About Us

The Helping Hand Young Companies Need

Our Investment Approach

Collaborative

We are building a network of universities, entrepreneurs, foundations, angel investors, early-stage investors, and pharmaceutical and biotech companies. We work with all stakeholders to meet our goals.

Hands-on

We are active managers in our investments. We leverage the experience and expertise of our team and advisors to work closely with our investments and to enable their growth and success.

Experienced

Our team and advisors havicone deep biomedical industry knowledge, including bringing scores of drugs and medical products to market, running clinical trials, and founding and growing new businesses.

Flexible

Our investments include traditional product start-ups and platform technology companies, as well as project financing for single assets. We have identified projects ready for investment right now from $250,000 to $5 million. Donate and we can put your money to work right now.

Our Team

Executive

Sandra has extensive venture capital and life science investment experience at Cross Atlantic Partners (CAP), Vector Fund Management, Oppenheimer Funds and Salomon Brothers Venture Capital. Notable investments relevant to neurodisorders include Martek Biosciences and Acorda Therapeutics both of which Sandra sponsored and 
was a board member of behalf of the funds that she managed. During her 
thirty year career as a healthcare venture capitalist she has served on 
over 20 Boards of public and private companies ranging in size from 
start-ups to those with billion dollar market capitalizations.  She has 
first hand knowledge of how the venture capital community is abandoning the activity that NNF will fulfill.  Prior to her investment career, she was in the Economic Studies Division at the Brookings Institution, and before that an assistant professor of Pathology, at the University of Chicago. Sandra received her BS and PhD degrees from the University of Chicago.
Sandra Panem, PhD
Brian Horsburgh, PhD

Tierney Saccavino-Payne
George Saussy

Board of Trustees

Peder Jensen, MD
Jane Jablons
Marina Bozilenko
Michele Kong, M.D. - School of Medicine - Pediatrics | UAB
Michele Kong, MD
Richard J. Resnick, M.S., M.B.A.

Scientific Advisory Board

Richard Whitley, MD
Kevin Pelphrey, PhD
Deborah Hirtz, MD

Business Advisory Board

Anika Heavner
Ming Yan

Social Media

Libby Mullen

In Memorium

Network of Partners

 Video by the Seaver Center for Autism Research at Mt. Sinai