A Turning Point Fueled By Hope
As 2024 comes to a close, we find ourselves reflecting on hope—not as a passive wish, but as an active force that propels us forward. Cristina Mittermeier, our advisor and the author of the stunning book HOPE, reminds us through her work that hope embodies the resilience of our planet and humanity’s enduring connection to nature. In Robert Redford’s words from the book’s foreword:
“Hope does not need to be merely a passive wish, it can be an active force to propel us forward, fueling our determination to defy the odds and carve our own destiny. It’s the flicker of possibility that dances in our hearts, reminding us that even when facing challenging circumstances, there exists the potential for inspiration and renewal. I am honored to join Cristina as she shares her remarkable and important work with the world.”
This message resonates deeply with us at Endurance28. Hope is not just an ideal—it’s a driving force. It inspires endurance, resilience, and the belief that, together, we can achieve what many deem impossible.
We witnessed remarkable milestones, both for our firm and for the ambitious rebels in our portfolio. These founders build companies that pursue bold visions—revolutionizing medicine, pioneering climate solutions, and pushing the boundaries of what’s possible. At Endurance28, we believe that building transformative companies is the most effective way to scale solutions and address humanity’s most pressing challenges. Their success is a testament to their determination and our collective mission to drive transformative solutions in climate, health, and economic opportunity—building a future where humanity and the planet thrive in balance.
To our LPs, founders, and the broader community we’ve built: thank you. You are the heart of Endurance28. Your support and shared purpose inspire us to continue striving for a better future.
As we look to 2025, we are filled with optimism for what we will achieve together. Here’s to a future defined by hope, resilience, and bold possibilities.
With gratitude and hope,
The Endurance28 Team
Team Highlights
January 15th-17th
Team offsite
Sonoma
May 5th
Dipsea Trail
May
SF500 event
June
Brazilian Startup Day at BIO 2024
San Diego
June 12th
Participation in Shark Thank at INNOVIT
Garret Dempsey
July 9th
Shaping the Future of Venture Capital
Dinner and Reception
July 12th
Investment Immersion Summit
Vartan served as a panelist of early-stage investing event.
Co-hosted by StartUp Chihuahua and NM State’s Hunt Center for Entrepreneurship.
August 20th
Participation in Nucleate Genesis Program – Argentina Chapter
Vartan Indjeian and Garret Dempsey
August 30th-September 7th
Argentina
Garret Dempsey
September 5th
New Mexico Startup Forum
Startup World Cup New Mexico Regional Contest
Consuelo Valverde as judge
September 12th
1200vc Annual Summit
San Diego
October 10th
The Power Behind Scaling with Purpose #SFTechWeek
November 2nd-3rd
Río Del Lago 100 Miler
Consuelo Valverde’s first 100 mile race
November 7th-11th
Celebrate the Journey
Team trip to Zion National Park
November 11th-14th
Kauffman Fellows Trek
Singapore
Portfolio Highlights
Initiates Phase 1:
Leveraging Series A capital, led by Khosla Ventures, initiates Phase 1, first-in-human clinical trials for their cell encapsulation cell replacement therapy addressing Type 1 diabetes
Initiates Phase 1:
Announced first-in-human Phase 1 clinical trial of their novel worm-derived medicine – and eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) as lead indication
Appoints Francois Nader to serve as chairman:
Appoints Dr. Francois Nader to serve as chairman of the company’s board of directors. Formerly, François served as a chair or director of the Board of several public and private companies including chairman for Acceleron Pharma (acquired by Merck for $11.5B), and member of the Board for Alexion Pharmaceuticals (acquired by AstraZeneca for $39B) and Baxalta (acquired by Shire for $32B), and is currently an independent board member to Moderna and Ring Therapeutics.
Closes Series A:
Successfully raised $7m Series A financing in order to expand their services providing affordable health benefits to businesses across Mexico and Latin Americ.
Launched new product line:
Launched new product line of instant oat milk latte, offering health benefits in addition to meeting its sustainability goals of alternative sourcing for caffeinated products
Stretegic investment from Denka:
Denka Company Limited, a leading Japanese chemical company, announced a strategic investment in Ares Materials, reflecting Denka’s firm belief in Ares Materials’ innovative technology and its commitment to bringing sustainable solutions to the market.
Highlights:
- Announced Series A financing, raised in order to continue development of Precision Medicine in Oncology, Rare Diseases, and other complex therapeutic areas, leveraging proprietary genomic data and working with leading US and global Pharmaceutical companies
- Recognized by Visa and La Nacion as one of the most innovative companies in new technologies
- Announced key strategic hire of Ezequiel Renzulli, who previously was a senior director of business development at Tempe’s AI
Successfully increased revenues:
Successfully increased revenues to an expected $16m in 2024, once again on track to doubling without raising additional capital
Grant:
- Equator was awarded a Phase 2 SBIR grant to continue its work in developing drugs for the stimulation of thermogenesis to achieve sustained weight loss
Highlights:
- Announced alliance with Amazon Fresh, with Justo serving as the distributor of over 7,000 products through the Amazon marketplace
- Announced $70m Series C round of capitalization, including HSBC’s first venture debt financing in Mexico, providing $20m of capital as part of the round.
Announced equity financing:
Announced equity financing of $100 million from Morgan Stanley Tactical Value and others in a new funding round, in line with Series D’s $2B valuation
Grant:
- DProtein was awarded a 2024 Good Food Institute Field Catalyst Grant to research improved purification and manufacturing methods for precision fermentation.
From Our Shelves
Decision Quality: Value Creation from Better Business Decisions
Add value with every decision using a simple yet powerful framework
Few things are as valuable in business, and in life, as the ability to make good decisions. Can you imagine how much more rewarding your life and your business would be if every decision you made were the best it could be? Decision Quality empowers you to make the best possible choice and get more of what you truly want from every decision.
Endurance
Experience “one of the best adventure books ever written” (Wall Street Journal) in this New York Times bestseller: the harrowing tale of British explorer Ernest Shackleton’s 1914 attempt to reach the South Pole.
Rebel Ideas: The Power of Diverse Thinking
Rebel Ideas examines the power of ‘cognitive diversity’ – the ability to think differently about the world around us. It explains how to harness our unique perspectives, pool our collective intelligence and tackle the greatest challenges of our age – from climate change to terrorism. It draws on a dazzling range of case studies, including the catastrophic failings of the CIA before 9/11, a fatal communication breakdown on top of Mount Everest and a moving tale of de-radicalisation in America’s Deep South. Rebel Ideas will strengthen any team or organisation, but has dozens of personal applications, from the art of personal reinvention to the remarkable benefits of personalised nutrition. It shows us how to become more creative, how to collaborate in a world becoming more interconnected, and how to break free of the echo chambers that surround us all.
Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience
Psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi’s famous investigations of “optimal experience” have revealed that what makes an experience genuinely satisfying is a state of consciousness called flow. During flow, people typically experience deep enjoyment, creativity, and a total involvement with life. In this new edition of his groundbreaking classic work, Csikszentmihalyi demonstrates the ways this positive state can be controlled, not just left to chance. Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience teaches how, by ordering the information that enters our consciousness, we can discover true happiness and greatly improve the quality of our lives.
Picks from the Ambitious Rebels
Ares Materials - Adrian
- Freakonomics and People I (Mostly) Admire are fantastic choices for anyone looking to explore new perspectives. Both help you think outside the box and offer unique insights on a wide range of topics.
- Memory Palace is a great option for a short, relaxing podcast that takes you to fascinating historical moments in an engaging way.
- Slingshot by Héctor Ruiz: An inspiring story about the journey of a remarkable Mexican engineer, his roots, and his achievements. A motivating and enriching read.
- How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big by Scott Adams: A thought-provoking book that challenges conventions and offers innovative ways to approach problems, making it perfect for sparking creativity and new ideas.
Compound Foods - Maricel
Gen1e Lifesciences - Ritu
- The Venture mindset by Prof Ilya Strebulaev (my Finance professor at Stanford Business School)
- Without a Doubt by Surbhi Sarna (Now YC Partner Bio/Healthcare)
- Goldilocks Genome by Elizabeth Aden
Bioz - Daniel
Encellin - Crystal
- Good to Great by James Collins
- Infinite Game by Simon Sinek
- Choosing to Run by Des Linden
Encellin - Grace
- Pathogenesis: A History of the World in Eight Plagues By Jonathan Kennedy
Welbe - Eduardo
- The Talent Code – Daniel Coyle
- Gambling Man: The Wild Ride Japans Masayoshi Son
- The problem with change: and the essential nature of human performance – Ashley Goodall
Verdigris - Mark
- Startup boards. By Brad Feld and Matt Blumberg
- You’re not listening Kate Murphy
- High growth handbook Elad Gil
- Traction by Gino wickman
- 10 to 25 by David Yeager
- Confessions of a pricing man by Herman Simon
Cubbo - Josu
Mercê do Bairro - Diego
Prixz - Checo
- La Mentalidad de Fundador. Cómo superar las crisis de crecimiento previsibles.
- La llamada del coraje: Holiday, Ryan
- Aquí no hay reglas: Netflix y la cultura de la reinvención
- Película: Remando Como Un Solo Hombre
- El héroe de las mil caras: Campbell, Joseph
- Podcast
- Documental de Luis Enrique
- El talento nunca es suficiente: John C. Maxwell
- Delivering Happiness: Hsieh, Tony
- El arte de cerrar la venta: La clave para hacer más dinero más rápidamente en el mundo de las ventas profesionales, Brian Tracy
- Podcast
- Cómo construir una story-brand: Clarifica tu mensaje para que la gente te escuche – Donald Miller
- Growth Hacker Marketing (El Futuro Del Social Media Y La Publicidad) – Ryan Holiday
- Contagioso. Cómo conseguir que tus productos e ideas tengan éxito – Jonah Berger
- El camino del artista julia cameron
- Podcast
Prixz - Raúl
- The House of Morgan
- Principles, Ray Dalio; The changing world order, Ray Dalio
Fonda - Daniel
- Super founders by Ali Tamaseb
- The Friction Project by Robert I Sutton & Huggy Rao
- Steve Jobs & Elon Musk by Walter Isaac
