A Full Circle Moment, Juliana Blum Joins CED as a Founder in Residence
In 2005, Juliana Blum and her co-founder went through CED’s FastTrac program. They were just getting Humacyte off the ground. Twenty years later, Juliana is back. This time, as one of CED’s newest Founders in Residence.
Plenty has happened between FastTrac (now CED’s GRO Incubator) and today. Humacyte raised nearly $480 million before the company went public on NASDAQ (HUMA) through a reverse merger in 2021. And the team built a first-in-class bioengineering technology and manufacturing platform operation.
The FDA granted Humacyte’s Acellular Tissue Engineered Vessel (ATEV™) the very first Regenerative Medicine Advanced Therapy (RMAT) designation in three areas: vascular trauma, AV access, and PAD. The first product, Symvess™, received FDA approval in late 2024 for use in vascular trauma applications.
The technology also made an impact far from the Triangle. Starting in June 2022, Humacyte ran a year-long humanitarian program in Ukraine. At the request of Ukrainian surgeons, the team worked with the FDA’s International Office and Ukraine’s Ministry of Health to get the program approved. They trained surgeons by video call and supplied the investigational ATEV to five frontline hospitals. Nineteen patients were treated for vascular injuries.
Now Juliana is bringing that experience to the next generation of founders.
“There is a big need for early-stage founders to design clinical trials that prove the tech works, but also position the product well for both the regulatory pathway and reimbursement; those things together drive adoption of a new innovation in the clinic,” said Juliana. “I look forward to more successful therapeutics companies launching and scaling here in the Triangle.”
“The best part of my job is reconnecting with founders who benefited from CED in the past and are now in a position to help the next generation,” said Jay Bigelow, Head of Founder Engagement at CED. “Juliana already knows CED. Now we get to introduce her to a whole new generation of founders.”
“The expertise in this ecosystem comes from founders like Juliana. She built a company from our programs to the public markets. Having her give that knowledge back is a reminder of why the Triangle is so strong.” adds Alex Bloom, CEO of CED.
Welcome back, Juliana.
Learn More
To find out more about CED and the Founders in Residence program, contact JP Maloney.
Juliana will be focused on Human Health, and joins Kelli Luginbuhl (Biotech), Tyson Nargassans (Software & Growth), and Jed Carlson (SaaS).
Support the Work
To support CED’s work with founders, reach out to Jay Bigelow, Abha Bowers, or Alex Bloom.
Realted Content/You Might Also Like
Breaking Barriers for Founders: Wells Fargo Invests $20,000 in NC Entrepreneurs Through CED’s FORGE Program