Men of the future may have access to their own contraceptive pill, thanks to a San Francisco startup.
YourChoice Therapeutics Inc. is working on a pill that men could take daily that would prevent pregnancies by inhibiting sperm development and release. The startup has already proven the effectiveness of the non-hormone treatment in mice and primates, according to Axios.
Founded in 2017 by Akash Bakshi, Nadja Mannowetz and Polina Lishko, the San Francisco company has some new cash to further develop and test its pill, which it's designing to be highly effective and to have reversible effects. It recently raised a $15 million Series A round led by Future Ventures.
All three of YourChoice's founders have backgrounds in biotechnology, according to their LinkedIn profiles. Bakashi and Mannowetz previously co-founded Ana Therapeutics Inc., which developed treatments for Covid-19 and was acquired last year. Lishko is an associate professor of cell and developmental biology at the University of California, Berkeley.
Here's more on its round, the only Series A deal in the Bay Area this past week during a particularly acute summer lull:
YourChoice Therapeutics Inc. (dba YourChoice), San Francisco, $15 million: Future Ventures led the Series A round for this developer of a contraceptive pill for men. Refactor Capital, Knollwood Investment Advisory, North South Ventures and RH Capital also invested.
