After the Pitch: Torpedo Bio Builds Momentum
Since taking the Catalyst by Beemok stage, Torpedo Bio has turned its pitch into significant momentum, securing its first venture capital investment, expanding its team and taking important steps toward its ultimate goal: bringing a new cell therapy to cancer patients.
“Catalyst catapulted my company into the next level, leading to crucial new funding, awards and public recognition,” said Leonardo Ferreira, founder of Torpedo Bio.
The Charleston-based life sciences company has raised $125,000 in capital, with another $125,000 currently in discussions. The investment marked Torpedo Bio’s first venture capital funding and, according to Ferreira, made the company the earliest Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) spinout to secure venture capital investment.
The company has also grown from a team of one to three and was selected for the 2026 Innosphere Accelerator cohort. Its growing profile has brought additional recognition, including the SCbio Life Sciences Rising Star Award and MUSC 2026 Innovator of the Year, as well as an appearance on iHeartRadio’s CEOs You Should Know. Torpedo Bio was also invited to return to SCbio Drive to pitch as an alumnus.
Closer to home, Torpedo Bio is partnering with the MUSC Clean Cell Facility on clinical-grade cell therapy manufacturing, an important step as the company continues to advance its technology.
Over the next six to 12 months, Torpedo Bio plans to further characterize its cell therapy, raise additional capital and work toward obtaining approval to test the therapy in cancer patients.
The experience has also reinforced Ferreira’s belief in Charleston’s potential to support the next generation of life sciences companies.
“What has surprised me the most about my entrepreneurial journey over the past year is how much talent and enthusiasm there is in Charleston to help build the treatments of the future,” Ferreira said.
For other local entrepreneurs considering Catalyst, Ferreira’s advice is simple: apply.
“Putting the application together itself is very useful and rewarding irrespective of the outcome,” he said. “And if you do make it on stage on the big day, the atmosphere is unbelievable, and you will forge connections for years to come.”
For Torpedo Bio, those connections are now part of a much larger journey, one focused on advancing its science and ultimately bringing a potential new treatment to patients.