Healthcare development business Alopexx and Inventages, the corporate venturing unit of Switzerland-based chocolate maker Nestle, have co-led the $15m first tranche of US-based healthcare company Cognoptix’s series D round.
Launchpad Venture Group, Cognoptix’s original investor in the $1.6m A round, along with Maine Angels, and Quan Ventures, also reinvested in the D round. Cognoptix, formerly known as Neuroptix, is developing an eye test to identify Alzheimer’s disease.
Inventages led the company’s series C round in January 2011, which was split into two tranches for an aggregate $8m, and a series B round of undisclosed size in October 2008.
Gunnar Weikert, managing director of Inventages, said: “Inventages continues to be committed to investing in and supporting the development of products, both diagnostics and therapeutics, in the field of dementia.”
Paul Hartung, president and CEO of Cognoptix, added: “With this new funding, we expect to complete the clinical development of our Sapphire II eye test and help change the course of Alzheimer’s disease by enabling early diagnosis at point-of-care.”