Aurenar Closes Oversubscribed $5.7M Seed Round for ICU Vagus Nerve Stimulation Platform

Summary

Aurenar, a St. Louis-based company spun out of research at Washington University School of Medicine, closed an oversubscribed $5.7 million seed round co-led by the American Heart Association's Go Red for Women Venture Fund and Solas BioVentures, with BJC Health and Kaleida Capital also participating. The company's V-Link platform delivers non-invasive transauricular vagus nerve stimulation through a wireless, single-use ear-worn device intended to dampen the inflammatory cascade that worsens outcomes after stroke and other critical illness. V-Link received FDA Breakthrough Device designation in late June for aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage, and prior WashU-led trials found it cut moderate-to-severe cerebral vasospasm by more than 40%. Proceeds will fund final engineering, validation testing, and preparation for FDA pivotal trials.