Ventoux Biosciences
novel, first-line treatments for dupuytren's disease
About Us
Revolutionizing dupuytren's treatment
Ventoux Biosciences is working to transform treatment for Dupuytren’s disease. Founded by a Dupuytren’s patient and propelled by a team with expertise from bench to bedside – we are driven to advance treatment options for Dupuytren’s and related immune-fibrotic diseases with significant unmet need.
Founder Story: Inspired by Patients, Powered by Purpose
Our founder has had Dupuytren’s and Ledderhose disease for about 15 years and his father has had it for over 30 years. Kurt Harrington started Ventoux Biosciences to embrace the challenges this disease presents and to seek novel, first-line, disease slowing treatment for millions of fellow patients and future generations faced with this debilitating, chronic, and progressive disease.
leadership
Kurt Harrington
CEO and Founder
Kurt is an experienced pharmaceutical executive and a Dupuytren’s and Ledderhose patient. He formed Ventoux Biosciences to help address the significant unmet medical need in Dupuytren’s Disease – a common, disabling, fibroproliferative hand disease with few treatment options.
Kurt is an accomplished leader with over 25 years of Biopharmaceutical experience. Prior to starting Ventoux Biosciences, Kurt served as a consultant and advisor supporting leadership, founders, and operators ranging from large-cap multinational companies to early stage start ups on commercialization, corporate strategy, business development, market access and product development. Kurt served in various positions of increasing responsibility at AstraZeneca, Biogen, Amylin (acquired by BMS), Cadence Pharmaceuticals (acquired by Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals), and Avanir (acquired by Otsuka Pharmaceutical).
Kurt received his M.B.A. in Pharmaceutical Marketing from Saint Joseph’s University and B.S. in Marketing from Western Michigan University.
Ken Lipson, Ph.D.
Chief Scientific Officer and Vice President Corporate Strategy
Dr. Lipson has more than 30 years of experience in biotechnology and multinational pharmaceutical companies, including FibroGen, 3M Pharmaceuticals, Pharmacia, SUGEN and CIBA-Geigy (now Novartis). Most of his career has focused on discovery and research of drugs for treatment of fibrosis and cancer, during which he made key contributions to several agents that are marketed or are currently in development. Dr. Lipson received awards from two of the companies at which he worked for his seminal contributions. In addition to the fibrosis and oncology therapeutic areas, he also has experience in cardiovascular, neuromuscular, inflammation, metabolic and infectious diseases, which are represented in his more than 100 publications in peer-reviewed journals, review articles and book chapters, and patent applications.
Prior to his industry experience, Dr. Lipson served on the faculty of the department of Pathology at Temple University Medical School. Dr. Lipson earned two simultaneous BS degrees in Biology and Chemistry from the University of Toledo, and a Ph.D. in Chemistry from Case Western Reserve University. His postdoctoral studies at Sloan-Kettering Institute and Temple University Medical School provided additional training in biochemistry, pharmacology, cell biology and molecular biology.
Laxma G. Reddy, PhD
Vice President, Product Development
Dr. Laxma Reddy is the Vice President of Product Development for Ventoux Biosciences. Dr. Reddy is a biochemist, protein chemist, and pharmaceutical development scientist with >30 years of experience in drug discovery, preclinical development, and sustained-release drug delivery product development. Dr. Reddy brings extensive experience in the development of sustained-release drug delivery dosage forms including injectables and parenteral formulations for biologics, peptide therapeutics and small molecule drugs. Prior to Ventoux Biosciences, he served as Senior Director of Drug Product Development at Drug Delivery Experts (acquired by Pace Life Sciences) where he led sustained-release drug delivery projects from feasibility to preclinical GLP-PK studies.
Dr. Reddy holds a B.Sc. in Biology and Chemistry from Osmania University and an M.Sc. in Biochemistry/ Life Sciences from the University of Hyderabad. Dr. Reddy earned a PhD. in Biochemistry and Biophysics from the Center for Cellular and Molecular Biology and completed a postdoctoral fellowship in Molecular Neurobiophysics at the University of California, San Diego.
Ventoux Biosciences
Scientific advisory board
Dr. daiva bajorunas
Dr. Keith Denkler
Latha Satish,M.Sc, M.Phil, Ph.D
Matt Cravets
Mr. Cravets is an accomplished industry leader in biostatistics with extensive experience in program design and analysis.
Johnny Randel
Dupuytren's disease
Dupuytren's Disease (Palmar Fibromatosis)
A Chronic, Progressive, Debilitating, Irreversible Disease
How Does Dupuytren's Impact Patients
Decreased / Loss of Hand Function
Disease causes fingers to bend inwards towards the palm. Affected fingers can not straighten, thus significant impact on hand function.
Loss of Hand Mobility
Fibrosis from Dupuytren's may also move laterally across the palm, impacting ability to spread hand / fingers.
Activities of Daily Living
Typically simple activities can be difficult or impossible for Dupuytren's patients - from shaking hands to putting on gloves or throwing a football.
Reduced Quality of Life (QoL)
Dupuytren's disease affects both performance of activities and patient QoL.
Work Loss / Economic Implications
Loss of hand function / range or hand motion are key limiters for some patients to perform work tasks.
Other Symptoms
Patients with Dupuytren's may also experience pain, tenderness, burning, pressure / tension, tightness, and itching.
Significant unmet Medical need & Large addressable population
>40 million
Estimated Prevalence in United States and Europe
Up to 85%
Post Operative Disease Recurrence
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Approved first-line, disease modifying pharmacologic treatment options
Pipeline
Powered by purpose
a pipeline inspired by patients
Pipeline
VEN-201, an investigational compound, demonstrated key anti-fibrotic actions and a positive safety profile in a pre-clinical in vivo study using an established dermal fibrosis (scleroderma) model. Based on the demonstrated anti-fibrotic effects we are working to advance VEN-201 as our lead developmental candidate targeting Dupuytren’s and Ledderhose disease.
Investors
About Us
Ventoux Biosciences, Inc. is working to transform under-served immuno-fibrotic diseases with a lead program in Dupuytren's disease. Founded in October 2022 by a patient directly impacted by Dupuytren's, our mission is to develop innovative, first-line pharmacologic therapies designed to delay disease progression and improve post-operative outcomes. At the forefront of our efforts is VEN-201, a patented, first-in-class immuno-fibrotic modulator. This innovative therapy aims to disrupt the pathological cycle driving fibrosis, potentially offering a disease-modifying treatment for Dupuytren’s at various stages, including reducing post-operative recurrence. Our award-winning team unites leading fibrosis and oncology drug discoverers, internationally recognized Dupuytren's researchers, clinical development and regulatory experts, and esteemed treatment specialists. Together, we leverage cutting-edge science, including multi-omic analysis, to address the significant unmet needs of patients worldwide.
why invest
Ventoux Biosciences is dedicated to delivering exceptional investor value by pioneering innovative treatments for underserved fibrotic diseases, with a strategic focus on Dupuytren's disease. This common, chronic, and progressive condition currently lacks approved pharmacologic therapies to delay disease progression, leaving millions of patients without effective solutions. The current seed round is pivotal, as it focuses on evaluating our patented lead candidate, VEN-201, in human Dupuytren's tissue for proof of concept. This critical study aims to validate VEN-201’s anti-fibrotic activity in an ex vivo model—a key milestone as we advance toward IND-enabling studies and a Phase 1b trial. In parallel, this round will drive optimization and evaluation of VEN-201’s long-acting formulation, support key regulatory planning and FDA engagement, and strengthen our intellectual property portfolio. With these initiatives, Ventoux Biosciences is uniquely positioned to achieve a significant inflection point in the development of VEN-201 while laying the groundwork for long-term commercial success.
Join our mission
Join us in transforming Dupuytren's disease treatment. Whether you are an accredited investor, first-time investor, or passionate supporter, there's a way for you to be part of this groundbreaking journey. Please select the option below that best matches your investment goals.
Accredited Investment (Red D)
$25,000 minimum investment. Direct equity ownership opportunity. Schedule an introductory meeting to learn more.
Community InvesTment (Reg CF)
$100 minimum investment. Own equity through WeFunder’s special purpose vehicle.
Be Part of the Momentum
We are at a key stage in developing transformational treatments for Dupuytren’s disease. Join our growing community through multiple paths:
- Invest in innovation through equity ownership (Reg-D or Reg-CF)
- Support our GoFund Me through direct donations
- Listen to “Hands of Change” podcast – a Dupuytren’s disease podcast, supported by Ventoux Biosciences
- Shop the “Hands of Change” store to help raise disease awareness. Sale proceeds support Ventoux Bioscieces research
We'd Love To Hear From You
contact us
Address
315 S. Coast Highway 101 Suite U245 Encinitas, CA 92024
