Visionary Venture Fund Closes Debut Fund

ALISO VIEJO, CA--(Marketwired - May 2, 2017) -  Visionary Venture Fund, an Orange County based ophthalmology focused venture fund, and OCTANe, Orange County's technology and life sciences accelerator organization, today announced the close of the fund's first round of funding.

With the proceeds, Visionary Venture Fund expects to invest up to $30 million in approximately a dozen of the most promising ophthalmology companies over the next 18 months. Representative companies that received investment include:

• IanTech, an organization working on a minimally invasive micro-interventional device to treat cataracts in a safe and cost-effective manner.
• Mynosys, a group developing a device that uses precision pulse technology to create an accurate and reproducible capsulotomy.
• SightLife Surgical, the leading eye bank and specialist in providing corneal tissue and services to cornea surgeons. The company plans to eliminate corneal blindness worldwide.
• RxSight, a pioneering IOL product expected to transform the lens industry by being able to tune vision after cataract surgery. 

"Southern California's ophthalmology companies are leading the global ophthalmology industry and we anticipate that the ecosystem here will continue to thrive," said Jeffry Weinhuff, Managing Partner of Visionary Venture Fund. "The concentration of ophthalmology innovation here is a testament to the region's strong innovation at leading universities, healthcare institutions and advanced manufacturing, pharmaceutical and medical device industries. We enjoy rich and well-vetted deal flow."

Visionary Venture Fund's Key Opinion Leader Ophthalmology partners and Investment Committee assist in deciding which companies receive funding. Led by Dr. Richard Lindstrom, Dr. Eric Donnenfeld and Dr. Kerry Solomon, the group includes many globally recognized leaders in cataract, cornea, and refractive surgery as well as former and incoming presidents of ASCRS.

Visionary Venture Fund's diligence on investments is also deepened by working through uniquely knowledgeable panels formed by OCTANe's LaunchPad accelerator. This highly knowledgeable and experienced group includes a dedicated group of Ophthalmologists, and industry executives available only in Orange County.

Visionary Venture Fund's debut fund announcement comes in conjunction with the release of a detailed Orange County ophthalmology ecosystem report titled, The Economic Impact of the Ophthalmic Goods Manufacturing Industry on the Southern California Economy. The report indicated that $12.5 billion of annual economic benefit in Southern California stems directly from the ophthalmology industry.

Commissioned by Visionary Venture Fund and OCTANe, the report was developed by Dr. Wallace Walrod, Chief Economic Advisor for the OCBC and Special Economic Advisor for both OCTANe and Visionary Venture Fund.

"OCTANe and Visionary Venture Fund is proud to play a role in Orange County's ophthalmology industry," said Bill Carpou, CEO of OCTANe. "As we work towards our goal of helping to create 22,000 jobs by 2025, OCTANe will continue to support and contribute to the growth of ophthalmology companies in Southern California."

The report states that ophthalmic goods manufacturing activities positively impacted the California economy to the tune of $12.5 Billion annually and resulted in approximately 56,000 direct, indirect and induced Southern California jobs. Of those, the ophthalmic good manufacturing industry directly employs approximately 25,105 individuals. This high level of job creation is estimated to provide an additional economic benefit of $6.83 billion each year.

To learn more about Visionary Venture Fund or to download a full copy of The Economic Impact of the Ophthalmic Goods Manufacturing Industry on the Southern California Economy, please click here.

About Visionary Venture Fund, LLC:

Visionary Venture Fund is an ophthalmology focused venture capital firm based in Orange County, the global headquarters of Ophthalmology. The fund partners with leading ophthalmologists and local business people to make investments in the $35 billion global ophthalmology industry.

About OCTANe:

OCTANe drives technology innovation and growth by connecting ideas and people with resources and capital. Its members represent technology and medical technology executive leaders, entrepreneurs, investors, venture capitalists, academicians, and strategic advisors, all working together to fuel innovation in Southern California. The organization has helped more than 800 companies via the LaunchPad™ SBDC accelerator. LaunchPad™-certified companies have received more than $1.7 billion in investment and equity exits. OCTANe annually welcomes more than 7,000 people to its programs and events. More than 2,000 business leaders throughout the region are OCTANe members. For more information, visit www.octaneoc.org.