Black women continue to plant their flags in technology.
University of Michigan graduate Crystal Brown stumbled into technology after a friend introduced her to a CEO behind a life science startup, TechCrunch reports. She was already nose deep in the automotive manufacturing industry and aiming to become a C-suite automotive executive.
The CEO that she had been introduced to was looking for a business manager, and Brown accepted a part-time role. Her friends encouraged her to leave her position in the automotive industry altogether.
“I was like, no one’s gonna take me seriously. I’ve never studied biology. I studied poli sci and women’s studies,” she told TechCrunch.
Brown stayed with the company and eventually moved up to director of operations. Then the startup went public. With a substantial payout, she decided to launch her own biotech startup, per the outlet. Though she made some rookie mistakes, like hiring too quickly, and the company ultimately closed due to funding, she had built a strong reputation in Michigan’s startup community and was ready for the next big idea.
CircNova
While she didn’t start off in biotechnology, Brown’s work speaks for itself. In May 2023, she joined scientist Joe Deangelo as co-founder of CircNova, a biotechnology company behind the AI NovaEngine, which can “generate, analyze, and identify circular RNA (ribonucleic acid) for therapeutic development,” according to the company’s LinkedIn. CircNova claims to be the first in the world to conduct this line of work. Circular RNA is a key molecule in cells and regulates critical biological processes, per TechCrunch.
“We are focused on RNA therapeutics, more specifically circular RNA, which gives us access to treat more undruggable diseases,” Brown said, according to the Michigan Economic Development Corp. “Compared to linear RNA, which can degrade at both ends, has a shorter lifespan and is not necessarily always able to stay in the cell, circular RNA is a continuous loop. It allows us to be more efficacious and precise in binding to the disease target, allowing us to treat the disease in a more full-scope way than before.”
Brown said the goal is to bring new treatments to market. The company’s focus is currently on neurological diseases such as neurofibromatosis and certain cancers including ovarian cancer and triple-negative breast cancer.
“We are on our way to becoming the premier AI drug discovery agent for RNA therapeutic development,” Brown said, according to outlet. “Whether you are a major biopharma or if you’re a small startup, if you are developing an RNA therapeutic, you should be coming to CircNova. We want to be one of the first few companies in the U.S. to co-develop an RNA therapeutic. It is game-changing.”
Funding
CircNova announced it raised $3.3 million in a seed round led by VC South Loop Ventures in February. Dug Song, Union Heritage, Michigan Rise, Invest Detroit, Kalamazoo Forward Ventures, and SPARK Capital also participated in the round. The biotech company has also received $50,000 from the Detroit Startup Fund.
