2025 Impact Report
Stead Impact Ventures and Foundation
MESSAGE FROM OUR CEO
A New Era of Brain Health
Tiffani Shaw, CEO
The past year has marked an extraordinary time of challenges and, in the face of them, major leaps forward. We stand at the precipice of unlocking some of the mysteries of the brain, answers that can lead us to greater brain health through novel and innovative treatments, care models, and preventions.
We share a vision of a world where neurodegenerative disorders are detected, treated effectively, and even prevented; metabolic health is optimized to help people live full and productive lives; and mental health is addressed as an integrated and essential component of healthcare.
2025 Advancements
This past year we witnessed our Stead Innovators community of researchers, entrepreneurs, leaders, and advocates work tenaciously and tirelessly to carve out new solution paths that others couldn’t see. Their relentless faith and perseverance have led to advancements that are poised to improve the health and wellbeing of each one of us.
In 2025, we saw the successful clinical trials of groundbreaking treatments that regenerate brain synapses, offering new hope for devastating brain conditions. These transformative therapies for patients battling Alzheimer’s, ALS, schizophrenia, and other conditions are creating the possibility of restored cognitive, motor and other functions lost to these diseases.
We are committed to meeting the needs of the estimated 10-12 million Americans living with cognitive impairment, many of whom could qualify for approved treatments if diagnosed. Our portfolio company’s proprietary pTau217 antibody, the most reliable Alzheimer’s blood biomarker, was selected by the world’s leading diagnostic companies to power their Alzheimer’s blood tests. These partnerships, representing half of the in vitro diagnostic platforms expected to deliver pTau217-based Alzheimer’s blood testing, will provide accessibility for earlier drug intervention and more equitable worldwide access to diagnosis and treatment.
Metabolic health continues to be an urgent need—to fight obesity and comorbidities like cognitive decline that reduce quality of life, and improve healthspan to live productive lives as we age. This past year, we partnered with a company developing a breakthrough non-invasive biosensor for glucose-related insight which, together with our other technologies, will lead the next generation of proactive wellness and prevention.
Looking Ahead to 2026
Moving into 2026, we will continue to support our partners in bringing their innovations to market to improve health and wellbeing at scale. We look forward to expanding our investments and partnerships deeper into the mental health space, specifically addressing the increasing anxiety and depression affecting young people. Mental health has long been a commitment philanthropically, but we see an urgent need for continued innovation to deliver treatments and care that meaningfully impact this crisis.
As we look ahead, we are grateful to the founders and leaders, nonprofit partners, and advocates who share our mission, and we remain committed to working together to advance innovation that delivers meaningful, measurable impact for individuals, families, and communities.
Together, we will continue to invest in and support innovations that not only extend life, but improve healthspan, dignity, and quality of life for people around the world.
43.7%
U.N. Sustainable
Development Goal 3
35.6%
U.N. Sustainable
Development Goal 4
20.7%
U.N. Sustainable
Development Goal 16
In 2015, the United Nations adopted a blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet, and our investments and grants naturally align with three of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals: Goal 3, health and wellbeing; Goal 4, quality education; and Goal 16, peace, justice and strong institutions. To date, our investments (orange) and grants (green) are divided between the three as indicated above. As we look to the future, we continue to strive to make meaningful impact within these goals.
Highlights from our Portfolio Companies
Bending the Curve to Improve Healthspan
At Stead Impact Ventures, we invest with responsibility and purpose in innovators advancing solutions in neurodegenerative disease, mental health, and metabolic health—areas where innovation can meaningfully improve healthspan and quality of life. This year saw exciting advancements across the portfolio, reflecting our commitment to investing in science-driven, scalable solutions that can deliver measurable impact for patients, families, and health systems worldwide.
Advancing Novel Treatments for Devastating Brain Diseases
Spinogenix is redefining treatment of neurodegenerative, neurodevelopmental, and psychiatric diseases with its first-in-class approaches to restoring synaptic dysfunction. In 2025, the company achieved significant milestones, successfully completing multiple Phase 2a clinical trials in Alzheimer’s disease, ALS, and Fragile X Syndrome with its investigational treatments Tazbentetol and SPG601.
Clinical Breakthroughs:
Alzheimer’s Disease: Once daily oral treatment with Tazbentetol showed rapid and sustained cognitive improvement, reversing disease progression rather than just slowing down decline. Objective biomarker evidence using EEG demonstrated normalized brain activity signatures correlating with improved brain activity.
ALS: Once daily oral treatment with Tazbentetol showed significant slowing of disease in a subset of patients and a correction in brain signatures that correlated to functional improvements. The FDA also cleared an Expanded Access Program, enabling 200 ALS patients who do not qualify for clinical trials to receive treatment.
Fragile X Syndrome (FXS): SPG601 treatment in patients with FXS, the leading inherited form of autism, demonstrated unprecedented improvements in selective attention and behavior. Objective biomarker evidence using EEG demonstrated improved abnormalities in brain activity linked to anxiety and memory problems, which have never been changed before in investigational therapy trials. Spinogenix shared results of the trial with the FDA in a type C meeting and obtained agreement on a clinical development plan to support an application for market approval.
Democratizing Alzheimer’s Detection Globally
ALZpath founders Dr. Eric Reiman and Jerre Stead started the company in 2020 with a clear goal—to make accurate diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease as simple as a blood draw at the doctor’s office. The company has made remarkable strides in making globally accessible, accurate, and early detection of Alzheimer’s disease a reality—an urgent and growing need as patients, diagnosed with the help of a blood test, can now access FDA-approved Alzheimer’s disease treatments.
In 2025, ALZpath signed an agreement with global diagnostic leader Siemens Healthineers to power its Alzheimer’s blood test, adding to agreements with other industry leaders. Collectively, these partnerships represent half of the in vitro diagnostic platforms expected to deliver pTau217-based Alzheimer’s blood testing. Through this global accessibility, ALZpath will help transform Alzheimer’s disease diagnosis, treatment, and monitoring.
In recognition of its innovation, in 2025, ALZpath was named a Fast Company “Most Innovative Company” and received BioTech Breakthrough’s “Diagnostic Innovation of the Year.”
Expanding Healthspan Through Metabolic Health Innovation
Wearable technologies have transformed our ability to track meaningful data about our health, empowering us to make positive changes.
Over the past year, we advanced a strategic collaboration with MedWatch Technologies, which is developing a breakthrough non-invasive biosensor for glucose-related insight. Its sensor will integrate with the Sensable Health wellness platform, leading to the next generation of proactive wellness and prevention. This collaboration reflects our strategic focus on metabolic health as a foundational driver of long-term healthspan, chronic disease prevention, and cognitive wellbeing.
The sensor will unlock continuous metabolic insight, while the AI-powered coaching layer will translate that insight into hyper-personalized, adaptive interventions that drive sustained behavior change at scale.
“MedWatch Technologies’ mission is to empower people with meaningful, non-invasive data about their health,” said Sam Zaidspiner, CEO MedWatch Technologies. “Together with Sensable Health, we will accelerate innovation, expand our reach to consumers, and set a new standard for metabolic wellness.”
Highlights from our Nonprofit Companies
Advancing Discovery, Education, & Community
Pictured Above: Stead Impact Ventures and Foundation team visits the Stead Innovation Scholars at the University of Iowa.
At Stead Impact Ventures and Foundation, our philanthropy is grounded in a belief that meaningful, lasting impact comes from pairing financial support with long-term partnership. In 2025, our giving focused on advancing breakthrough medical research, strengthening academic leadership, and supporting community-based organizations through both capital and hands-on engagement. Our grantees are part of our ecosystem of nonprofit, for-profit, academic and government partners, creating a purposeful community with common missions aligned in our goal to improve health and wellbeing for people globally.
Stead Innovation Scholars
The Stead Innovation Scholars program at the University of Iowa Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine reflects our belief that transformational medical discoveries emerge when researchers are empowered to follow the data, take risks, and pursue bold ideas — even when those ideas fall outside traditional funding models.
The program supports exceptional early-career faculty whose high-potential research might not otherwise receive early backing. In 2025, Stead Impact Ventures Chair Jerre Stead, CEO Tiffani Shaw, and Chief Marketing Officer Dana Larson visited Iowa City to meet the newest cohort of Scholars, as well as recipients from the prior three years, to learn how their work has progressed and how early support has accelerated discovery. These researchers are now part of the growing Stead Innovators community — a network united by curiosity, rigor, and a shared commitment to advancing human health.
Pictured Above: Stead Foundation Co-Chair Jerre Stead and Board Member Tiffani Shaw with the latest cohort of Stead Innovation Scholars.
University of Southern California: Advancing Neurosurgical Excellence
In 2025, Stead Impact Ventures and Foundation deepened their support of academic medicine through a new endowed chair in neurological surgery at the University of Southern California. USC leadership hosted a celebration marking the establishment of a Stead-Foundation funded chair named in honor of Dr. Steven Giannotta, a pioneer in cerebrovascular and skull base surgery. We will be proud to welcome the soon-to-be-named chair recipient into the Stead Innovators community.
This gift is designed to advance complex cranial and vascular neurosurgery, strengthen resident education, and support translational research — all with the goal of improving patient outcomes. The evening underscored the importance of collaboration between philanthropy, academic leadership, and clinical innovation in accelerating medical breakthroughs that directly impact patients and families.
Pictured Above: Tiffani Shaw celebrates the new Stead Foundation-funded endowed chair in neurological surgery with leadership at USC.
Whole‑person Health Advances Most When Investment and Involvement Move Together
Our philanthropic approach also prioritizes deep engagement with community-based organizations. In 2025, we continued our support of Community 43, a Phoenix-based nonprofit that offers a range of resources and services designed to promote mental, emotional, and physical wellness for those with serious mental illness.
We complement capital investment with hands-on involvement from our team. Our Stead Impact Ventures team members regularly volunteer with Community 43 — spending time on site, assisting with fundraising strategy, and helping strengthen organizational capacity.
This combination of funding, strategic support, and personal involvement reflects our belief that community impact is strongest when relationships are built over time and partners work side by side. Community 43 builds on our holistic approach to healthcare issues, encompassing all stages from prevention to diagnostics to treatment and—equally important—care.
Pictured Above: Stead Impact Ventures team visiting with staff and members at Community 43.
AZADVANCES HEALTH INNOVATION SUMMIT
Multiplying Impact Through Collaboration
A new generation of family offices is emerging—one that views capital as a tool for progress and collaboration as a multiplier of impact.
At this year’s AZAdvances Health Innovation Summit, Stead Impact Ventures Board Chair Jerre Stead and CEO Tiffani Shaw joined fellow leaders for The Innovation Champions panel—an on-stage conversation that reflected how we think about our role as a family office in today’s healthcare innovation ecosystem.
The discussion, moderated by Joan Koerber-Walker and featuring John Shufeldt of Xcellerant Ventures, focused on a growing shift: family offices moving beyond traditional investing toward intentional, outcomes-driven capital that addresses urgent health challenges.
Pictured Above: Stead Impact Ventures Chair Jerre Stead and CEO Tiffani Shaw speaking at AZAdvances Health Innovation Summit.
That shift sits squarely at the heart of our commitment to impact investing: We believe in addressing healthcare issues through the innovation and disruption that startups provide, as well as through the long-term vision and service of nonprofit organizations and advocacy work. By creating an ecosystem of mission-aligned nonprofit, for-profit, and government organizations committed to research, technology, and care delivery, we can begin to bend the curve in the areas of neurodegenerative disorders, mental health and metabolic health.
Equally important, we see our role as a convener. Complex health challenges are too large for any single family, fund, or founder to solve alone. We are collaborating with other family offices committed to impact investing—sharing due diligence, co-investing alongside trusted partners, and learning from one another’s experiences. When families align around purpose as well as performance, the collective impact can far exceed what any of us could achieve independently.
The AZAdvances panel reinforced what we see across our work every day: a new generation of family offices is emerging—one that views capital as a tool for progress and collaboration as a multiplier of impact. At Stead Impact Ventures, we are proud to be part of that movement and committed to helping shape its future.
STEAD INNOVATORS SYMPOSIUM 2025
Strengthening the Ecosystem Behind Breakthrough Innovation
In 2025, Stead Impact Ventures convened its portfolio company CEOs and founders in Scottsdale, Arizona for the second annual Stead Innovators Symposium — an immersive gathering designed to strengthen relationships, share hard-won insights, and accelerate progress across our innovation ecosystem.
Each year, the Symposium brings together leaders who are building category-defining companies in healthcare and life sciences. Through candid conversation and shared learning, the event reinforces a core belief of Stead Impact Ventures: that companies move faster and further when founders are connected to peers, mentors, and investors who understand the journey.
This year’s keynote address was delivered by Nicholas Ashton, PhD, senior director of Banner Health’s Fluid Biomarker Program. He shared the groundbreaking work he is leading to make Alzheimer’s disease detection and diagnosis more accessible on a global scale. His remarks underscored both the scientific momentum in the field and the importance of translating innovation into real-world impact.
Jason Sobol, Co-Head of U.S. Investment Banking at Evercore, shared insights on finding the right investors, and answering their fundamental questions: Are you the right team, at the right time, with the right solution? Jason also joined a panel with AccuTitle CEO Bill Bartzak and Stead Impact Ventures Chair Jerre Stead, Board Director Jay Stead, and Chief Commercialization Officer Aidan Thompson on strategy-building to successful exit .
Additional sessions explored operational excellence and emerging technology. Portfolio alum Randy Harvey discussed optimizing artificial intelligence in product development and operations, offering a candid look at how AI can be deployed responsibly and effectively inside growing organizations.
The 2025 Stead Innovators Symposium reaffirmed the value of convening leaders who are navigating similar challenges — and the power of community in accelerating both growth and impact. We look forward to building on this momentum through additional educational and networking sessions throughout the year for the Stead Innovators community.
Raising the Bar on Leadership, Not Just Technology
The Technology Leadership Forum was created with a clear and ambitious mission: to raise the standard of technology leadership across the Stead Impact Ventures portfolio—not simply by improving technical execution, but by developing leaders who set vision, drive organizational change, and translate innovation into durable business impact.
Over the past year, we convened technology and product professionals from across the portfolio, and that mission came to life in tangible ways. Through structured mentoring, peer collaboration, and shared learning, the Forum has strengthened the leadership capacity of our technology teams while accelerating modernization, operational efficiency, and cross-company alignment. The result was measurable progress at the company level—and a stronger, more connected leadership community across the portfolio.
As we look ahead to 2026, the success of the Technology Leadership Forum has directly informed the creation of a new cross-portfolio community: the Growth Leadership Forum, designed to support leaders in marketing, communications, business development, sales, and related functions. Together, these forums reflect a broader commitment to investing not only in companies, but in the people and leadership systems that enable them to scale.
Pictured Above: Technology leaders from our portfolio companies at the first annual technology symposium.
From Individual Growth to Portfolio-Wide Impact
Over the last 12 months, leaders participated in one-on-one mentoring sessions focused on executive perspective, strategic planning, and decision-making. In parallel, bi-weekly group forums created space for technology leaders to share real-world use cases, lessons learned, and emerging risks and opportunities—particularly around AI adoption, security, and product development. The Forum was further reinforced through an in-person, technology-focused extension of the Stead Innovators Symposium, broadening exposure and strengthening peer relationships.
The impact has been visible. Participants reported faster product planning cycles, clearer roadmaps aligned with business objectives, and meaningful efficiency gains through applied AI. Several companies experienced measurable improvements in their internal technology assessments, driven not by new tools alone, but by more confident, energized leadership.
Equally important, the Forum has fostered collaboration that extends well beyond scheduled meetings. Leaders have worked together on topics such as AI-assisted product requirements, SOC2 and GDPR compliance, recruiting and interviewing practices, and AI-enabled documentation—creating shared solutions that benefit the entire portfolio.
A Model for What Comes Next
The Technology Leadership Forum has demonstrated that intentional leadership development creates compounding value—for individuals, for companies, and for the portfolio as a whole. The Growth Leadership Forum builds on that foundation, reinforcing our belief that the strongest outcomes emerge when leaders learn together, challenge each other, and grow in community.