Houston-Based SynBio VC firm Adds Retired Circuit City CEO to Advisory Group

HOUSTON, Sept. 26, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, First Bight Ventures, a Houston-based venture firm that focuses exclusively on the advancement and acceleration of early-stage Synthetic Biology companies, announced that it has added Alan McCollough to its growing panel of expert advisors. McCollough served as chairman and chief executive officer of Circuit City Stores Inc. and has decades of proven operating experience with consumer-driven public entities. He recently retired from the boards of VF Corporation and Goodyear Corporation.

"We are excited to have Alan join our group of advisors given his deep consumer and retail experience. He has vast knowledge of industrial companies that will offer valuable counsel to our portfolio companies. We hope to leverage his background so that our startups can select appropriate commercialization paths for their business models," First Bight Founder Veronica Wu said.

"I believe in the potential of Biotech to address many of the challenges facing our planet today. I hope to bring some of my experience to support innovative startups within the space," McCollough said.

McCollough joins First Bight's advisors who represent a variety of companies and industries, including Solugen, a specialty chemicals manufacturer; Proxima Clinical Research, Inc., which helps emerging companies overcome regulatory and clinical obstacles to get their medical products approved; Oracle Cloud, which offers cloud computing services; and DTE Energy, which develops and manages energy-related businesses and services nationwide.

"Our plan, in bringing Alan on as a key advisor, is to accelerate our overall investment activity, especially given the fact that the Bioeconomy is a critical factor for addressing global sustainability. President Biden's recent pledge of over $2B in Biomanufacturing will help encourage more research, innovation, and commercialization as it relates to consumer products. This includes more plant- and bio-based materials, as well as drug manufacturing, such as vaccine production," Wu added.

More about First Bight can be found on the company's website at firstbight.com.

SOURCE First Bight Ventures