MEDA Angels

MEDA Angels

MEDA Angels was cofounded by Elizabeth Cho-Fertikh, herself a PhD in oncology and regulatory affairs, to assemble a network of healthcare insiders for early-stage investing. The team includes advisors who have served as the Acting Chair of the White House Council of Economic Advisers, a Former Chief Economist at both the FDA and CMS, a Stanford anesthesiologist and health economist, and the Joseph P. Newhouse Professor of Health Care Policy at Harvard Medical School — a roster of operating experience concentrated at the intersection of clinical practice, reimbursement, and policy. The group invests at the seed and startup stage, with a portfolio spanning medical devices, clinical-stage therapeutics, digital health platforms, and diagnostics. Confirmed portfolio companies include Mimivax, a clinical-stage cancer vaccine developer targeting survivin; Atraverse Medical, a device company developing a zero-exchange transseptal radiofrequency guidewire; Healionics, maker of the STARgraft vascular graft for dialysis patients; and Chronica, a full-service remote patient monitoring and chronic care management platform. The portfolio also includes exits, such as Allotrope Medical, acquired for its surgical tissue-stimulation device, and CitusHealth, now part of ResMed’s post-acute care software suite. MEDA Angels lists 18 professionals on its website, alongside a parallel venture-capital vehicle, MEDA Ventures, managed by several of the same partners. Cho-Fertikh and Executive Director Laura Beken each hold dual roles across both entities, suggesting a co-branded structure that allows syndicating angel commitments alongside a more formalized venture fund. The group operates from Arlington, Virginia, without disclosed additional office locations. Structurally, MEDA Angels derives its edge from a physician-and-regulator-heavy membership that can diligence deeply and then actively guide portfolio companies through the FDA clearance process, health-system value-analysis committees, and payer coverage decisions. The unadvertised differentiator is that a material share of its deal flow appears to originate from academic spin-outs — at least three portfolio companies trace their origins to MIT, Columbia University, and Johns Hopkins — positioning the group to underwrite clinical-stage risk that commercial venture firms often require de-risked before committing.