In its mission to accelerate transformative cancer innovations and drive cures forward, the AIM-HI Accelerator Fund is pleased to announce the winners of the 2025 AIM-HI Venture Competition: ResNovas Therapeutics, co-founded by Nobel Laureate Carolyn Bertozzi, Ph.D., Michelle Arkin, Ph.D., CTO Ian Churcher, Ph.D., and CEO Gabriele Sulli, Ph.D.; and Chiara Biosciences, co-founded by National Academy of Inventors Fellow Francis Barany, Ph.D. and CEO Kirsten Flowers, MBA.
The 2025 AIM-HI Venture Competition Committee reviewed more than 80 applications from early-stage oncology companies representing 18 countries. The process was overseen by three committees—Selection, Judging, and Investment Due Diligence—each composed of world-class key opinion leaders, life sciences experts, investors, and entrepreneurs. Unlike traditional investment funds, the AIM-HI Venture Competition is building an ecosystem where every applicant receives meaningful feedback, either in writing or through a one-on-one meeting.
The AIM-HI Venture Competition is a first-of-its-kind program that provides critical funding, mentorship, and global networking opportunities to oncology startups. Both ResNovas Therapeutics and Chiara Biosciences were recognized as enterprises poised to make meaningful advances against some of the most challenging cancers. The competition highlights companies that combine strong scientific and clinical merit with the potential for transformative business and patient impact.
About the Winners
ResNovas Therapeutics is pioneering a breakthrough approach in targeted protein degradation (TPD) by leveraging novel induced-proximity mechanisms to expand the universe of druggable targets. Unlike traditional approaches, ResNovas’ breakthrough technology is built on a new class of effectors that enable the rational design of molecular glues. With this differentiated molecular glue strategy, ResNovas aims to deliver first-in-class therapies for treatment-resistant cancers, including RAS-driven tumors and beyond. Supported by industry leaders and successful serial academic founders, ResNovas is poised to drive major advancements in the TPD field.
Chiara Biosciences is creating a new category of targeted protein degraders with its proprietary CURE-PRO™ platform, which uses a “puzzle-piece” approach to overcome the size and geometry limitations of first-generation degraders. The platform enables oral delivery, CNS penetration, and the rapid discovery of novel degrader pairs. Chiara is advancing a pipeline against high-value oncogenic drivers in lung, breast, colorectal, and pancreatic cancers—diseases where new treatments could dramatically improve patient outcomes. Led by a seasoned team that has built companies acquired for up to $11 billion, Chiara is uniquely positioned to translate scientific innovation into life-changing therapies for patients.
Recognition and Leadership Perspective
The winners will be recognized at a Luncheon Award Ceremony during the 2025 NFCR Global Summit and Award Ceremonies for Cancer Research & Entrepreneurship, co-hosted by AIM-HI and the National Foundation for Cancer Research on October 24, 2025, at the National Press Club in Washington, DC.
“ResNovas and Chiara represent the type of bold innovation AIM-HI was created to empower,” said Sujuan Ba, Ph.D., Co-Founder and CEO of AIM-HI Accelerator Fund. “These innovative early-stage companies are reimagining what is possible in targeted protein degradation and drug discovery. Their breakthroughs have the potential to change the trajectory of cancer treatment worldwide. AIM-HI is proud to recognize and support both enterprises as they move their discoveries toward patients.”
“We are honored to be recognized as a winner of the 2025 AIM-HI Venture Competition. At ResNovas, our mission is to turn long-standing challenges in cancer drug discovery into opportunities to transform patient outcomes,” said Michelle Arkin, Ph.D., Co-Founder of ResNovas, who continued, “This recognition from AIM-HI validates the power of our approach and provides tremendous momentum as we advance our innovative molecular glue degrader strategy. We are deeply grateful for AIM-HI’s support and excited to continue building therapies that can bring real hope to patients facing cancers that have resisted treatment for decades.”
“To be named a winner of the 2025 AIM-HI Venture Competition is a tremendous honor for all of us at Chiara Biosciences. Our CURE-PRO platform enables us to create a new class of targeted protein degraders, and this recognition validates the potential of our science to transform outcomes for cancer patients,” said Kirsten Flowers, MBA, CEO & Co-Founder of Chiara Biosciences. “We are thankful to AIM-HI for acknowledging our vision and for the opportunity to engage with such an experienced strategic partner. This award reinforces our commitment to advancing novel therapies for the patients who need them most.”
The 2025 AIM-HI Venture Competition committees are comprised of the following persons: (listed in alphabetical order):
- Anna D. Barker, Ph.D., Chief Strategy Officer, Ellison Medical Institute
- Mey Boukenna, M.D., Ph.D., Vice President, Pags Group
- Tom Brennan, Former Venture Partner, Arch Venture Partners
- Rita Brogley, MBA, Managing Partner, Rebar Advisors, and Trinity Health Board
- Webster K. Cavenee, Ph.D., Distinguished Professor Emeritus, University of California San Diego
- Aleksandra Filipovic, M.D., Ph.D., Head of Oncology, PureTech Health
- Pamela Garzone, Ph.D., Chief Development Officer, Anixa Biosciences
- Dimitra Georganopoulou, Ph.D., General Partner, Qral Ventures
- Colin Hill, Co-Founder & CEO, Aitia Bio
- Raju Kucherlapati, Ph.D., Paul C. Cabot Professor of Genetics and Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School
- Scott Lippman, M.D., Distinguished Professor of Medicine & Associate Vice Chancellor for Cancer Research, UC San Diego Health
- Jimmy Lu, JD, MBA, Co-Founder and Managing Director, Eos BioInnovation
- Eva Martin, M.D., Senior Director, Alliance and Asset Management, Roche Pharma Partnering
- Eddie Martucci, Ph.D., Co-Founder & Chair of the Board, Akili Interactive
- Bonnie Weiss McLeod, Ph.D., Of Counsel, Cooley LLP
- Gregory W. Mitchell, Ph.D., Partner, Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP
- Drew Pardoll, M.D., Ph.D., Director, Bloomberg- Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
- Kornelia Polyak, M.D., Ph.D., Professor of Medicine, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
- Jacob Rayyan, Ph.D., Venture Associate, Cancer Fund
- Michael Salgaller, Ph.D., Supervisory Invention Development & Marketing Specialist, National Institutes of Health/National Cancer Institute
- Thea Tlsty, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Pathology and Director of the Center for Translational Research in the Molecular Genetics of Cancer, UCSF
- Hai Yan, Ph.D., Research Director, Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, The Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*Star) Singapore
- Mengsu (Michael) Yang, Ph.D., Senior Vice-President (Innovation and Enterprise), City University of Hong Kong
- Wai-Kwan Alfred Yung, M.D., Professor, Department of Neuro-Oncology, University of Texas, MD Anderson Cancer Center
Previous AIM-HI Venture Competition First Prize Winners Include:
- 2024 – HDAX Therapeutics, Nabanita Nawar, Ph.D., CEO & Co-Founder
- 2023 – March Biosciences, Sarah Hein, Ph.D., CEO
- 2022 – RiverWalk Therapeutics, Johanna Webb, President & CEO
- 2021 – ARDAN PHARMA, María Varela, CEO
- 2020 – Privo Technologies, Manijeh Goldberg, Ph.D., CEO
About the AIM-HI Accelerator Fund
The AIM-HI Accelerator Fund (AIM-HI) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization created in 2019 by the National Foundation for Cancer Research to provide oncology startups with the resources they need to drive innovative discoveries forward, out of the lab, to the clinics, and eventually to the people battling cancer. Our mission is to bridge the gap between research breakthroughs and clinical trials, aiming to develop innovative cancer therapies and technologies that can save patients’ lives. For more information, visit AIM-HIaccelerator.org.
About the National Foundation for Cancer Research
The National Foundation for Cancer Research (NFCR) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization co-founded in 1973 by Nobel Laureate Dr. Albert Szent-Györgyi and attorney/business entrepreneur Franklin Salisbury, Sr. NFCR provides scientists in the lab with the critical seed funding they need to make game-changing discoveries in cancer detection, treatments, prevention, and ultimately, a cure for all cancers. NFCR has distinguished itself in the cancer research sector by emphasizing “high-risk, high-impact” long-term and transformative pioneering research fields often overlooked by other major funding sources. With the support of more than 5.7 million individual donors over the last 52 years, NFCR has provided $420 million in funding to cancer research, prevention, and public education. NFCR-supported research has led to some of the most significant life-saving discoveries that benefit patients today.
To learn more about the National Foundation for Cancer Research, visit www.NFCR.org
Media Contacts:
Ella Ye, Scientific Programs & Communications Manager, eye@AIM-HIaccelerator.org
Jonathan Larsen, CMO of NFCR, jlarsen@nfcr.org
