Tayo Sanders II

Investor | Board Observer

2022 - Current

Sourced, facilitated spinout from Harvard University, and led diligence for $9.25M Series Seed financing, Jan 2022. Transforming cell biology discovery with a high-throughput, semiconductor-based platform. By seamlessly integrating semiconductors with conventional microplates, CytoTronics unlocks multi-modal electrical, electrochemical, and electrophysiological capabilities, delivering an unprecedented scope of data collection and scale-up for cell biology research, drug development, and pharmaceutical manufacturing.

Director

2022 - 2024

Building on Birmingham, Alabama's designation as a Biden-Harris Technology Hub, the Station 41 Venture Studio provides promising Deep South biopharmaceutical programs with the corporate infrastructure and resources to grow via non-dilutive and equity funding. Founded in 2022 with Southern Research, the Station 41 Venture studio fuels innovation and growth in the region's biopharma industry.

Investor

2015 - 2022

As the first biotechnology hire for the investment team, I led and co-led due diligence on 15+ companies, deploying over $130 million in capital. Anzu Partners is a venture capital and private equity firm that invests in breakthrough industrial technologies. We team with entrepreneurs to develop and commercialize technological innovations by providing capital and deep expertise in business development, market positioning, global connectivity, and operations. https://www.anzupartners.com/

Investor

2021 - 2022

Co-led diligence for a $60M Series A financing, Feb 2021. Excision BioTherapeutics is developing CRISPR-based therapies as potential cures for viral infectious diseases. EBT-101, the Company’s lead program, is an in vivo CRISPR-based therapeutic designed to cure HIV infection after a single intravenous infusion. Excision’s pipeline unites next-generation CRISPR nucleases with a novel gene editing approach to develop curative therapies for Herpes Virus, JC Virus, which causes PML, and Hepatitis B Virus. Excision’s foundational technologies were developed in the laboratories of Dr. Kamel Khalili at Temple University and Nobel Prize recipient, Dr. Jennifer Doudna, at the University of California, Berkeley.

Investor | Board Observer

2020 - 2022

Led diligence for $13M Series A financing, Feb 2020 Revolutionizing biomanufacturing, NTx's benchtop cell-free system empowers global access to next-generation vaccines and therapeutics by democratizing RNA and protein production.

Investor | Board Observer

2022 - 2022

Sourced, facilitated spinout from UNC-Chapel Hill, and led diligence on $15M Series A financing, Apr 2022 Codetta Biosciences’ mission is to advance and expand life science research and diagnostic capabilities by providing an easy-to-use, streamlined multi-omic testing solution. The company is developing a novel, fully integrated, multi-omic platform (instrument, software, consumables, with data analytics) that will set a new standard of multi-omic performance and simplicity, making this capability accessible to researchers in commercial and diagnostic labs at a significantly lower price point than its current competitors.

Investment Associate

2017 - 2017

NSF REU Researcher

2014 - 2014

Led synthesis of 17 novel ionic liquid compounds displaying liquid crystal and/or paramagnetic properties.