ARCH Venture Partners Announces Several Key Appointments

CHICAGO, Dec. 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- ARCH Venture Partners, one of the world's leading early-stage technology venture firms, today announced new Venture Partners, including John Maraganore, Ph.D., Jake Bauer, Luciana Borio, M.D., Axel Bouchon, Ph.D., and Sabah Oney, Ph.D. The firm further recognized several new hires and promotions, including the elevation of Carol Suh to Partner.

"Earlier this year we announced our largest fund to date, which is a reflection of confidence in the skills and expertise we bring to bear, not just from an investment perspective but also in terms of knowing how to build great companies. We are company builders and investors and look forward to building great and high impact companies with our new colleagues," said Managing Director Kristina Burow.

"People come to ARCH to make an impact and to prevent and cure diseases. We are honored to have such a creative and accomplished group join the team," said ARCH Co-founder and Managing Director Robert Nelsen.

The Venture Partners announced today represent a wide array of perspective and experience at the highest levels of biotechnology and life science organizations. John Maraganore is the founding CEO of Alnylam Pharmaceuticals. Jake Bauer is a biotech executive with a proven track record in company formation, strategy, leadership, and corporate and business development, most recently as Chief Business Officer of MyoKardia. Luciana Borio brings extensive experience in government, biodefense, public health and medical innovation. Axel Bouchon is focused on neuroscience and the prevention of neurological diseases. Sabah Oney is an experienced biotech executive, most recently as Chief Business Officer of Alector.

"I was drawn to ARCH because of its deep involvement in helping companies harness breakthrough technologies to have a direct positive impact on people's lives. It is a privilege to be joining a team that is renowned for this relentless focus," said John Maraganore, Ph.D.

"I am excited to be on the team at ARCH because this is a place where venture is a team sport. We value each other as individuals and harness the range of expertise each person brings to the table. Founders and their companies benefit from the diverse skills and experience represented on our team," said Luciana Borio, M.D.

In addition to naming new Venture Partners, the firm recognized the promotion of Carol Suh to Partner. Suh played a pivotal role in founding the recently launched neuroscience company, Neumora, and helped launch Sana Biotechnology and Boundless Bio. She has been recognized previously as a rising star by Forbes' 30 under 30 and Endpoints News' 20 Under 40 lists.

Other key additions to the ARCH team include:

• Zachary Wensch as Senior Vice President of Finance
• Jay Kocherlakota and Su Fu as Senior Associates
• Inca Dieterich, Ph.D., and Peter Mintun as Associates
• Carrie Helland as an Entrepreneur-In-Residence

In January, the firm raised over $1.85 billion in ARCH Venture Fund XI to invest in early-stage biotechnology companies working on infectious disease, mental health, immunology, oncology, neurology, manufacturing, clinical trials, anti-aging medicines, genomic and biological tools, data sciences, and ways of reimagining diagnostics and therapies. 

Venture Partner and Partner Biographies

Dr. John Maraganore is the founding CEO of Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, where he's announced his planned departure at year end. At Alnylam, he led the advancement of RNAi therapeutics as a whole new class of medicines, bringing four approved medicines (ONPATTRO^TM, GIVLAARI^TM, OXLUMO^TM, and Leqvio^TM) to patients around the world. Prior to Alnylam, Dr. Maraganore served as an officer and a member of the management team for Millennium Pharmaceuticals, Inc., where he led the company's product franchise, strategic planning and M&A, and biotherapeutic functions. Before Millennium, he served as Director of Molecular Biology and Director of Market and Business Development at Biogen, Inc. At Biogen, he also invented and led the discovery and development of ANGIOMAX^® (bivalirudin) for injection. Prior to Biogen, he was a scientist at ZymoGenetics, Inc., and the Upjohn Company.

Dr. Maraganore received his Master of Science and Ph.D. in biochemistry and molecular biology at the University of Chicago. He is a member of the Board for Agios Pharmaceuticals, Beam Therapeutics, and the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO).

Jake Bauer is a biotech executive and leader in the biopharmaceutical industry with a proven track record in company formation, strategy, executive and project leadership, and corporate and business development. Prior to MyoKardia Inc.'s acquisition by Bristol Myers Squibb in November 2020, he served as the Chief Business Officer of MyoKardia. Prior to this, he served as Senior Vice President, Finance and Corporate Development and Principal Financial Officer of MyoKardia having joined the company in 2014. In earlier roles, Bauer served as Vice President, Business Operations and head of corporate development at Ablexis, LLC and as a principal at Third Rock Ventures. While at Third Rock Ventures, he was actively involved in a variety of leading biopharmaceutical companies including Agios Pharmaceuticals, Inc., CytomX Therapeutics Inc., and Global Blood Therapeutics, Inc. Previously, he served in roles in the investment group at Royalty Pharma, the business development group at Endo Pharmaceuticals Inc. and as a management consultant at Putnam Associates.

Bauer holds a B.S. in biology and a B.A. in economics from Duke University and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School. He currently serves on the boards of Attralus, Enliven Therapeutics, Phoenix Tissue Repair, Inc., and Arya Sciences Acquisition Corp V. 

Dr. Luciana Borio advises on and helps develop new investment opportunities related to biologics manufacturing, clinical trials, novel therapies and areas with large unmet clinical needs. She is a specialist in biodefense, emerging infectious diseases, medical product development, and complex public health emergencies. Prior to joining ARCH, she was a senior vice president at In-Q-Tel, an independent, non-profit, strategic investment firm that works to deliver innovative technology solutions to support the missions of the U.S. Intelligence Community. Past positions include serving as a member of President Biden's transition COVID-19 Advisory Board and Director for Medical and Biodefense Preparedness at the National Security Council (2017-2019), where she coordinated the response to the Ebola epidemic in West Africa, efforts to combat antimicrobial resistance, and the development of an Executive Order to modernize America's influenza vaccines. Prior to that, she was the Acting Chief Scientist (2015-2017) and the Assistant Commissioner for Counterterrorism Policy (2010-2017) at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Dr. Borio is an adjunct Assistant Professor of Medicine at Johns Hopkins University (2003-present), where she continues to practice medicine part-time. She is also a senior fellow for global health at the Council on Foreign Relations. Dr. Borio obtained her M.D. from George Washington University, completed a residency in internal medicine at New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center, and a combined fellowship in infectious diseases at Johns Hopkins and critical care at the National Institutes of Health. In 2021, she was elected to the National Academy of Medicine.

Dr. Axel Bouchon is a biochemist, author and serial entrepreneur in the biotech, consumer and technology industries and is focused on neuroscience and prevention of neurological diseases. He is fundamentally driven by the question "What makes our brains truly happy?".

He is a Director at Brii Biosciences, Co-founder and Chairman of BrainLuxury, Inc., and Co-founder and CEO of BrainGames Corporation. Before joining ARCH, Dr. Bouchon was leading the venture activities of LEAPS by Bayer (2015-2019) and Moderna Therapeutics, Inc. (2013-2014), and served as CEO, Director and Chairman in multiple pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies over the last 15 years.

Dr. Bouchon holds a Ph.D. in biochemistry, organic chemistry and immunology from the University of Tuebingen, Germany.

Dr. Sabah Oney focuses on the creation and development of new biotechnology companies. Prior to joining ARCH, Dr. Oney was the Chief Business Officer of Alector, a biotech company working on leveraging the immune system to discover cures for neurodegenerative diseases. At Alector, he served as a member of the Executive Committee and played a significant role in company's growth and guided the company through several milestones including its IPO and several major partnerships. Prior to Alector, Dr. Oney was at Ariosa Diagnostics, a biotechnology company focusing on cell-free DNA based non-invasive genetic testing where he played a pivotal role overseeing the global expansion of company's products. Ariosa was acquired by Roche in 2015. Prior to that, Dr. Oney was a senior scientist at a biotechnology startup focused on a systemic siRNA-delivery platform technology. 

Dr. Oney holds a B.S. degree in Genetics from The University of Kansas where he was a Fulbright Scholar, a Ph.D. in Genetics and Genomics from Duke University, and an M.B.A. from The Stanford University Graduate School of Business.

Carol Suh joined the company in 2018 as an Associate and was named Partner in 2021. Suh focuses on identifying and evaluating new life science technologies and is involved in company creation. She is a stem cell biologist by training and combines her scientific expertise with experiences on the business side of biotech. She helped build Sana Biotechnology, Autobahn Therapeutics and Boundless Bio. Prior to ARCH, she helped launch Magenta Therapeutics, a biotech company transforming the way bone marrow stem cell transplants are performed. Previously, she was a consultant at Trinity Partners, working with a wide range of biotech and pharma companies on corporate strategy, market research, and business development. She began her career in R&D Strategy with GlaxoSmithKline's Regenerative Medicine group. For her work, she was recognized on the 2015 Forbes 30 Under 30 list in Healthcare.

Suh holds an A.B. in Molecular Cellular Biology from Harvard University, where she trained under Dr. David Scadden at the Harvard Stem Cell Institute. She also holds a M.Phil. from Yale University and was awarded the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship for her work in stem cell biology. She completed her M.B.A. from Stanford Graduate School of Business.

About ARCH Venture Partners:
ARCH Venture Partners invests in advanced technology companies and is one of the world's leading early-stage technology venture firms. The firm is a recognized leader in commercializing technologies developed at academic institutions, corporate research groups and national laboratories. ARCH invests primarily in companies it co-founds with leading scientists and entrepreneurs, bringing innovations in life sciences and physical sciences to market.

For more information, visit www.archventure.com.

Contact:

Morgan Warners
Finsbury Glover Hering
[email protected]

SOURCE ARCH Venture Partners