Mianus Capital and its strategic partner MERIT CRO, Inc. have revealed the launch of the Mianus Clarity Fund at the ARVO 2023 Annual Meeting. A number of factors, including an aging global population, substantial medical needs that remain unmet, promising developments in technology, high barriers to entry, and favorable exit prospects, make ophthalmology a promising field for capital investment. With the primary objective of enhancing people's quality of life and vision, the venture capital fund drives innovation in ophthalmology worldwide.
A New York City-based firm with a Shanghai office, Mianus Capital, was founded in 2015 and shifted its focus to healthcare and life sciences in 2019. As part of its commitment to this goal, Mianus Clarity Fund collaborates closely with MERIT, a technology-driven service company that specializes in assessing clinical endpoints across a variety of therapeutic areas, including ophthalmology. MERIT has a substantial market share in global ophthalmic clinical trials and a distinguished network of scientists and ophthalmologists who serve as highly regarded Key Opinion Leaders (KOLs) and are actively involved in clinical trials in ophthalmology, neurology, and oncology, among other therapeutic fields. Providing guidance to portfolio companies and performing due diligence, these scientists will assist the fund in identifying and evaluating high-quality investment opportunities.
“MERIT has had robust growth over the last ten years and has become a market leader with global brand recognition in the ophthalmology clinical trials market. We are proud to provide clinical endpoint solutions to top global pharmaceutical and biotech companies that develop drugs to treat eye diseases. MERIT can help Mianus with unparalleled domain expertise to differentiate its venture capital fund,”
- shares Dr. Yijun Huang, CEO, and Co-founder of MERIT.
The Mianus Clarity Fund is composed of experienced venture capitalists, entrepreneurs, investment bankers, and savvy investors. As well as a broad network of partners and advisors in the life sciences sector, the team has considerable expertise in the field of ophthalmology and other therapeutic fields. Mianus Clarity Fund's investment team includes four individuals with extensive experience in various fields, such as capital markets, life sciences, and technology.
Steve Yang, Arthur Klausner, Yijun Huang, and Philip A. Gioia have extensive experience in venture capital, entrepreneurship, clinical research, medical imaging, and pharmaceuticals. A former Managing Director at Torreya, John D. Bradley, is also guiding the fund. As a senior executive in both pharmaceutical companies and investment banks, Bradley has over 40 years of experience in corporate finance, with a vast network of relationships in the life sciences sector.
“As a specialized fund backed by solid expertise and vast resources in ophthalmology, Mianus Clarity Fund has a unique and compelling value proposition to investors in today’s environment. As with previous market down-cycles, I’m confident that this period will again prove to be a great time to invest in life sciences,”
- outlines Arthur Klausner.
