva Chin, Solve FSHD Executive Director.

Dr. Chin’s career has spanned the academic and pharmaceutical industries, with previous positions at Pfizer, the University of Maryland, MyoTherapeutics, Cytokinetics and NMD Pharma. While at Pfizer, Eva shifted her career from academic research focusing on cellular and molecular mechanisms of muscle function to discovering and developing muscle-targeted therapies. Over the past five years, she has led the nonclinical development of numerous drug candidates in clinical trials for ALS, SMA, myasthenia gravis and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

Under Dr. Chin’s guidance, Solve FSHD’s venture-philanthropic funding model will strategically utilize Wilson’s monetary commitment to support the initial grants, investments in early-stage companies focused on FSHD and to incentivize pharmaceutical companies in the neuromuscular disease space to increase their focus on FSHD. The venture philanthropy model will enable the organization to be financially self-sustainable through return on investments. The investments in viable, albeit high-risk, research opportunities may generate a continued re-investment stream into the organization to further support grant funding initiatives.

“To take advantage of recent advances in genetic therapeutics, SOLVE FSHD constructed a creative funding platform to facilitate the development of treatments that rapidly slow, stop or even reverse weakness in FSHD,” said Dr. John Day, MD, Ph.D., Director of Stanford University’s Neuromuscular Medicine program. “Having someone with Dr. Eva Chin’s experience and capabilities join SOLVE FSHD is critical to establishing the scientifically rigorous program needed to define and validate safe and effective treatments as quickly as possible,” says Dr. John Day, MD, Ph.D., Neuromuscular Medicine, Stanford Neuroscience Health Center.

About Solve FSHD
Solve FSHD is funding innovative biotech and biopharma research and development activities that accelerate novel treatments of Facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD) treatment. It is fully funded and created by Canadian entrepreneur and philanthropist Chip Wilson. The founder of yoga-inspired athletic apparel company Lululemon Athletica inc. has been living with FSHD for the last three decades of his life. He has committed $100 million of his own money to create SOLVE FSHD and kick-start funding into projects that fit the organization’s mission: accelerate research into new therapies and find a cure for the disorder by 2027.

Future announcements for grant funding will be issued on SOLVE FSHD’s website – https://solvefshd.com/. For early-stage companies, contact SOLVE FSHD at info@solvefshd.com.

If you have FSHD and want to find out about clinical trials or be included in the FSHD registry, please see SOLVE FSHD’s website – https://solvefshd.com/

For media inquiries or to request a media interview, please contact:
Kamran Shaikh, Account Director
PR Associates
kshaikh@prassociates.com
778-846-5406

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SYDNEY, Australia, May 11, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — ENA Respiratory, a clinical-stage pharmaceutical company developing INNA-051, a first-in-class broad-spectrum antiviral innate immunomodulator for pan-antiviral prophylaxis in at-risk populations and pandemic preparedness, has been selected to join BLUE KNIGHT™, a joint initiative between Johnson & Johnson Innovation – JLABS (JLABS) and the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. ENA Respiratory is the first Australian company to be selected to join Blue Knight.

Blue Knight offers a scientific and technological ecosystem for innovative, early-stage companies to develop strategically aligned technologies that aim to combat health threats and emerging infectious diseases. ENA Respiratory’s selection highlights the urgent unmet need for therapies that could help the body respond faster to a broad range of respiratory viral infections and reduce the risk of hospitalization or complications. As a Blue Knight company, ENA Respiratory will benefit from mentorship from experts from BARDA, the Johnson & Johnson Family of Companies, and a global network of innovators who could provide critical insight and support throughout INNA-051 development.

ENA Respiratory’s self-administered nasal spray INNA-051 product is designed with the aim to stimulate the innate immunity in the nose, which is the preferential site of initial infection and replication of most respiratory viruses. Pre-clinical research demonstrates that INNA-051 has pan-antiviral potential with efficacy against a variety of respiratory viruses, including SARS-CoV-2, influenza, and the common cold rhinovirus.

“As we continue to advance the development of INNA-051, we look forward to working alongside BARDA, industry leaders, and other innovative companies with the aim to address emerging health threats and better protect our global community against infectious diseases,” said Christophe Demaison, Ph.D., CEO of ENA Respiratory.

ENA Respiratory is a virtual resident within JLABS, a premier life science incubator program.

Recently, ENA Respiratory began a Phase 2a influenza challenge pre-exposure prophylaxis study of INNA-051. It was found to be well-tolerated in a Phase 1 study, and Phase 1 data will be presented at the 2022 American Thoracic Society International Conference (May 13- 18, San Francisco).

Notes to Editors

If you would like to arrange an interview, please contact:

• Glenn Silver, Finn Partners, +1 973 818 8198, glenn.silver@finnpartners.com

About ENA Respiratory and INNA-051

ENA Respiratory is aiming to transform the prevention of respiratory viral infections in populations at-risk of complications. The company is based in Melbourne and Sydney, Australia and it has secured a Series A funding from Brandon Capital Partners’ managed funds, the Minderoo Foundation, and Uniseed.

INNA-051 is a potent innate immune TLR2/6 agonist. It is being developed for intranasal delivery to target the preferential site of initial infection and replication of most respiratory viruses, including SARS-CoV-2 and influenza. Fast-acting and inducing a durable biologic response supporting weekly administration, INNA-051 works by recruiting innate immune cells and priming epithelial cells of the nasal mucosa to respond more quickly to infections, rapidly eliminating viruses and other pathogens before they spread throughout the body. INNA-051 and close analogues have been shown in preclinical studies to be effective against multiple respiratory viruses, including SARS-CoV-2, influenza (H1N1 and seasonal H3N2), and rhinovirus.

Key features of INNA-051 intranasal administration include limited minimal or no systemic bioavailability, minimal or no systemic pro-inflammatory cytokine release, no direct type I interferon upregulation which is known to be associated with fever in humans, durable immune response supporting weekly administration, and compatibility with vaccine and intranasal corticosteroids.

For more information, please visit https://enarespiratory.com