SAN FRANCISCO, March 01, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Foundery Innovations (“Foundery”), a biotechnology venture studio focused on translating immunology discoveries into drug candidates, announce two additions to its executive and scientific teams. The firm appointed experienced biotechnology finance and business development executive, Jate Samathivathanachai, MBA, CLP, as Chief Business Officer, and accomplished immuno-oncology scientist, Vladi Juric, Ph.D., as Senior Director and Head of Pharmacology. Together, they bring extensive expertise and relationships across the biotechnology industry to Foundery and will be key drivers for implementing the firm’s unique venture studio model.
“Foundery was founded to assist academic investigators to efficiently validate their scientific discoveries in Foundery’s laboratories and, if therapeutic potential is achieved, to either out-license the program to a biopharmaceutical company or partner with an investor syndicate to advance the program,” said Michel Streuli, Ph.D., Co-Founder, Managing Member and Chief Executive Officer of Foundery. “These new team members will greatly assist both efforts. Jate will lead fundraising, corporate development, and strategic partnering of assets rigorously evaluated in our venture studio laboratory. We will leverage Vladi’s expertise in pre-clinical development of cancer immunotherapies by having her lead target validation and candidate selection. The Foundery team has an impressive track record of discovering and developing effective immunotherapies, and I am confident that with Jate and Vladi joining our team, we are well positioned to continue executing on our unique venture investment strategy.”
Mr. Samathivathanachai brings more than 20 years of investment banking, corporate development, principle investing and general management experience in the biopharmaceutical and consumer sectors. He joins Foundery from Tranquis Therapeutics, a clinical-stage neuro-immunology company, where he was Vice President and Head of Finance and Corporate Development. Prior to Tranquis, Mr. Samathivathanachai was Senior Director of Business Development and Licensing at Horizon Therapeutics, where he led the company’s venture capital initiatives. Previously, he spent seven years as Country Head for Allexcel | Red Bull Malaysia and Executive Director of Strategy & Investments for Allswell | Red Bull Singapore. Before moving to Asia, Mr. Samathivathanachai spent nearly a decade with the global healthcare investment banking groups of Evercore Partners, Morgan Stanley, and Merrill Lynch focusing on capital raising and M&A for life science clients. Mr. Samathivathanachai earned his MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, his B.S. in Molecular Environmental Biology from the University of California, Berkeley, and is a Certified Licensing Professional.
Dr. Juric has 13 years of academic and industry experience, most recently working at Pionyr Immunotherapeutics, leading early discovery biology efforts for multiple myeloid-targeting immune-oncology programs, including the PY314 and PY159 programs. Before Pionyr, Dr. Juric conducted non-clinical research for immune-oncology programs as a research scientist at Gilead Sciences. Dr. Juric earned her Ph.D. in biochemistry and molecular genetics from the University of Illinois, Chicago. She completed her postdoctoral training in oncology at the University of California, San Francisco, under the mentorship of Nobel laureate J. Michael Bishop, M.D.
About Foundery Innovations:
Foundery Innovations is a San Francisco-based biotechnology venture studio; a novel scientist-driven enterprise galvanized by untapped biological discoveries working to accelerate early-stage R&D. Foundery is led by an academic-oriented leadership team with a combined 50+ years of storied success in preclinical drug discovery and development. In close collaboration with academic investigators, Foundery aims to develop high-value, transformative immunotherapies and provide a simplified pathway to mint next-generation immunotherapy companies to treat high unmet-need diseases caused by dysfunctional immunological responses. To learn more, please visit www.founderyinnovations.com.
Foundery Innovations contact:
Jate Samathivathanachai
Chief Business Officer
jsam@founderyinnovations.com
Foundery Innovations media:
Burns McClellan
Katie Mathioudakis / Robert Flamm, Ph.D.
klarch@burnsmc.com / rflamm@burnsmc.com