NeuroImpact Fund
Funding Investment in Epilepsy Innovation
Join the Epilepsy Foundation to help overcome the challenges of living with epilepsy and accelerate therapies to stop seizures, find cures, and save lives. Your investment will impact therapeutics, new treatment protocols, and new devices that will be accessible to people with epilepsy.
The Challenge
Epilepsy affects people of all ages, genders, races, ethnicities, and socioeconomic status.
- There are 3.4 million people in the U.S. living with epilepsy and 470,000 children in the U.S. living with epilepsy.
- One in 26 people will develop epilepsy during their lifetime.
- Despite available treatments, 4 out of 10 people with epilepsy continue to experience uncontrolled seizures, while many more experience less than optimal seizure control and side effects from their treatment.1
People who have seizures are at risk for serious complications, which is why it is crucial to prevent seizures and address all coexisting conditions of epilepsy. The most life-threatening complications of epilepsy and seizures are injuries from falls, drowning, suicide, and dying from seizures.
The Opportunity
As the largest nonprofit organization in the epilepsy space, the Epilepsy Foundation is in a unique position to recognize, evaluate, and support high potential projects. Our internal expertise, volunteer advisory councils, and credibility within the community brings added validation to our focused projects. Our unique reach allows us to know the critical needs of this population. Access to patient data can further inform our work with selected partners.
Your partnership, through direct venture fund investment or a directed philanthropic gift to the Epilepsy Foundation, can improve outcomes for people with epilepsy by advancing better therapeutics, diagnostics, devices, wearables, and data utilization.
NeuroImpact Fund
The Origin Story
In the early 2000’s, the Epilepsy Foundation identified a gap in funding innovations. The funding model for research is well understood and there are organizations dedicated to funding research for what is close to success. However, the growing, post-research stage is not well funded. The Epilepsy Foundation has historically played a pivotal role through Shark Tank in funding early-stage companies and helping them find future success.
The Epilepsy Foundation’s track record is highly regarded through its early success with Shark Tank. The opportunity for venture philanthropy has become more and more attractive to people who want to donate. The Shark Tank award is a critical first step as an endorsement and funding opportunity for early-stage companies seeking investments. However, it is not a source of long-term funding. To help bridge the gap, the Epilepsy Foundation started the Epilepsy Venture Fund, which made strategic investments in companies, some of which were Shark Tank award recipients. Presently, Shark Tank remains a vital funding and investment resource for individuals and companies looking to shape the future of epilepsy treatment and care.
The Fund Today
In 2023, the Epilepsy Foundation partnered with Iaso Ventures, a well-resourced financial institution, to develop the NeuroImpact Fund. This will serve as a primary source of funding to help accelerate therapies to stop seizures, find cures, and save lives. Iaso will leverage their professional investment expertise with the knowledge of the Epilepsy Foundation to grow the fund into one that will create a lasting impact for people with epilepsy, their families, and caregivers.
This partnership allows us to foster wider investor participation to create a scalable impact for every person living with epilepsy. It also allows us to leverage mission-aligned professional investment management to ensure the returns multiply over time and create a far greater impact. The fund provides an opportunity for investors and donors to double their impact through what is essentially a two-fold investment opportunity: one that benefits people with epilepsy as well as strengthens their personal investment portfolio.
The existing investment portfolio includes:
Hexokine Therapeutics- Developing a drug that reversibly inhibits the energy process needed to produce seizures. The effectiveness of 2DG in stopping seizures has been demonstrated in three well-established models of status epilepticus.
Neurara (Shark Tank Winner)- Designing electrodes with increased signal: noise ratio to provide cleaner EEG data.
Mensura- Developing a diagnostic system that rapidly determines clinically relevant patient blood levels of ASMs at the point of care.
The Outlook
While surgery may eliminate seizures in some people, there is not currently a cure for epilepsy. The primary treatment is anti-seizure medications (ASMs) that need to be taken daily and only address symptoms, not the disease itself. Recent and rapid advancements in technology and innovation in healthcare are creating new options for controlling, mitigating, and even predicting seizures. Companies that we fund through the NeuroImpact Fund have the potential to dramatically change the epilepsy treatment landscape through innovative therapies and treatments such as:
- Seizure forecasting
- Rescue therapies
- Seizure prevention in children
- Treatment of severe orphan and rare epilepsies
- Wearables and devices
- Brain machine interfaces
Your Support Is Critical
Whether you have a personal connection to epilepsy or are committed to making a difference in innovative healthcare, your investment makes a lasting impact. Investing in the NeuroImpact Fund provides an opportunity to make a positive impact now and in the future through:
- Uniting like-minded individuals and organizations to accelerate innovation and partnerships in healthcare and research to improve access and care for all people with epilepsy.
- Supporting a sustainable, long-term funding resource that will positively impact every person living with epilepsy, their families, and caregivers, through innovation and advancements in epilepsy treatment, care, and support.
- Creating a legacy to help stop seizures, find cures, and save lives through venture funding and investments that will improve and sustain the future of epilepsy care by advancing better therapeutics, diagnostics, devices, wearables, and data utilization.
With your investment, we will harness the power of venture funding and investments along with extensive knowledge in research, clinical care, patient data, and broad reach among people with epilepsy. This will allow our team the opportunity to expand our commitment to driving revenue for innovation and investments in epilepsy treatment and care. Together, we will accelerate commercialization of innovative epilepsy treatments through capital investment and market awareness to improve the lives of people with epilepsy.
1 Zack, Matthew M, Kobau, Rosemarie, 8-11-17, National and State Estimates of Number of Adults and Children with Active Epilepsy – United States, 2015, CDC Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report 66(31)821-825. ii Report noted above
Resources
Epilepsy Centers
Epilepsy centers provide you with a team of specialists to help you diagnose your epilepsy and explore treatment options.
Epilepsy Medication
Find in-depth information on anti-seizure medications so you know what to ask your doctor.
Epilepsy and Seizures 24/7 Helpline
Call our Epilepsy and Seizures 24/7 Helpline and talk with an epilepsy information specialist or submit a question online.
Tools & Resources
Get information, tips, and more to help you manage your epilepsy.