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SCI Ventures Launches Venture Philanthropy Fund to Accelerate Restorative Treatments for Spinal Cord Injury and a Cure for Paralysis

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2 years ago

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Global early-stage fund to catalyze development of the next generation of treatments

Backers include the leading spinal cord injury foundations in the U.S., U.K., and EU

NEW YORK and LONDON, June 10, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — SCI Ventures, a new venture philanthropy vehicle dedicated to funding and commercializing innovative treatments for spinal cord injury, today announced the launch of its first fund. SCI Ventures’ mission is to advance breakthroughs for people living with paralysis by supporting promising cure-oriented therapies and emerging technologies. The fund launches with $27 million in commitments and anticipates raising $40 million by year-end. 

Spinal cord injury (“SCI”) affects more than 15 million people globally, and options to address the dramatic impact on their quality of life are currently limited.1 Beyond the loss of movement, paralysis impacts bowel, bladder and sexual functions—and comes with massive financial costs. SCI is one of the most expensive medical conditions to manage: average lifetime costs range from $2.9 million for paraplegia and up to $6 million for high tetraplegia.2

SCI Ventures is led by a team of professionals with expertise in venture capital, technology, and science with deep personal connections to the cause and it’s advised by world-class neuroscientists. By serving as an early-stage investor with extensive sector expertise, SCI Ventures aims to catalyze funding for the SCI space. There are many commonalities between spinal cord injuries and adjacent conditions such as stroke and neurodegenerative disorders. Therefore, SCI Ventures is confident the technologies backed by the Fund will yield high impact beyond the SCI community.

The launch of SCI Ventures marks the first time that five of the leading foundations addressing spinal cord injury in the U.S., U.K. and EU have come together in support of a novel investment vehicle. Co-Founders are the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation, Wings for Life, the International Spinal Research Trust (“Spinal Research”), the Promobilia Foundation and Shepherd Center. The venture philanthropy fund model was pioneered in SCI by the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation, which led SCI Ventures’ first investments in the technology company ONWARD® Medical and AXONIS Therapeutics. SCI Ventures is building on this progress and industrializing the model.

“Recent scientific and technological advancements have made recovery from paralysis a real possibility for the first time in history. However, while treatments to restore function for people with spinal cord injury have shown promise in lab settings, transferring these treatments to clinical settings remains a stubborn barrier,” said Adrien Cohen, Founding Managing Director of SCI Ventures.

“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,” he added.

SCI Ventures is an independently managed fund focusing on seed and Series A financing rounds. It will redeploy 100% of its investment gains into additional companies working toward the mission to cure paralysis. SCI Ventures plans to support up to 20 companies and has already established a growing portfolio of investments, including:

ONWARD® Medical, which provides targeted stimulation of the spinal cord to restore movement and other functions, alone or in combination with brain-computer interface (BCI) technology for thought-driven movementAXONIS Therapeutics, which focuses on advancing drug discoveries for neuron revival and neuromodulationSania Therapeutics, a gene therapy company that can selectively target dysfunctional neural circuits, starting with spasticityAUGMENTAL, which is developing the MouthPad^: an in-mouth interface for hands-free human-computer interaction

“We’re proud to continue innovating and leading in our shared mission to restore function to people with spinal cord injuries and eventually cure paralysis,” said Maggie Goldberg, President and CEO of the Reeve Foundation. “SCI Ventures is a unique model and an opportunity to bring together leaders from across the SCI and paralysis fields to offer resources and expertise that, when combined, can create lasting, positive impact.”

“We have experienced first-hand the immense challenges people with paralysis face each day, so Wings for Life is incredibly proud to be a co-founding member of SCI Ventures and an enabler of breakthrough treatments,” said Anita Gerhardter, Global CEO of Wings for Life. “We see great potential in the emerging companies in SCI Ventures’ portfolio, and we are more confident than ever that people who are injured today will be the first generation that does not have to live with paralysis for the rest of their lives.” 

About SCI Ventures
SCI Ventures is the first venture philanthropy fund focused on innovative therapies for people living with paralysis. Co-founded by leading global foundations and advised by world class neuroscientists, SCI Ventures aims to catalyze the development of the next generation of treatments with an emphasis on technology to restore function and cure-oriented therapies. The fund shares the 501(c)(3) tax-exempt registration of the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation. To learn more about SCI Ventures, please visit https://www.sciventures.com. Follow us on LinkedIn here.

Media Contact
Prosek Partners
Pro-SCIVentures@prosek.com

1 https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/spinal-cord-injury
2 https://www.nscisc.uab.edu/public/Facts%20and%20Figures%202024%20-%20Final.pdf 

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SOURCE SCI Ventures

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“What If We Had This in 2020?” Data Viz 4 Good Bridges the Fortune 100 Data Gap for the Social Sector

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May 5, 2026

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SAN FRANCISCO, May 5, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Data Viz 4 Good (DV4G) today announced the launch of its ImpactIQ platform, a breakthrough SaaS solution transforming how the social sector visualizes mission-critical data.

For founders Tyra Jean and Vanessa Francesca Ortega, both Ronald E. McNair Baccalaureate Scholars, the mission began with a pivotal question: “What if we had Data Viz 4 Good at Syracuse University back in 2020?”

CEO Tyra Jean—a former Public Policy & International Affairs Fellow at UC Berkeley and current D.S.W. candidate at the University of Southern California—developed the concept after bridging two vastly different worlds. “I worked as a data consultant for Fortune 100 companies and saw firsthand the massive gap in data infrastructure across the nonprofit sector,” said Jean. “We’re bringing enterprise-grade technology to the organizations that need it most.”

This vision, combined with the duo’s technical pedigree, has positioned them as emerging leaders in the next generation of AI-powered social infrastructure and frontrunners for Forbes’ 30 Under 30.

The platform’s technical moat is anchored by the COO Vanessa Francesca Ortega — Posse Alumni, SU Remembrance Scholar, and Newhouse’s Dean Branham Scholar. She is the founder & CEO of Civic Trust Systems, the core operating system powering municipal-scale AI platforms, including HellogovAI Inc.

“ImpactIQ is built on infrastructure originally designed to power secure, large-scale government service delivery,” said Ortega. “Through Civic Trust Systems, I developed the AI delivery model and user experience architecture that enables platforms like Hellogov. We are now applying that same level of security and privacy to the social sector.”

By leveraging Civic Trust Systems, DV4G delivers government-grade security, privacy-first data handing, and scalable AI intelligence— without the complexity of cost of traditional enterprise systems.

As a free resource for the sector, the founders co-host a DV4G Podcast on Instagram (@DataViz4GoodHQ). The next episode explores how ImpactIQ’s privacy-first architecture not only protects sensitive community data but also strengthens grant readiness and institutional trust.

DV4G is currently scaling ImpactIQ for global researchers, nonprofits, and mission-driven organizations seeking to modernize how they measure and communicate impact.

Unlock the full impact of your data at DataViz4Good.org.

Media inquiries: contact@dataviz4good.org

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SOURCE Data Viz 4 Good

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QuickLogic to Showcase EOS™ S3 and eFPGA Solutions at Sensors Converge

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May 5, 2026

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SAN JOSE, Calif., May 5, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — QuickLogic Corporation (NASDAQ: QUIK) will showcase its EOS™ S3 SoC and eFPGA solutions at Sensors Converge 2026, taking place at the Santa Clara Convention Center. Attendees can visit Booth 1039 to see how developers can build always-on, ultra-low power sensor and voice-enabled systems with greater flexibility and faster time-to-market.

At the booth, QuickLogic will highlight the EOS™ S3, a fully integrated platform designed for concurrent voice, motion, environmental, and biometric sensing. With its built-in low-power sound detection, Arm® Cortex®-M4F processor, and embedded FPGA, the EOS™ S3 enables developers to implement custom hardware acceleration while minimizing power consumption—ideal for battery-operated and always-on applications.

Date: May 6 and 7, 2026

Booth: 1039

Exhibit Hours:

Wednesday, May 6: 10:00 AM – 5:30 PMThursday, May 7: 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM

About QuickLogic
QuickLogic Corporation is a fabless semiconductor company specializing in eFPGA Hard IP, Strategic Radiation Hardened and Antifuse FPGAs and ruggedized programmable logic solutions. QuickLogic’s unique approach combines cutting-edge technology with open-source tools to deliver highly customizable, low-power solutions for aerospace and defense, industrial, computing, and consumer markets. For more information, visit www.quicklogic.com.

QuickLogic and logo are registered trademarks of QuickLogic. All other trademarks are the property of their respective holders and should be treated as such.

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SOURCE QuickLogic Corporation

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PIRELLI WILL START CYBER™ TYRE PRODUCTION IN GEORGIA UNDERLINING THE STRATEGIC IMPORTANCE OF THE U.S. MARKET

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May 5, 2026

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Pirelli further strengthens its commitment to the country. Investment and output expansion details will be communicated in the coming months following the finalization of the development plans

MILAN and WASHINGTON, May 5, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Pirelli is reinforcing its long-term commitment to the United States with a key step in its product and industrial strategy. The Georgia plant, already dedicated to the most technologically advanced products for the U.S. market—both in the High-Value segment and in Motorsport—will be further enhanced by the production of connected tires featuring Cyber™ Tyre technology. This development highlights the strategic importance of the U.S. for Pirelli’s global growth roadmap, strengthening the company’s integrated industrial and technological presence in the country.

The announcement comes as Pirelli participates in the SelectUSA Investment Summit, the flagship event promoted by the U.S. Department of Commerce, where Cyber™ Tyre is being showcased as a core innovation shaping the future of smart mobility. 

Cyber™ Tyre is the world’s first hardware-and-software system capable of collecting data and information from sensors embedded in tires, processing them through Pirelli’s proprietary software and algorithms, and, by communicating in real time with the vehicle’s electronics, enabling new functionalities integrated with driving and control systems to enhance the driving experience and increase safety levels, as well as supporting connected infrastructure.

In a highly advanced market such as the United States, where digital and smart mobility solutions are rapidly expanding, Cyber™ Tyre represents a distinctive competitive advantage for Pirelli.

At SelectUSA, Cyber™ Tyre was showcased at the Georgia State booth, a particularly meaningful presence given Pirelli’s industrial footprint in the state, where it has been established for more than 20 years.

“The start of Cyber™ Tyre production in our Rome, Georgia plant is a significant milestone for Pirelli in this country,” said Claudio Zanardo, CEO of Pirelli North America. “It reflects our commitment to bringing advanced technologies like Cyber™ Tyre closer to the market, further strengthening our industrial footprint and innovation capabilities in the United States.”

To further enhance the role of Rome as a high-tech production site, Pirelli is finalizing the introduction of the latest version of the MIRS (Modular Integrated Robotized System) production process. It will be the most advanced manufacturing process for high-end, premium production within the entire Pirelli Group, and is exclusive to the Georgia factory. The process further enhances robotized production capabilities, increasing productivity, flexibility, and quality.

It is a highly digitalized system that enables a direct link between product design and its industrial application.

This development lays the groundwork for growth in Pirelli’s production capacity in Rome, an integral part of the Group’s industrial development plans, and will further strengthen Pirelli’s presence in the United States—one of its most important and strategic markets.

The Rome, Georgia, plant specializes in high-value tire production for the North American market. It also hosts a dedicated R&D center, further strengthening its role in technological development and product innovation.

The facility is recognized for its responsible sourcing practices, including the use of FSC® (Forest Stewardship Council®)-certified natural rubber, underscoring the company’s broader environmental commitment across its supply chain.

www.pirelli.com

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SOURCE Pirelli North America

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