We’re excited to share two major milestones from our SOSV portfolio company Cayuga, which is developing a novel therapeutic approach to address life-threatening hemorrhage.

Hemorrhage causes nearly 2 million deaths each year worldwide, and remains a leading cause of death in surgery, trauma, childbirth, and among patients on blood thinners. Yet current treatments often fail to rapidly control non-compressible bleeding or address complex coagulation dysfunction.

Cayuga’s lead candidate, CAY001, is designed to change that. By mimicking endogenous platelet polyphosphate (polyP), it accelerates clot formation precisely at the site of bleeding, targeting the body’s natural clotting response when it’s needed most.

Closed $8M Seed Funding

Cayuga recently closed an $8M Seed round, including $5M led by Wharton Alumni Angels with participation from Gopher Angels (University of Minnesota), Mass Medical Angels, New York Ventures, NuFund Venture Group, Purchase Capital, SideCar Ventures, SOSV, TBD Angels, Walnut Ventures, and others. In addition, Cayuga was awarded $3M from the Defense Health Agency (DHA) Research & Engineering Division’s Combat Casualty Care Research Portfolio through the Medical Technology Enterprise Consortium (MTEC), highlighting the therapy’s potential impact in both civilian and military settings.

First Patient Dosed in Phase 1 Clinical Trial

Cayuga has also achieved a critical clinical milestone: the first subject has been dosed in the Phase 1 trial of CAY001.

CAY001 is being developed as a single-dose treatment aimed at closing persistent gaps in hemorrhage care. The trial is a randomized, placebo-controlled, single-ascending dose study in healthy volunteers designed to assess safety, pharmacokinetics, and pharmacodynamic activity. The study incorporates well-established blood biomarkers that are predictive of hemostatic outcomes, with human proof-of-concept data expected in 2026