AOA Dx is developing AKRIVIS GD™: a proprietary liquid biopsy blood test for early-stage ovarian cancer detection. By analyzing tumor marker gangliosides which are specific to ovarian cancer and present across all stages and subtypes, AOA can detect ovarian cancer early and subsequently reduce the cost of treatment, the number of unnecessary surgeries, the chance of recurrence, and the high fatality rate for ovarian cancer patients.
CEO: Oriana Papin-Zoghbi
Headquarters: Denver, CO (formerly Boston, MA)
Year Founded: 2019
Year Avestria First Invested: 2021 (Fund I)
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Recent Press:
Five start-ups shortlisted for Women’s Cancer Innovation award
Oriana Papin-Zoghbi makes the 2024 TITAN 100 list
Way to detect ovarian cancer being developed in Denver
Biotech company focused on early ovarian cancer detection opens in Denver
Could this startup turn the tide on ovarian cancer?
Oriana Papin-Zoghbi quoted in an article covering women’s health
Three essentials when raising capital
AOA’s biomarker diagnostic effectively screens 90% of patients with early-stage ovarian cancer
AOA featured in SVB’s “Innovation in Women’s Heath 2023” report
AOA published in Frontiers of Oncology
AOA featured in The Wall Street Journal
AOA hosts panel on prioritizing DEI in clinical trials
Oriana Papin-Zoghbi is a speaker at the 2023 Women’s Health Innovation Summit
Bloomberg New Economy announces 2023 Class of Catalysts
AOA featured in SVB’s “Healthcare Investments and Exits” update
The Top Founders and Leaders Driving Innovation in Women’s Health in 2023
Top female entrepreneurs disrupting women’s health and fertility
Startup radar: VCs on femtech startups worth watching
LifeSci Beat Podcast with Oriana Papin-Zoghbi
AOA announces publication of first peer-reviewed clinical study
Female founders in tech fireside chat and mixer
”5 on Funding” with Oriana Papin-Zoghbi
AOA among the 25 startups pitching at the 2023 Women’s Health Innovation Summit – Europe
Five femtech startups leading the fight against cancer
Oriana Papin-Zoghbi is featured on NBC Bay Area
Oriana Papin-Zoghbi is a speaker at the Wharton Health Care Business Conference
The Project Medtech podcast: how to take advantage of programs for startups
Despite 2022’s headwinds, women’s health startups did better than ever before
AOA announces first patient enrollment in OVERT clinical trial
Female founders are energizing investment in women’s healthcare
AOA is one of the 23 startups to watch in Boston in 2023
AOA announces initial validation of tumor gangliosides
Oriana Papin-Zoghbi is one of Women of Wearables’ 200 Trailblazing Leaders
Build a cap table and understand dilution impact of early-stage investment webinar
AOA is one of the 35 most promising femtech startups, according to VCs
Oriana Papin-Zoghbi is a speaker at the 2022 Hispanic Innovation and Entrepreneurship Program
Female life science leaders share stories and advice at the Business Journal event
Legally Femtech: Femtech Investment and Fundraising Strategy with Oriana Papin-Zoghbi
Oriana Papin-Zoghbi and Anna Milik Jeter honored in Inc.’s Top Female Entrepreneurs of 2022
AOA wins the Women’s Health Innovation Showcase
Oriana Papin-Zoghbi is one of the speakers at Startup Boston Week
AOA is pitching at the MassChallenge Early Stage Startup Showcase
Fempower Health podcast: Emerging femtech for Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month
The intersection between innovation and clinical advancement in women’s health
Oriana Papin-Zoghbi is among the finalists for the BWB Awards
AOA among the 24 startups pitching at the 2022 Women’s Health Innovation Summit
AOA selected for MassChallenge’s 2022 Early-Stage Cohort
Eight tips for achieving your goals (and setting a positive example for your team)
The next scientific revolution (Note: Oriana’s section begins at 1:44).
Busine$$ of the V podcast: This femtech startup is developing better ovarian cancer diagnostics
AOA chosen as 2022 Eddies finalist by the Massachusetts Innovation Network
3 things to remember when diversifying your startup’s cap table (by Oriana Papin-Zoghbi).
How small businesses can compete in a heated job market
How technology can help end suffering in silence: Endometriosis, PCOS, and gynecological cancers
Meet seven femtech companies innovating in ovarian, breast, and gynecological cancers & health
WoW Woman: Oriana Papin-Zoghbi
Femtech founders share their insights on the space
Surbhi Sana joins AOA’s Board of Directors
On the couch with Oriana Papin-Zoghbi
Life Science Innovation Podcast by Enventure with Anna Milik Jeter
'Women Building for Women' with Oriana Papin-Zoghbi
Three things to consider when searching for the right co-founders (by Oriana Papin-Zoghbi)
AOA published in The Journal of Precision Medicine
AOA among 2021 MedTech IGNITE winners
AOA among female-led life science companies presenting at Springboard Enterprises’ Demo Day
Oriana Papin-Zoghbi joins Tech4Eva’s roadshow as a panelist
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Angel Invest Boston: Oriana Papin-Zoghbi of AOA
Women’s Health Innovation Forum: Women’s Oncology
Seven business opportunities that need more female voices
Female founders share about their journeys, discuss diversity
Oriana Papin-Zoghbi of AOA (YC S21)
20 cutting-edge women’s health inventions to watch
How to raise money to fund an underserved space (by Oriana Papin-Zoghbi)
BIOMEDevice Boston will feature presentations by MassMEDIC Ignite 2021 cohorts
Here are all the companies from Y Combinator’s Summer 2021 Demo Day Part I
AOA’s Chief Scientific Officer awarded $650,000 grant for further liquid biopsy test development
Best practices for executing a successful product launch (by Oriana Papin-Zoghbi)
AOA signs exclusive license agreement to secure suite of IP
Oriana Papin-Zoghbi accepted into Forbes’ Young Entrepreneur Council
AOA announces $2.5M seed round
FemTech Founder: an interview with Oriana Papin-Zoghbi
Inception with Oriana Papin-Zoghbi
AOA announces $87,500 in non-dilutive funding
FemTech Focus podcast: AOA Dx.
AOA chosen for 2021 IGNITE cohort
AOA & Professor H. Uri Saragovi awarded $100,000 grant
FemTech company aims to revolutionize ovarian cancer detection & survival rates
AOA files patent for composition and methods of ovarian cancer diagnosis
AOA announces exclusive option agreement
Professor Uri Saragovi and Dr. Anne-Marie Mes-Masson win grant to help enable early cancer detection
Recognizing great ideas at the McGill Clinical Innovation Competition
April 10, 2024: AOA is one of the five femtech startups that has been shortlisted for the Women’s Cancer Innovation award, which is presented by FINN Partners: a global marketing communications form. AOA (which focuses on ovarian cancer) is recognized alongside 10zyme (which focuses on cervical cancer), and BIONIRS, DeepLook Medical, and OncoGenomX (all of which focus on breast cancer). The winner will be announced on May 2.
March 26, 2024: The TITAN 100 list recognizes the top 100 CEOs and C-level executives in Colorado. Oriana Papin-Zoghbi made the 2024 list, recognized - among other Titans - for her “exceptional leadership, vision, and passion”. (Read the corresponding press release here.)
March 22, 2024: In honor of AOA’s move to the Colorado area, the company gave Denver’s KDVR an inside look at AOA’s new lab. This segment also features quotations both from an ovarian cancer survivor and from Oriana Papin-Zoghbi to highlight the need for an “earlier and easier” ovarian cancer test - and to encourage women to be advocates for their own healthcare as well.
March 13, 2024: The formerly Boston-founded and Boston-based AOA has made Colorado its new home and the site of its next stage of growth. The startup, which didn’t initially envision opening its own lab, moved its operations to Denver, Colorado this spring, announcing its new headquarters and the opening of its new lab on March 12. Note: membership required for viewing.
March 8, 2024: That 40% of surveyed women in the UK still confuse ovarian and cervical cancer is only emblematic of the progress that still needs to be made to treat the former. This article from Femtech World covers not only AOA but also the multitude of challenges that come when tackling ovarian cancer. For example, ovarian cancer has a relatively low incidence of disease - even though the percent of women who die from ovarian cancer is significantly higher than those who die from almost any other gynecological cancer. As Oriana Papin-Zoghbi concludes, “The fact that 80 per cent of women are diagnosed with stage three and four ovarian cancer is unacceptable. Women need a much better chance.”
December 21, 2023: A quotation from Oriana Papin-Zoghbi - about how women’s health has been underserved - kicks off this deep dive into women’s health. This piece was published in Insider Precision Medicine, but, as the article itself notes, the concept of precision medicine can be applied not only individuals of different weights, heights, and genetics but also to individuals of different genders. Oriana Papin-Zoghbi is quoted throughout the article as someone who is prioritizing women’s health in a way that many healthcare companies have not in the past. Alydia Health, a former Avestria portfolio company, was also mentioned in the article.
December 20, 2023: Following up on AOA’s oversubscribed round, Oriana Papin-Zoghbi writes this article for Fast Company about the three lessons that she believes are essential for any entrepreneur raising capital. She believes that presenting the overarching vision, communicating effectively, and remembering that fundraising is a marathon not a sprint can help companies not only find investors but find the right investors to bring to their cap table.
December 8, 2023: This article, published for Biotech Metropolitan Women, gives a overview of AOA and its successes so far, including the company’s fundraising, its publications, and its development of its biomarker diagnostic: AKRIVIS GD™. AKRIVIS GD™ detects the presence of gangliosides GD2 and GD3, which, as a preliminary clinical study suggests, have a significantly higher expression in patients with ovarian cancer than those without. This article also highlights how AOA’s recent research has demonstrated that AKRIVIS GD™ effectively identified the disease in 90% of patents with stage I and stage II ovarian cancer, which have historically been the hardest stages to diagnose correctly.
December 5, 2023: Silicon Valley Bank (SVB)’s inaugural “Innovation in Women’s Health 2023” puts the spotlight on women’s health: on both its need for funding and R&D and on the founders and companies heading innovations in the space. AOA was featured as a notable deal in diagnostics, one of the largest women’s health-focused deals in 2023, and one of the companies serving women in their later years. Antiva Biosciences, Axena Health, Madorra, Mae, and Midi - five other Avestria portfolio companies - were also mentioned throughout the report.
October 31, 2023: The article “The cancer glycocode as a family of diagnostic biomarkers, exemplified by tumor-associated gangliosides” was published in the Frontiers of Oncology journal. The article was not only written by several members of the AOA team (including Co-Founder and Chief Regulatory Officer Anna Milik Jeter and Chief Scientific Officer H. Uri Saragovi) but also explores the ideal properties of tumor glycolipids, including high specificity and sensitivity, as cancer diagnostic biomarkers, even for early-stage cancers.
October 12, 2023: With an oversubscribed $17M round, AOA is planning to scale - and, in the process, bring the next level of the company growth to Colorado. The funds will be used to develop AOA’s platform, newly named GlycoLocate, both for ovarian cancer and for other cancers potentially as well, to conduct GlycoLocate’s trial in diagnosing ovarian cancer early, and and to expand the company’s lab and development team in Boulder, Colorado.
September 28, 2023: AOA was featured in this article from The Wall Street Journal that highlighted FemHealth Ventures’ $32M raise. FemHealth Ventures, like Avestria, is an investor in AOA Dx., and Oriana Papin-Zoghbi was quoted in this interview to talk about what AOA’s next goals are and how FemHealth Ventures was willing to invest in the company, despite its early-stage, and, thus, increased risk to investors. Note: membership required for viewing.
September 19, 2023: How do and why should companies and researchers prioritize diversity, inclusion, and equity in clinical trials? AOA hosts a panel to answer those very questions. Oriana Papin-Zoghbi was also joined on stage by Kameelah Phillips, a OB/GYN at Calla Women’s Health, Stacy Blain, Co-Founder and Chief Scientific Officer at Concarlo Therapeutics, Aparna (Amy) Divaraniya, PhD, CEO and Founder of OOVA, Inc., and Ariel Kramer, Founder of Klover Communications.
September 14, 2023: Oriana Papin-Zoghbi is one of the speakers at the 2023 Women’s Health Innovation Summit (WHIS). Oriana joins Sandy Milligan, MD, JD, Head of Research and Development at Organon, and Primavera Spagnolo, Scientific Director at Brigham & Women’s Hospital for a panel called “Championing Research: Investing & Partnering in Early-Stage Discovery” The panel covers why sex and gender lenses in research should be prioritized, what risks and rewards come from, and even how new molecules are identified. Gail Maderis, of Avestria portfolio company Antiva Biosciences, will also speak at the conference.
August 23, 2023: AOA is one of Bloomberg New Economy’s 2023 Class of Catalysts. The Bloomberg New Economy catalysts represent entrepreneurs - as well as innovators, policymakers, and scientists - who are working to improve the world’s equality, sustainability, or both. The 2023 cohort includes 20 new members from 12 different countries. Note: membership required for viewing. (Watch the corresponding video here.)
August 15, 2023: In its mid-year 2023 healthcare report, Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) named women’s health as the sector to watch, writing “Now more than ever, it is evident that investment into this space can bring impressive returns for multiple players, including investors, providers and payers.” The report also included a market map of women’s health subsectors that have raised the most amount of funds from venture capital investors since 2015, and AOA was included in the “Oncology” subsector. Antiva Biosciences, Axena Health, Curio, Madorra, and Midi - five other Avestria portfolio companies - also made the market map across subsectors.
May 31, 2023: Oriana Papin-Zoghbi of AOA Dx made Slice of Healthcare’s list of “The Top Founders and Leaders Driving Innovation in Women’s Health in 2023”. This list covers the top 50 entrepreneurs and investors in women’s health, across 10 different categories, including diagnostics and testing, maternal health, and general health and wellness. Shailja Dixit of Curio Digital Therapeutics, Joanna Strober of Midi Health, and Neil Ray of Raydiant Oximetry are three other Avestria portfolio company CEOs that also made the list.
May 26, 2023: Oriana Papin-Zoghbi made WERKIN’s list of the top female entrepreneurs disrupting women’s health and fertility. The 16 women were chosen across healthcare sectors - from diagnostics to digital health to research and treatment - for the systematic change that they’re helping to push forward and for their role in empowering all women, especially when it comes to fertility and reproductive health.
May 19, 2023: This PitchBook article interviewed three women’s health-focused venture capitalists, including Avestria’s Linda Greub, about the femtech companies that they think are worth watching: both in and outside of their current portfolio. Avestria portfolio companies AOA Dx. and Mae were both highlighted in this article for their ability to transform early ovarian cancer detection and maternal health for mothers, starting with Black mothers, respectively.
April 16, 2023: Oriana Papin-Zoghbi joined the LifeSci Beat Podcast by Wharton Healthcare. Oriana discussed AOA and the need for its services but also talked about the background she had that drove her into healthcare and into women’s health specifically, including her global upbringing, her awareness that being a scientist doesn’t have to mean being a researcher or a doctor, and her networks, which allowed her to find her AOA co-founders as well as AOA’s Chief Scientific Officer, Professor Saragovi. (Also available on Apple, SoundCloud, and Spotify.)
April 11, 2023: AOA has announced the publication of its first peer-reviewed clinical study in the scientific journal “Frontiers in Oncology”. The study covers the utility of GD2 and GD3 for diagnosis of all subtypes and stages of ovarian cancer: the biomarkers that AOA aims to use to help detect ovarian cancer early. (Read the corresponding press release here.)
April 5, 2023: This fireside chat featured not only female founders in tech but also female funders: Oriana Papin-Zoghbi joins Katelyn Donnelly, Managing Director at Avalanche VC, and moderator Gabriella Garcia of Two Sigma Ventures. Katelyn shared what makes companies an attractive investment as a venture capitalist while Oriana covered what companies can do to make themselves an attractive investment to venture capitalists and other investors.
April 4, 2023: “5 on Funding” is a weekly newsletter that asks leaders from venture-backed startups about the five ways that they plan to spend their latest round of funding. This week’s newsletter features Oriana Papin-Zoghbi, who lists technology development, team build-out, regulatory development, clinical development, and IP portfolio as the five areas in which AOA will spend its recent round.
April 3, 2023: The Women’s Health Innovation Summit is not just a U.S event; instead, it - and its various spinoffs, such as the Reproductive Health Innovation Summit - are held around the world. AOA was one of the 15 companies, chosen by 13 venture capitalists, selected to pitch live at the conference, which takes place on April 26 and 27, 2023 in Basel, Switzerland.
March 17, 2023: This Femtech World article highlights five startups that are developing life-saving solutions for cancer, which affects millions of women around the world. AOA was one of the five sstartups listed along with Curiva, Lattice Medical, Teal Health, and Vara.
March 14, 2023: Oriana Papin-Zoghbi was one of the guests on NBC Bay Area’s Raj Mathai’s segment on Silicon Valley Bank. Since SVB was AOA’s primary bank provider, Oriana could speak on the stresses of being the leader of a young company dependent on AOA for its banking needs. Congressman John Garamendi, who represents the East Bay, was Raj Mathai’s other guest in this segment.
February 16, 2023: Oriana is one of the speakers at the 29th annual Wharton Health Care Business Conference (WHCBC). This theme of this year’s conference is: “The Empowered Healthcare Consumer: How Can the Healthcare Industry Meet Rising Expectations”? Oriana will be a panelist on the event’s fifth panel, which is focused on women’s health and which is titled, “The Overlooked Half: Tackling Taboos & Empowering Better Options.”
February 13, 2023: In this episode of the Project Medtech podcast, Oriana Papin-Zoghbi, Rachel Robinson of MassMedic, and CL Tian of Phiex Technologies join host Duane Mancini. The three focus on how to take advantage of programs meant for startups as well as the best timing for accelerators and common pitfalls of early—stage medtech companies.
January 24, 2023: According to PitchBook, women’s healthcare startups raised around $1.16B in 2022: less than the $1.41B they raised in 2021 but more than the $496M they raised in 2020. For women’s health company founders, like Oriana Papin-Zoghbi, and investors, these numbers are indictive of broad funding changes in women’s health, such as the involvement of male venture capitalists and the ability to raise funds in innovative ways.
January 5, 2023: AOA has announced the first patient enrollment in its OVERT clinical trial, which aims to evaluate the company’s AKRIVIS GD(™) Test. AKRIVIS GD(™) has shown to identify ovarian cancer correctly in 90% of early-stage samples and is now being tested in patients through this multi-center national trial. The goal is that AKRIVIS GD(™) can correctly diagnose ovarian cancer early, increasing the detection rate and decreasing the fatality rate for women.
January 4, 2023: Even a relatively small investment in women’s health companies can help them succeed, especially when women’s health and female founders are often discounted or dismissed by the broad male-centric investment committee. This Forbes article covers several of the female funders working to advance women’s health companies, like AOA Dx, and the female founders leading these companies forward.
December 8, 2022: Every year, BostInno identifies the startups that are on the verge “of something big” or “of really breaking out”. BostInno considered local startups’ product launches, fundraising rounds, deals, partnerships, and awards from the last year to identify the biggest potential stars for the next year. AOA made the list this year for its needed and novel approach to early ovarian cancer detection. Note: membership required for viewing.
December 6, 2022: AOA has announced the initial validation of novel tumor gangliosides (GD2 and GD3) as a promising marker for early detection of ovarian cancer. In its AKRIVIS GD(™) Test, the company found a 0.969 detection for early-stage ovarian cancer: a number that is higher than the CA-125 test, which is the standard of care. AOA plans to present its findings at the Society of Gynecologic Oncology (SGO) 2023 Annual Meeting on Women’s Cancer, which takes place from March 25 to March 28, 2023.
December 1, 2022: Oriana Papin-Zoghbi was recognized by Women of Wearables as one of its 200 Trailblazing Leaders in Women’s Health and Femtech. Women of Wearables’ list is composed of “innovators, investors, researchers, entrepreneurs, and advocates who have made their mark in this space in 2022, making it more accessible, inclusive, and ultimately visible” and also includes Avestria co-founder and managing partner, Linda Greub, and Avestria portfolio company Midi’s co-founder and CEO, Joanna Strober.
November 8, 2022: Oriana Papin-Zoghbi and Jeremy Halpern, Partner at Nutter, McClennen & Fish are the two guest speakers in this “Build a Cap Table and Understand Dilution Impact of Early-Stage Investment” webinar. Jeremy Halpern, as a legal expert, helps break down the various negotiating points, such as option pool and per share price, while Oriana provides her own insights and experiences with various investment options, such as stock options, early-stage angel or venture capital rounds, anti-dilution provisions, and more.
November 7, 2022: AOA won every award that it was nominated for in the 2022 Eddies (formerly known as the New England Innovation Award). AOA won the Life Sciences category, the Community Choice award, and the cross-category Robert J. Crowley Eddie, which honors those “embodying the values of breakthrough thinking, passion to improve lives and unwavering commitment to the spirit of advancement.”
October 17, 2022: AOA was highlighted in this Business Insider article about 35 of the most promising femtech startups, according to VCs for its potential to catch and diagnose ovarian cancer early and reduce fatalities as a result. Avestria portfolio companies Curio, Mae, Midi, and Raydiant Oximetry were also included in this article. Note: membership required for viewing.
October 12, 2022: Presented by the United States Patent and Trademark Office, the 2022 Hispanic Innovation and Entrepreneurship Program series offers a free resource for entrepreneurs and inventors. In this specific event, speakers like Oriana Papin-Zoghbi will discuss their own personal experiences and challenges as well as the professional aspects of funding, protecting intellectual property, and taking ideas to market.
October 6, 2022: Oriana Papin-Zoghbi was one of the speakers at the Boston Business Journal event focused on being female in the male-dominated life science industry. This event is the Boston Business Journal’s second annual Women Who Lead in Life Sciences event, and topics that the panelists covered included maintaining a work-life balance, winning over (male) investors, and being considered - or not considered - for promotions, executive, and board roles. Note: membership required for viewing.
October 1, 2022: Two of AOA’s co-founders, Oriana Papin-Zoghbi (CEO) and Anna Milk Jeter (CDO), were honored by Inc. Magazine for its annual list of top 100 female entrepreneurs of the year. The two were recognized for working to develop an early diagnostic for ovarian cancer through AOA and were listed alongside women across industries and sectors, including Hollywood names such as Cameron Diaz and Miranda Kerr.
October 5, 2022: Oriana Papin-Zoghbi was the latest guest on Bethany Corbin’s “Legally Femtech” podcast. In it, Oriana gives her best tips for successfully bridging academia and the market, finding the right partnerships, and for handling rejection, such as don’t take it personally and don’t take “no” as a permanent “no”.
September 29, 2022: As part of the Women’s Health Innovation Summit, 24 companies are selected to pitch in person in front of an audience including entrepreneurs, investors, strategics, and others. Each audience member has a chance to vote for his or her favorite company and pitch, and the company with the most votes wins. This year, Oriana Papin-Zoghbi pitched on behalf of AOA and she and the company ended up winning the Showcase award.
September 22, 2022: Startup Boston Week is a free hybrid event meant for anyone in the New England startup ecosystem, whether they’re an employee, founder, investor, or mentor. Oriana Papin-Zoghbi joins Startup Boston Week this year - its sixth annual event - as one of the speakers on a virtual panel about what to think and know before starting a company.
September 21, 2022: As one of the 200+ cohort members in Mass Challenge’s 2022 U.S. Early-Stage program, AOA has the chance to pitch in front of a public audience upon the completion of the program. The 2022 U.S Early-Stage program includes startups tackling “massive challenges”, including climate tech, poverty, and, with AOA, healthcare. All attendees have the chance not only to hear each pitch but also to cast their vote for the $25,000 2022 Community Choice Award.
September 19, 2022: September is Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month, and Oriana Papin-Zoghbi was a guest on the Fempower Health podcast to talk about ovarian cancer, the challenges that ovarian cancer diagnoses pose for women, and AOA’s solution. Her biggest piece of advice - when it comes to advocating for improved testing and for catching ovarian cancer early with the tools that exist now - is for women to listen to their bodies, advocate for themselves, and ask for additional tests if they feel like something is not right.
September 13, 2022: To help women’s health research advance, innovators and clinicians have to come together, like they will in this panel. Oriana Papin-Zoghbi joins Jo Viney of Seismic Therapeutic, Amogha Tadimety of Nanopath, Dr. Katrin Eurich of
The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, and Katherine Rushfirth of the Neighborhood Birth Centre Boston to talk about existing hurdles and disparities for women and their health and to brainstorm actionable insights for everyone.
September 8, 2022: Since 2018, the Awards at the Biotech Week Boston festival recognize and bring together the top individuals, companies, and organizations in the life sciences industry. The Awards cover eight categories - ranging from “Unsung Hero” to “Digital Medicine” to “Transformational Therapy” to “D&I Champions”. Oriana Papin-Zoghbi is one of the four finalists in the “Impact Leader” category for her work in making an environmentally-conscious effort towards sustainability and good governance.
September 4, 2022: AOA was one of the 24 women’s health startups chosen to pitch at the 2022 Women’s Health Innovation Summit. These companies were selected by 10 leading venture capitalists in women’s health, femtech, and healthcare, including Avestria’s Linda Greub. Antiva Biosciences and Raydiant Oximetry, two other Avestria portfolio companies, were also named as finalists.
August 5, 2022: Out of over 1,000 applications, AOA was selected to be one of the 200+ startups in this year’s MassChallenge Early-Stage Cohort. MassChallenge supports startups from various sectors, including healthcare, social impact, high-tech and more, through its network, residency options, and access to market opportunities.
July 22, 2022: As part of Forbes’ Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC), Oriana Papin-Zoghbi helped contribute to this article about eight tips for achieving goals and setting a positive example for the rest of the team. Among other entrepreneurs’ tips, such as finding an accountability partner and breaking down big goals into small steps, Oriana shared one of her guiding principles, which is finding your “why” in order to crystalize your vision, guide your team, and help your goals fall into place.
June 28, 2022: Oriana Papin-Zoghbi was a panelist at “The Next Scientific Revolution”: an event organized by the Atlantic to understand upcoming changes in science and the challenges and opportunities that they present. Oriana was one of seven speakers, who include scientists, entrepreneurs, government officials, and journalists, who will take part in this scientific, philosophic, and ethical discussions about what new advancements in science are imminent and how they might change our understanding of what it means to be human.
June 23, 2022: Oriana Papin-Zoghbi joins co-hosts Dr. Alyssa Dweck and Rachel Braun Scherl for the latest episode of their “Busine$$ of the V” podcast. Together, the three women discuss how ovarian cancer can take an average of nine months to diagnose correctly - time that women could’ve spent treating the cancer before it becomes near-fatal - and how AOA’s utilization of two novel biomarkers can offer a more specific and sensitive ovarian cancer screening than current options. The company hopes to have its assay on the market by 2025!
June 9, 2022: AOA was one of the 18 companies, chosen across six sectors by Massachusetts Innovative Network. selected to be a finalist for the 2022 Eddies. Finalist for the Eddies (formerly known as NE Innovation Awards) can participate in a five-month, no-cost, no-equity innovation-support program and will both pitch to judges and other Innovation Ecosystem members and compete for awards at The Eddies Innovation Showcase on October 6.
May 19, 2022: In this article for TechCrunch, Oriana Papin-Zoghbi lays out the three pieces of advice that she has for startups looking to diversify their cap tables. Overall, she argues for purposeful diversity: that entrepreneurs are not looking simply to check boxes but rather to fulfill specific goals that diverse investors, perspectives, and areas of expertise can bring. Note: membership required for viewing.
April 29, 2022: AOA was one of the companies interviewed by The Wall Street Journal for its article on how small businesses can retain job applicants in an increasingly competitive market. Although AOA is still a small company, it has five paid interns every semester and specifically looks for individuals who are fast-learners and willing to be flexible. As Oriana Papin-Zoghbi says in the article, the upfront training time for AOA’s interns is a good investment, returning high-quality work.
March 17, 2022: Oriana Papin-Zoghbi joined Heather Bowerman of DotLab, Chantelle Bell of Syrona Health, and Eydis Lima of Curiva to discuss solutions for endometriosis, polycystic ovary syndrome, and gynecological cancers (cervical, ovarian, vaginal, vulval, and uterine). Together, these three health conditions affect hundreds of millions of women around the world, and these four leaders talk about what gaps they’ve noticed and how they’re trying to fill those white spaces. You can read an accompanying writeup of 15 total companies innovating in endometriosis, PCOS, and gynecological cancers here.
March 16, 2022: AOA is one of the seven femtech companies, all of which are providing solutions for ovarian, breast, or gynecological cancers, featured in this Forbes article. With new cases of ovarian cancer expected to rise by 55% and deaths by 67% by 2035, AOA’s liquid biopsy diagnostic could help reach a wide market - and save countless lives along the way. The other companies included in this article are 4D Path, Celmatix, Curiva, Olea Medical, OncoGenomX, and Syrona Well being.
March 10, 2022: Women of Wearables (WoW) spotlighted Oriana Papin-Zoghbi as an entrepreneurial women in biotech and femtech. To Marija Butkovic, the founder of WoW, Oriana explains what her biggest accomplishments to date are, why the #WomeninTech movement is important to her, and the three women in her industry that she admires - including Surbhi Sana. Surbhi Sana is not only an independent board member of AOA but also the founder and CEO of nVision Medical, which Avestria’s co-founders invested in before they had even started Avestria!
March 9, 2022: This PitchBook article highlights four female founders of femtech companies, their companies, and their predictions on the femtech industry - and what makes them excited. Oriana Papin-Zoghbi shares the increasing noise and publicity around women’s health, including ovarian cancer diagnoses, and the subsequent investment and resources that are then directed towards those conditions. This article also includes insights from another one of Avestria’s portfolio company CEOs, Maya Hardigan.
February 14, 2022: Surbhi Sana, Y Combinator Healthcare Partner and Founder/CEO of nVision (acquired by Boston Scientific), has joined the Board of Directors of AOA Dx. Surbhi Sana not only has experience with product development, funding, clinical trials, and commercialization but also is a leader at Boston Scientific, a partner at Catalyst Health Ventures, and is a board member of Penumbra, Progenity, Astia, Draper University and the Harker School.
February 9, 2022: In this episode of “Startup Couches with Lotanna,” Oriana Papin-Zoghbi joins host Lotanna Nwose “on the couch”. Over the course of this 12-minute episode, the two cover the need for early ovarian cancer screening and AOA’s novel blood test that is aiming to detect ovarian cancer early and save lives, since 80% of people who aren’t diagnosed until their cancer is at a late stage do not survive.
January 24, 2022: The Life Science Innovation Podcast by Enventure interviewed Anna Milik Jeter, Chief Business Officer and Co-Founder of AOA. Ana explains what her background is, how she met AOA’s other co-founders - Oriana Papin-Zoghbi and Alex Fisher - and how AOA’s liquid biopsy test can help solve the persistent need for early ovarian cancer diagnostics.
January 12, 2022: Oriana Papin-Zoghbi sat down with She Conquers Capital with Stefanie Diaz to talk about women-fueled innovations for women, such as AOA’s use of tumor glycolipids to help with early detection of ovarian cancer. This 20-minute interview also covers the challenges of being a female founder, such as fundraising and - in Oriana’s case - fundraising and navigating accelerators while pregnant.
January 11, 2022: In this Forbes article, Oriana Papin-Zoghbi, as part of the Young Entrepreneur Council, shared her tips on finding the right co-founders, including trust, skill diversity, shared passion, and friendship. Oriana’s tips come from her personal experience of knowing her two other co-founders prior to launching AOA and to leading them at AOA as their CEO.
December 31, 2021: An article written by AOA’s Chief Scientific Officer H. Uri Saragovi, Ph.D AOA’s Co-Founder and Chief Business Officer Anna Milik Jeter and Samantha A. Yee, a PhD candidate at UT San Antonio was published in The Journal of Precision Medicine. The article, “Tumor Glycolipids, a New Frontier for Early Detection and Precision Medicine in Ovarian Cancer and Other Malignancies”, chronicles the current screening techniques for ovarian cancer, their shortcomings, and the role of tumor glycolipids as promising biomarkers for early detection of ovarian cancer.
December 20, 2021: AOA took second place in the 2021 MedTech IGNITE Accelerator cash award competition. Out of the 12 companies participating in the latest cohort, AOA was chosen as one of the winners because of its product-market fit, business plan, and strength of the team and received a $7,500 cash prize as a result.
December 2, 2021: In this Business Insider article, Oriana Papin-Zoghbi shares her experiences of being pregnant while also being involved in Y-Combinator. She covers how she was afraid of judgment, how she learned to stop paying attention to other people’s opinions, and how she navigated Demo Day - while in her third trimester. (Note: membership required for viewing.)
November 18, 2021: AOA is one of the 12 female-led life sciences companies presenting as part of Springboard Enterprises’ Final Presentations. These virtual final presentations allow the entrepreneurs who have been part of Springboard’s latest cohort, to present, answer questions, and make connections. The other companies presenting include AXONIS Therapeutics, Concarlo, CORSTRATA, Dimension Inx, Evren Technologies, PionEar Technologies, Praetego, Rubitection, Sisu Global Health, and Winter Innovations.
November 17, 2021: Tech4Eva’s fourth virtual roadshow focused on moving towards equality in women’s heath. Oriana Papin-Zoghbi joined a panel of funders and founders - including Liz Gazda of Embr Labs, Alice Zheng of Rhia Ventures, Emi Gonzalez of Joyance Partners and Ataraxia, and Brittany Barreto of Coyote Ventures and FemTech Focus - to discuss fundraising and the path to a potential IPO.
November 11, 2021: Sal Daher and his “Angel Invest Boston” podcast sat down with Oriana Papin-Zoghbi for this 50-minute interview. In that time, they covered the partnership between AOA’s three co-founders, the results of AOA’s 600-patient retrospective study, and the lessons she’s learned from fundraising.
October 27, 2021: October’s Women’s Health Innovation Forum - presented by the Women’s Health Innovation Coalition, Springboard, Roche, and Accenture - focused on women’s oncology, including breast cancer and ovarian cancer. Oriana Papin-Zoghbi was one of the speakers alongside Dr. Anees Chagpar of the Yale School of Medicine, Rebecca Owens at Swellter, Manjiri Bakre at OncoStem Diagnostics, Valerie Palmieri at Aspira Women’s Health, Phylicia L. Woods of the Cancer Policy Institute and G2G Consulting.
October 26, 2021: In this Forbes article, seven female entrepreneurs from the Young Entrepreneur Council identify the seven business opportunities that they believe would only gain from an increased number of female voices. One of those entrepreneurs, Oriana Papin-Zoghbi, identified femtech as an industry that not only benefits women but also benefits from the presence of women entrepreneurs and leaders.
October 8, 2021: Oriana Papin-Zoghbi joined Chorom Pak of Lynx Biosciences, Inc., Jennifer Rohrs of at Embody Biosciences, and Sally Wang of DocFlight in September 2021 for a “Female Founders: Beyond the Glass Ceiling” webinar. In the discussion - as covered in this writeup - these female founders discuss their journeys, the importance of diversity, the challenges they’ve faced, and the successes they’ve found. The webinar was the first in the 2021-2022 season for USC Stevens Center for Innovation and is co-organized by USC Women in Science and Engineering.
October 6, 2021: As part of Hispanic Heritage Month, Y Combinator is sharing the journeys of its Latinx founders, one of whom is Oriana Papin-Zoghbi. In this ten-minute interview, Oriana covers what led her into women’s health, how she met AOA’s other co-founders, and what challenges she faced when starting AOA. AOA was also one of the companies in the Summer 2021 cohort of Y Combinator.
September 14, 2021: In this issue of The Helm, AOA was listed among 20 women’s health inventions to watch. AOA’s test for detecting ovarian cancer early is included among other products and technologies such as a take-home kit to help treat heart rhythm disorders, a portable, automated 3D breast ultrasound scanner, and a wearable that helps women heal after a mastectomy and breast implant reconstruction. In the same issue of the magazine, AOA was also mentioned in another article: this one about four trends to watch in women’s healthcare.
September 13, 2021: As part of the Young Entrepreneur Council, Oriana Papin-Zoghbi wrote this article in Inc. to share her three main lessons on fundraising, especially in an underserved space like women’s health. She recommends doing due diligence on target investors, leveraging your background (she, for example, utilizes the skills she picked up during her time in sales), and constantly revising the story after every pitch.
September 10, 2021: As part of this year’s BIOMEDevice Boston event, its organizers, Informa Markets - Engineering, has partnered with the Massachusetts Medical Device Industry Council (MassMEDIC) to produce the Startup Stadium. The Startup Stadium is a presentation opportunity for the MassMEDIC IGNITE 2021 cohort, which includes AOA.
August 31, 2021: AOA is one of the companies that was accepted in Y Combinator’s Summer 2021 cohort and that presented during the first of the accelerator’s three-day Demo Days. This cohort includes 377 companies and covers a range of sectors, including fintech, education, and healthcare. 37% of the founders in this cohort are Black, Latinx or female: historically underrepresented founders.
August 16, 2021: AOA’s Chief Scientific Officer, Professor H. Uri Saragovi, has been awarded a $650,000 grant by the Canadian Institute of Health Research. The grant money will go towards the development of the liquid biopsy test to help detect early-stage ovarian cancer; AOA has an exclusive license agreement for this technology.
August 13, 2021: In this blog post, Oriana Papin-Zoghbi shares her experience from various product launches, including nationwide HPV screening in East Africa, novel diagnostics in maternal fetal medicine, and her newest venture: AOA Dx. Her top three tips for a successful product launch? Understand your customer, tailor your pitch, and “prepare, prepare, prepare”.
August 2, 2021: AOA has signed an exclusive license agreement with its Chief Scientific Officer Professor H. Uri Saragovi to secure multiple intellectual properties around utilizing gangliosides for early cancer detection through liquid biopsies. As Professor Saragovi says of the collaboration,“I am excited to work with the AOA team to bring this vision to reality[…]and I am proud to have the opportunity to innovate this field with new technology that will be utilized to save lives for ovarian cancer patients.”
July 9, 2021: Oriana Papin-Zoghbi, AOA’s Co-Founder and CEO, was accepted into Forbes’ Young Entrepreneur Council. The Young Entrepreneur Council is an invite-only organization, comprised of the world’s most successful entrepreneurs who are 45 or younger.
June 28, 2021: In this press release, AOA shared that it not only has closed its seed round at $2.5M but also has been accepted into Y Combinator’s 2021 summer cohort. The funding will be used to help AOA continue to develop its early ovarian cancer diagnostic - AKRIVIS GD™ - while Y Combinator will help provide additional support and resources, capital, and an opportunity to participate in a Demo Day at the culmination of the program.
June 24, 2021: Diseases that disproportionately affect women receive under 7% of all funding - despite the fact that women are half the population. In this interview with FemTech.Live, Oriana Papin-Zoghbi covers AOA’s desire to change that paradigm as well and debunks the myth that women’s health doesn’t affect the rest of the population as well.
June 22, 2021: In this episode of the Inception podcast, Mike Edelhart, Managing Partner at Joyance Partners, sits down with Oriana Papin-Zoghbi. In this 20 minute episode, Oriana Papin-Zoghbi shares the science behind AOA’s early ovarian cancer diagnostic, the power of collaboration, and her hopes for the future of early ovarian cancer diagnoses. Joyance Partners led AOA’s seed round.
June 16, 2021: AOA announced that it was awarded $87,500 in non-dilutive funding and a chance to access executive coaching through the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center’s 2021 MassNextGen Program. This program is focused on women-led early-stage life science companies, putting emphasis on supporting female founders and CEOs because they receive less than 10% of funding for their women’s health ventures. The MassNextGen Program is also sponsored by Takeda, King Street Properties, Sanofi, Johnson & Johnson Innovation.
June 14, 2021: In this episode of the FemTech Focus podcast, Oriana Papin-Zoghbi sat down with Dr. Brittany Barreto to talk about connecting with people, starting a company, and preparing clinical studies, and everything in between. Oriana Papin-Zoghbi also covers her entire journey in women’s health: from her first internship to her work in diagnostics to her current role as co-founder and CEO of AOA.
May 24, 2021: IGNITE, a virtual medtech accelerator, received a record number of applications for this year: more than double its applicants for the 2020 program. AOA was one of the 12 startups chosen to participate and will have the chance to pitch live and to win cash prizes at the program’s culmination.
May 20, 2021: AOA, working alongside world-leading cancer researcher Professor H. Uri Saragovi, was awarded a $100,000 CAD grant. The grant, given by the Canadian Institute of Health Research, will be used to continue development on AOA’s AKRIVIS GD™: the company’s proprietary liquid biopsy to diagnose early-stage ovarian cancer.
May 5, 2021: Oriana Papin-Zoghbi sat down with GirlTalkHQ for an interview about her journey before and with AOA. She also walks through the survival rate for ovarian cancer, the challenges of using the current method of diagnosing ovarian cancer (a blood test called CA-125) and the accuracy of AOA’s AKRIVIS GD™.
January 4, 2021: AOA has filed a patent for the identification of gangliosides as markers for ovarian cancer. This patent protection, which will last for 20 years, allows AOA to develop its proprietary liquid biopsy for early-stage diagnosis of ovarian cancer.
January 4, 2021: AOA announced its exclusive option agreement with Professor H. Uri Saragovi who has researched gangliosides, which, in turn, can be used as sensitive and specific diagnostic biomarkers. AOA is hoping to bring this approach to market: by measuring the tumor-gangliosides found in a small blood volume, the company hopes to detect ovarian cancer early, simply, and cost-effectively.
January 4, 2021: AOA and Professor H. Uri Saragovi will be working together on the blood test that Professor Saragovi developed to allow for quantitative detection of ovarian cancer tumor markers. AOA will be leading the development and the commercialization of this test.
January 4, 2021: Professor Uri Saragovi in collaboration with Dr. Anne-Marie Mes-Masson of the Centre hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal (CHUM) were awarded a grant from the Réseau Québécois de Recherche sur les Médicaments (RQRM). This achievement allows Professor Saragovi and Dr. Mes-Masson to take another step forward towards general acceptance of tumor-gangliosides as diagnostics in liquid biopsies (the technology licensed by AOA) and towards accurate, early-stage cancer diagnoses.
May 24, 2019: At this year’s McGill Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences Clinical Innovation Competition, Professor H. Uri Saragovi won the Hakim Family Innovation Prize. Professor Saragovi, Senior Investigator with the Lady Davis Institute at the Jewish General Hospital and Professor at McGill University took home this prestigious award for research on and subsequent development of a blood test that can detect ovarian cancer tumor markers with 95% accuracy.
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