Ischemix isn't a startup that failed to launch—it's a company that launched without asking permission. With 7 employees generating $1.1M in revenue, they're pulling ~$157K per employee. That's a 15% profit margin if they're running lean, or a sign they're selling high-value preclinical services that don't require scaling headcount. Their only discoverable keyword—'intravenous safety pharmacology pre preclinical studies'—reveals their niche: specialized contract research for drug development. This isn't a consumer biotech play; it's B2B services for pharma giants.

David DeWahl (listed twice as President and CEO) runs this operation like a ghost ship. No social profiles, no press releases, no Crunchbase funding rounds. In biotech, this usually means one of two things: either they're a stealth spin-out from a major pharma company, or they're a profitable consultancy that deliberately avoids the VC circus. Given the $1.1M revenue with no funding listed, this is almost certainly a bootstrapped or quietly funded operation. DeWahl's strategy is pure execution over hype—a rarity in an industry addicted to Series A announcements.