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Bala Raja

Bala Raja

Startup founder, venture partner, and biosensing technology expert

balaraja
Salt Lake City, Utah, United States
Joined May 2024
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Summary

Bala Raja is a deeply experienced chemical and biomolecular engineer with a PhD specializing in nanotechnology, biosensing, and microfluidics. His academic career at the University of Houston laid the groundwork for innovative diagnostic technologies, evidenced by numerous peer-reviewed publications and a high citation count on Google Scholar. google+1
As the co-founder and CEO of Clip Health (formerly Luminostics), Bala Raja demonstrated strong entrepreneurial leadership. He successfully raised over $53 million in funding, developed a groundbreaking smartphone-based COVID-19 rapid antigen test that received FDA Emergency Use Authorization, and led the company through significant growth and product commercialization. clay+3
Currently, Bala Raja contributes his expertise to the venture capital landscape as a Venture Partner at Pioneer Fund. This role allows him to leverage his startup experience to identify and support new ventures, bridging the gap between scientific innovation and market success. clay+2
Bala Raja currently leads Arden Bio and co-founded Tempus IRB, combining hands-on product development and regulatory expertise with deep academic training; his prior achievements at Clip Health — raising substantial capital, securing regulatory approval for a hardware diagnostic, and overseeing manufacturing and shipment of over one million units — plus a PhD in chemical and biomolecular engineering, give him strong credibility in biomedical commercialization and clinical operations. ardenbio+3

Work

Education

Projects

Writing

A low-cost smartphone-based platform for highly sensitive point-of-care testing with persistent luminescent phosphors

January 1, 2017

This publication describes the development of a cost-effective, smartphone-integrated platform utilizing persistent luminescent phosphors for sensitive point-of-care diagnostics, forming key intellectual property for Luminostics/Clip Health.

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Development of a panel of recombinase polymerase amplification assays for detection of common bacterial urinary tract infection pathogens

January 1, 2017

Research contributing to the development of rapid diagnostic assays for bacterial urinary tract infections.

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Persistent luminescence strontium aluminate nanoparticles as reporters in lateral flow assays

January 1, 2014

A highly cited academic paper detailing the use of persistent luminescent nanoparticles for enhanced detection in lateral flow assays, contributing to advancements in biosensing.

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