# Joe Cook III

> Joe Cook III is a Series A investor at Mountain Group Capital backing Biotechnology. See 5 investments, check sizes, portfolio. Updated Aug 2026.

- Type: Angel Investor
- Fund: [Mountain Group Capital](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/mountain-group-capital)
- Location: Nashville, United States
- Total investments: 5
- Last investment: Jul 2024
- Lead investor: 80%
- Last updated: Aug 2026
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joe-cook-iii-9a7b331

Joe Cook III is a Series A investor at Mountain Group Capital in Nashville focused on Biotechnology and Health Care. Joe Cook III is the Managing Director at Mountain Group Capital. Prior to his involvement with MGC, Mr. Cook was a Director, Private Placements in the Investment Banking Group of Robert W. Baird & Co. in Nashville from January 2001 through February 2003. Mr. Cook, as head of Baird’s private placement group, was responsible for the privateplacement of equity and debt securities for both private and public companies. During these two years, Mr. Cook helped originate and led the team executing nine transactions raising almost $400 million. Previously, Mr. Cook was a Vice President in the Investment Banking Group at J.C. Bradford & Co. in Nashville. He joined Bradford in July 1993 as a financial analyst, working on initial and secondary public equity offerings, public debt offerings, mergers and acquisitions, and business valuations. From December 1995 through June 2000, he specialized in private finance, including leveraged buyouts and private debt and equity placements. Mr. Cook is past Chairman and board member of the Martha O’Bryan Center, and was a founding board member of Ten Thousand Villages of Nashville.Mr. Cook graduated with a B.A. in Economics from Davidson College, and moved to Nashville, TN in 1993.Mr. Cook co-founded Diagnovus and Device Innovation Group and sits on the boards of Pathfinder Therapeutics, VenX Medical, Industrial Ceramic Solutions, and DPS Healthcare. Via visitation rights he also actively participates on the boards of ABT Molecular Imaging and OnFocus Healthcare.

## Investment focus

### Industry

| Industry | Investments | Share |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Biotechnology | 4 | 80% |
| Health Care | 3 | 60% |
| Medical | 1 | 20% |
| Wellness | 1 | 20% |
| Biopharma | 1 | 20% |

7 industries tracked in total.

### Stage

| Stage | Investments | Share |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Series A | 3 | 60% |
| Convertible Note | 1 | 20% |

## Investments

| Company | Description | Amount | Stage | Date | Website |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| MiNDERA Corporation | MiNDERA Dx conducts research and development on non-invasive molecular testing for skin cancer and other skin diseases. The company is currently focused on a technology solution to extract skin biomarkers in a non-invasive manner. It was founded in 2013 and is based in San Francisco, United States. | $25.4M | Convertible Note | Jul 31, 2024 |  |
| PinkDx | PinkDx is a biotechnology company. | $40M | Series A | Apr 25, 2024 |  |
| Circular Genomics | Circular Genomics develops circular RNA (circRNA)-based diagnostic and biomarker tools for neurological and psychiatric disorders. The company uses brain-derived circRNAs, a class of stable non-coding RNA molecules enriched in the brain, to build blood-based assays that reflect disease biology in real time. Its first product, MindLight™, predictswhether a patient with major depressive disorder will respond to SSRI antidepressants. Circular Genomics is also creating additional assays designed for early detection and risk prediction of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease. The company applies its circRNA platform to help clinicians make more informed treatment decisions using molecular indicators of brain health. | $8.3M | Series A | Jan 23, 2024 |  |
| Appello Pharmaceuticals | Appello Pharmaceuticals is a Nashville, TN based preclinical-stage company focused on advancing novel positive allosteric modulators of mGlu4 for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease. |  | Series A | Jun 28, 2018 |  |
| Circular Genomics | Circular Genomics develops circular RNA (circRNA)-based diagnostic and biomarker tools for neurological and psychiatric disorders. The company uses brain-derived circRNAs, a class of stable non-coding RNA molecules enriched in the brain, to build blood-based assays that reflect disease biology in real time. Its first product, MindLight™, predictswhether a patient with major depressive disorder will respond to SSRI antidepressants. Circular Genomics is also creating additional assays designed for early detection and risk prediction of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease. The company applies its circRNA platform to help clinicians make more informed treatment decisions using molecular indicators of brain health. | $15M | Series A |  |  |

5 of 5 investments shown.

## Co-investors
- [Catalio Capital Management](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/catalio-capital-management) — VC Fund, 2 deals together
- [Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/alzheimers-drug-discovery-foundation) — VC Fund, 1 deal together
- [Byers Capital](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/byers-capital) — VC Fund, 1 deal together
- [Cottonwood Technology Fund](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/cottonwood-technology-fund) — VC Fund, 1 deal together
- [Deerfield](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/deerfield) — VC Fund, 1 deal together
- [Deerfield Capital Management](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/deerfield-management) — VC Fund, 1 deal together

## About Mountain Group Capital

VC Fund · Nashville, United States

Mountain Group Capital invests based on 4 core principles: Invest in the team first, idea second Invest based on business fundamentals, not financial engineering Invest as if you will own the business forever If possible, own the business forever

5 contacts available at Mountain Group Capital.

| Name | Title | Profile |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Byron W. Smith | Managing Director | https://shizune.co/investors/profile/byron-w-smith |
| Joe Cook III | Managing Director | https://shizune.co/investors/profile/joe-cook-iii |
| Rob Readnour | Managing Director | https://shizune.co/investors/profile/rob-readnour |
| Terry Vance | Advisor | https://shizune.co/investors/profile/terry-vance |
| Tyler Whitmore | Vice President | https://shizune.co/investors/profile/tyler-whitmore |

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## FAQ

### What does Joe Cook III invest in?

Joe Cook III invests primarily in Biotechnology, Health Care and Medical startups, most often at Series A and Convertible Note stage. Most of the 5 investments tracked by Shizune back companies in United States. The Investment Focus section breaks down every industry, stage and country in the portfolio.

### When did Joe Cook III last invest?

The most recent investment recorded for Joe Cook III closed in Jul 2024. Shizune tracks 5 investments in total for this profile, including round sizes, stages and portfolio companies, all sourced from confirmed public funding rounds and refreshed monthly.

### Is Shizune's investor data accurate?

Yes — every stat on this profile is calculated from confirmed public funding rounds monitored across hundreds of sources since 2020. This profile was last refreshed in Aug 2026 and is updated monthly. Spotted something off? Use the “Suggest an edit” link near the top of the page.

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