'V' Created with Sketch.
Driven by passion
and experience
Our team believes in taking a collaborative approach and seeks to be a valuable partner to all stakeholders along the journey. We embrace cutting edge innovation and fresh perspectives. At Vida Ventures, we foster entrepreneurship and diverse thinking in the recognition that people make ideas come to life.
Arie Belldegrun
Arie Belldegrun, M.D.
Co-Founder and Sr. Managing Director
30+ year career in science, medicine, company formation, management, and VC. Leader in developing novel cancer treatments
Allogene Therapeutics – Executive Chairman and Co-Founder
Kite Pharma Founder – CEO & Chairman (acquired by Gilead)
Cougar Biotechnology – Founder and Vice-Chairman (acquired by J&J)
Agensys – Founder and Chairman (acquired by Astellas Pharma)
Roy and Carol Doumani Professor of Urology at UCLA
Arie Belldegrun is Co-Founder and Senior Managing Director of Vida Ventures. He is also Executive Chairman and Co-Founder of Allogene Therapeutics, a clinical stage biotechnology company focused on pioneering the development of allogeneic chimeric antigen receptor T cell (AlloCAR T™) therapies for cancer.
A visionary entrepreneur, Arie founded Kite Pharma, a biopharmaceutical company engaged in the development of innovative cancer immunotherapies, where he served as Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer until the acquisition of Kite by Gilead Sciences in October 2017. Arie has had a distinguished tenure in the life sciences, having been closely involved with the founding and advancement of several successful biopharmaceutical companies including Cougar Biotechnology and Agensys. Abiraterone, developed by Cougar, is a mainstay of therapy for patients with metastatic prostate cancer. He currently serves as Chairman of Two River Group, UroGen Pharma, Kronos Bio, and Bellco Capital, and as co-Chairman of Breakthrough Properties.
Arie is a Professor of Urology, holds the Roy and Carol Doumani Chair in Urologic Oncology, and is Director of the UCLA Institute of Urologic Oncology at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. Prior to joining UCLA, Arie was at the National Cancer Institute/NIH as a research fellow in surgical oncology and immunotherapy under Dr. Steven A. Rosenberg. He completed his MD at the Hebrew University Hadassah Medical School in Jerusalem, his post-graduate studies in Immunology at the Weizmann Institute of Science, and his residency in urologic surgery at Harvard Medical School. He has authored several books on oncology and more than 500 scientific and medical papers related to urological cancers, immunotherapy, gene therapy and cancer vaccines. He is certified by the American Board of Urology and the American Association of Genitourinary Surgeons.
Helen Kim
Helen Kim, M.B.A.
25+ year career in leadership roles in biotechnology
The Column Group – Partner
Kite Pharma – Executive Vice President
NGM Biopharma – Strategic Advisor and former Chief Business Officer
Kosan – Chief Executive Officer and President
Affymax – Chief Business Officer
Onyx – Senior Vice President of Corporate Development
Chiron – Vice President of Global Strategic Marketing
Board of Directors: Peloton Therapeutics, Assembly Biosciences, Applied Molecular Transport, and Exicure
Helen S. Kim is a Senior Managing Director at Vida Ventures.
Ms. Kim has over 27 years of experience in leadership roles in biotechnology. Most recently, Ms. Kim was a Partner at The Column Group. Prior, Ms. Kim served as Executive Vice President of Business Development at Kite Pharma, Inc. where she led all business and corporate development initiatives successfully selling Kite Pharma to Gilead in 2017.
Previously, Ms. Kim served as Strategic Advisor of NGM Biopharmaceuticals, Inc. from January 2012 through November 2014. Ms. Kim served as the Chief Business Officer at NGM Biopharmaceuticals, Inc. from August 2009 to January 2012. Prior to NGM, she was the Chief Executive Officer and President of Kosan Biosciences where she restructured and repositioned the company prior to successfully selling the company to Bristol-Myers Squibb in 2008. Ms. Kim's additional industry experience includes executive positions at Affymax, Onyx Pharmaceuticals and Chiron Corporation. Ms. Kim received a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Northwestern University and a M.B.A. from the University of Chicago.
Ms. Kim currently serves on the Board of Directors for A2 Biotherapeutics, Inc., ReCode Therapeutics, Inc., IconOVir Bio, Inc., Aktis Oncology, PACT Pharma, Protego Therapeutics, and InduPro Labs.
Arjun Goyal
Arjun Goyal, M.D., M.Phil, M.B.A.
Co-Founder and Managing Director
10+ year career in clinical medicine, research, company formation and VC
5AM Ventures – Principal
Homology Medicines – Founding team
Pear Therapeutics – VP, Business Development
Foresight Pharmaceuticals – Co-Founder and CEO
Arjun Goyal is a Co-Founder and Managing Director at Vida Ventures.
From 2014 through 2017, Arjun was an investment professional at 5AM Ventures, a life science focused venture firm. Arjun was a Board Observer at Aprea AB, Spyryx, Pear Therapeutics, Portal Instruments, Entrada, and Homology Medicines (NASDAQ: FIXX). At 5AM Ventures, Arjun was part of the founding team of Homology Medicines, a genetic medicines company and he also served as Acting VP of Business Development at Pear Therapeutics. Prior to joining 5AM Ventures, Arjun was Co-Founder and CEO, Foresight Pharmaceuticals, a biopharmaceutical company developing hormonal treatments for infectious diseases.
Arjun received his B.S. in Medical Science, Diploma in French and his M.D. degree from the Universities of Melbourne and Oxford. He completed his postgraduate medical training in Internal Medicine at the University of Sydney. He received his M.Phil. in Bioscience Enterprise from Cambridge on a Commonwealth Scholarship and his MBA from Harvard Business School. Arjun has received several awards for his work including the American Australian Association Education Fellowship, Robert Kaplan Life Science Fellowship, Oxford Clarendon Scholarship, Gates Cambridge Scholarship and Reg Waite Award for Young Australians. He is a co-inventor on one patent and has served on the editorial board of an international scientific journal.
Arjun is a Board Observer at Pionyr Immunotherapeutics and serves on the Committee for the American Australian Association Education Fellowship and LifeTech Advisory Board of the Swedish American Chamber of Commerce, and was on the 2016 NCI Review Committee for SBIR grants.
Stefan Vitorovic
Stefan Vitorovic, M.S., M.B.A.
10+ year career in life sciences research, investing, new company formation, and operations
Third Rock Ventures – Principal
Decibel Therapeutics – Founding team
TPG Capital – Associate
Credit Suisse – Analyst, Healthcare Investment Banking
Stefan Vitorovic is Co-Founder and Managing Director at Vida Ventures.
Prior to co-founding Vida Ventures, Stefan was an investment professional at Third Rock Ventures, an early-stage life sciences venture capital firm. At Third Rock, he was part of the founding team of Decibel Therapeutics, a hearing-focused drug discovery and development platform company.
Before Third Rock, Stefan was an investor at TPG Capital, where he focused on majority, control stakes in healthcare companies. Stefan worked on a variety of equity and debt financings, including Aptalis Pharma and Biomet. Prior to TPG, Stefan was an investment banker at Credit Suisse's healthcare banking group.
Stefan received his B.S. with Honors in Biological Sciences at Stanford University. He completed his M.S. in Biology at Stanford, where he conducted biomedical research in the lab of Dr. Helen Blau at Stanford Medical School. Stefan later received his MBA from Harvard Business School. Stefan currently serves on the Board of Directors for Praxis Precision Medicines ("PRAX"), Tectonic Therapeutics, Vigil Neuroscience, and Volastra Therapeutics. He was previously a Board Director or Observer at Kyverna Therapeutics, Oyster Point Therapeutics ("OYST"), Dyne Therapeutics ("DYN"), Sutro Biopharma ("STRO").
Rajul Jain
Rajul Jain, M.D.
20+ years career in science, medicine, and academia
Kite Pharma/Gilead – VP of Clinical Development
Amgen – Global Development Lead
Attending Physician at UCLA Harbor Medical Center
Rajul Jain, M.D. is a Managing Director at Vida Ventures and physician-scientist by background.
Prior to coming to Vida, he was most recently leading the Development organization at Kite Pharma, a Gilead company where he oversaw a team of approximately 200 people developing engineered cell therapy products to treat a variety of blood cancers and solid tumors. Rajul joined Kite in 2014 and was instrumental to the company's growth and success, including the advancement of Yescarta® and Tecartus® from pre-IND phase through global regulatory approvals.
Previously, Rajul was at Amgen where his last role was Global Development Lead. There he oversaw the development of small molecules and biologics in the oncology and bone health therapeutic areas and was instrumental in advancing the R&D pipeline including regulatory approvals of Xgeva and Prolia.
Rajul completed his BA in chemistry and biochemistry at Rice University, and MD and Internal Medicine internship and residency at UT Southwestern Medical school, where he was a Howard Hughes Fellow. He completed his post-doctoral training in biophysics at Rockefeller University, and fellowship training at MD Anderson Cancer Center, where he was Chief Fellow.
Rajul serves on the Board of Directors of Capstan Therapeutics, InnoSkel, LocanaBio, and Neogene Therapeutics. Rajul was previously a volunteer Attending Physician treating underserved patients at UCLA Harbor Medical Center and continues to lecture regularly at UCLA.
Jean-Philippe Kouakou-Zebouah
Jean-Philippe (JP) Kouakou-Zebouah
Chief Financial and Operating Officer
25+ year career in venture capital, corporate finance, management consulting and public accounting.
Versant Ventures – SVP Finance
Genentech – Senior Director and Head of Finance for U.S. Bio-Oncology Business Unit
Levi Strauss & Co – Finance Director
Booz Allen & Hamilton – Associate, Strategy Consulting
PricewaterhouseCoopers – Audit Manager
Jean-Philippe (JP) is Chief Financial and Chief Operating Officer at Vida Ventures.
JP has over two decades of experience in venture capital, life sciences, strategy consulting and public accounting across Europe, Africa and the United States.
From 2017 to 2019, JP was Senior Vice President of Finance at Versant Ventures where had responsibility for all funds management activities and collaborated with Managing Directors on strategic financial matters, including fundraising, portfolio reviews, investment analysis and forecasts.
Prior to Versant, JP spent close to a decade at Genentech in roles of increasing responsibilities; most recently he served as Senior Director and Head of Finance for the U.S. Bio-Oncology Business Unit at Genentech where he oversaw 13 brands, 32 indications and more than $12B in annual sales.
JP received an MBA from Harvard Business School with a concentration in Finance and Business Strategy. He also earned a master's degree in financial engineering from Ecole Superieure des Sciences Economiques et Commerciales in Paris (ESSEC-Paris) and an accounting degree from Conservatoire National des Arts et Metiers in Paris (CNAM-Paris).
Chris Weyrer
Chris Weyrer, M.D., Ph.D.
3+ years as a Consultant/Project Leader at Boston Consulting Group
Harvard Medical School Alice & Joseph Brooks Research Fellow in Neuroscience
Harvard Medical School Joint PhD Student & Research Fellow
University of Cambridge Joint PhD Student
Chris Weyrer, M.D., Ph.D., is a Senior Associate at Vida Ventures.
Prior to joining Vida, Chris worked at Boston Consulting Group where he was a consultant and project leader. Chris gained experience in business development/operations but particularly enjoyed working on strategy, R&D and some company formation in projects across different fields (neurodegenerative, immuno-oncology, 3D bioprinting, gene editing, genomics, etc.).
Before joining BCG, Chris was fortunate to secure his own research funding, won Harvard's healthcare commercialization and innovation entrepreneurship course via Harvard's tech transfer office and completed project focused on breast cancer with an NYC hedge fund.
Chris got his B.Sc. in physics and M.D., Ph.D. (physiology/neuroscience) via Austria, University of Cambridge and Harvard. He spent part of his time in med school in Africa, also worked at SALK with Fred Gage (e.g., RNA biology) and became a Brooks research fellow in neurobiology at Harvard Medical School (e.g., developed gene therapy viruses to improve synaptic function/plasticity).
Jill Goldstein
Jill Goldstein, Ph.D.
10+ year career in life sciences research with expertise in regenerative medicine, gene and cell therapy, genome editing, aging, and cancer
Harvard Stem Cell Institute – Postdoctoral Fellow
Yale University – Ph.D.
Worcester Polytechnic Institute – B.S.
Jill Goldstein, Ph.D. is an Associate at Vida Ventures.
Jill has over 10 years of experience in life sciences research. She received her B.S. in Biochemistry and German Studies with high distinction at Worcester Polytechnic Institute. Jill completed her Ph.D. at Yale University in Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology where she studied skin stem cell biology in the context of tissue maintenance and cancer. She was awarded an NIH F32 Fellowship to pursue postdoctoral training at Harvard University in Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology where she studied blood and muscle stem cell function in settings of aging and tissue regeneration. She chaired the 2019 Gordon Research Seminar on Stem Cells and Cancer and participated as a Fellow at Vida Ventures. Jill's research has resulted in over 10 scientific publications and she is a co-inventor on three patents.
Mark Springel
Mark Springel, Ph.D.
10+ year career in life sciences research, with expertise in neuroscience, developmental biology, and stem cell biology
Harvard Office of Technology Development (OTD) – Senior Business Development Fellow
Harvard Medical School – Ph.D.
Williams College – B.A.
Mark Springel, Ph.D. is an Associate at Vida Ventures.
Mark has over 10 years experience in life sciences research. He received his B.A. in Biology and Neuroscience with highest honors from Williams College. Following his undergraduate studies, Mark worked for two years at Boston Children's Hospital studying neural stem cell biology involved in development of the mammalian neocortex. Mark was awarded an NSF Graduate Research Fellowship, NIH F31 Fellowship, and HMS Neurobiology Quan Fellowship to pursue graduate training at Harvard Medical School, where he completed his Ph.D. in Biological and Biomedical Sciences and studied spinal cord neural circuits involved in sensation of touch and pain. At Harvard, Mark co-founded Activate Bio, a trainee-run venture program for Harvard life science entrepreneurs. In addition, Mark was Senior Business Development Fellow in the Harvard Office of Technology Development (OTD) and a Fellow at Vida Ventures.
Alex Loftis
Alex Loftis, Ph.D.
10+ year career in life sciences consulting and research, with expertise in chemical biology, immunology, and peptide drug discovery
L.E.K. Consulting – Senior Life Sciences Specialist
MIT – Ph.D.
Washington University in St. Louis – A.B.
Alex Loftis, Ph.D. is an Associate at Vida Ventures.
Before joining Vida's Los Angeles office in 2022, Alex was a life sciences consultant at L.E.K. Consulting in Boston, where he focused on due diligence and corporate strategy for biopharma clients. Prior to that, Alex worked as a Fellow in Vida's Boston office. Alex received his Ph.D. from MIT, where studied antigen-specific tolerance induction, peptide drug discovery, and protein engineering as a Biotechnology Training Program Fellow. He graduated summa cum laude from Washington University in St. Louis with an A.B. in Chemistry.
David Chang
David Chang M.D., Ph.D.
30+ year career in medicine, company formation and management, and academia
Allogene Therapeutics – Co-Founder, President, and Chief Executive Officer
Kite Pharmaceuticals – Executive Vice President, Research & Development, and Chief Medical Officer
Amgen – Vice President of Global Development and Head of Hematology-Oncology
Associate Professor of Medicine and of Microbiology, Immunology and Molecular Genetics at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA
David Chang, M.D., Ph.D. is a Scientific Advisor to Vida Ventures
He is the President, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of Allogene Therapeutics, a biotechnology company with a mission to catalyze the next revolution in cancer treatment through the development of allogeneic chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CAR T) therapy directed at blood cancers and solid tumors. David previously served as Executive Vice President, Research & Development, and Chief Medical Officer of Kite, a Gilead Company. He has an industry-leading track record of innovation in the field of oncology drug development, including the development for Yescarta™ (axicabtagene ciloleucel), the first CAR T therapy approved for non-Hodgkin lymphoma. From 2002 to 2014, he held senior leadership roles at Amgen, including Vice President of Global Development and Head of Hematology-Oncology. During this time, David spearheaded personalized therapy strategies that underlied the success of Vectibix® (panitumumab). He also provided therapeutic area leadership to pivotal programs for Blincyto® (blinatumomab) a bispecific T cell engager antibody in acute lymphocytic leukemia and for IMLYGIC™ (talimogene laherparepvec) a first-of-its-kind oncolytic immunotherapy, in melanoma.
Prior to joining Amgen, David held dual appointments as Associate Professor of Medicine and of Microbiology, Immunology and Molecular Genetics at the David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles. He obtained a B.S. degree in Biology from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and M.D. and Ph.D. degrees from Stanford University. David completed an internship and residency in internal medicine at Brigham and Women's Hospital and a fellowship in medical oncology at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute at Harvard Medical School, where he was a Howard Hughes Medical Institute postdoctoral fellow. David serves as a Director at A2 Biotherapeutics, and Peloton Biotherapeutics and is a member of the scientific advisory board to Kronos Bio.
Norbert Bischofberger
Norbert Bischofberger, Ph.D.
30+ year career in research & development
Gilead Sciences – Executive Vice President R&D and Chief Scientific Officer
Genentech – Manager, DNA Synthesis
Norbert Bischofberger is a scientific advisor to Vida Ventures.
Currently the President and CEO at Kronos Bio, Norbert has over three decades of experience in research and development in the pharmaceutical industry.
From 2007 – 2018, Norbert was Executive Vice President and Chief Scientific Officer at Gilead Sciences where during his 28-year tenure, Norbert presided over the development and approval of more than 25 medicines for a range of serious conditions which led the transformation of the treatment of diseases such as HIV, HCV and lymphoma. Norbert was part of the core management team that grew Gilead from less than 50 employees with no revenues to 10,000 employees with $25B in revenue.
Norbert joined Gilead in 1990 as Director of Chemistry after having worked as a Senior Scientist in Genentech's DNA Synthesis Group from 1986 until 1990.
Norbert received a Ph.D. in organic chemistry from Zurich's Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule and performed postdoctoral research in steroid chemistry at Syntex. He also performed additional research in organic chemistry and applied enzymology in Professor George Whiteside's lab at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Norbert received an honorary doctorate in Natural Sciences (2016) from The University of Innsbruck and an honorary doctorate in Letters in Medicine (2017) from Baylor College of Medicine. Norbert was elected a Fellow of The American Association for Advancement of Science (2018).
Joshua Kazam
18 years+ career in company formation and life sciences investing
Allogene Therapeutics – Co-Founder and Director
Kite Pharma – Co-Founder and Director (acquired by Gilead)
Two River – Founder and Partner
Director of Hubble Contacts, Second Science Nutrition
Joshua is a Co-Founder and Director of Vida Ventures.
Joshua Kazam is a Co-Founder and Partner of Two River, where he has served as Partner since its inception in 2004. He is a Co-Founder and Director of Allogene Therapeutics, and was a Co-Founder and Director of Kite Pharma, where he served on the Board of Directors from inception until its acquisition by Gilead Sciences in 2017. Joshua also serves as a Director of several privately held companies including Kronos Bio, Hubble Contacts, ByHeart Inc, and Breakthrough Properties, LLC. Joshua is a Member of the Wharton School's Undergraduate Executive Board and serves on the Board of the Desert Flower Foundation. He received his B.S. in Economics from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
David Tanen
David Tanen, J.D.
20 years+ life science investment experience
Allogene Therapeutics – Co-Founder and Officer
Kite Pharma – Co-Founder and General Counsel (acquired by Gilead)
David is an Advisor to Vida Ventures.
David Tanen is a Co-Founder and Partner of Two River, which focuses on creating, operating and financing development stage life science companies. Prior to founding Two River, he served as General Counsel of a life science focused venture capital firm. David is also a Co-Founder of Kite Pharma, Inc., where he served as Corporate Secretary and General Counsel before its acquisition by Gilead Sciences in 2017. He is a Co-Founder and Corporate Secretary of Allogene Therapeutics, Inc. David received his B.A. from The George Washington University and his J.D. from Fordham University School of Law, where he has served on the Dean's Planning Council since 2009.
Heba Nowyhed
Heba Nowyhed, Ph.D.
14+ year experience in Immunobiology across various disease settings including autoimmunity, chronic inflammation, metabolic disorder, and solid and liquid cancers.
3+ years of combined experience working in the Office of Cooperate Research at Yale University, and the Business Development office at the La Jolla Institute for Allergy and Immunology
Kite Pharma – Associate Director R&D
La Jolla Institute of Allergy and Immunology – Postdoctoral Fellow
Yale University – Postdoctoral Fellow
Yale University – Ph.D. in Immunobiology
Yale University – M.S. and M.Ph.
UCLA in Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics – B.S.
Heba Nowyhed, Ph.D. is a Senior Associate at Vida Ventures.
She has over 14 years of experience in Immunobiology, and 3+ years of combined experience working with the business development group at LJI and with the OCR office at Yale. She received her Ph.D. at Yale University where she focused on identifying key drivers of autoimmunity across various disease settings. She completed her Postdoctoral Fellowship in the Inflammation Department at the La Jolla Institute for Allergy and Immunology in late 2015. There she studied T cell biology and investigated the intrinsic mechanisms that drive the development of T cell lineages in models of acute infection, as well as atherosclerosis, IBD, and other chronic inflammatory settings.
Early 2016, Heba joined the research team at Kite Pharma as a Scientist where she played a key role generating the pre-clinical data packages for two IND filings. She went on to lead a pipeline program as a Senior Scientist that resulted in three additional IND filings. As an Associate Director, she successfully established key cross functional collaborations, developed and lead an Assay and Automation group, as well as lead a team developing next-generation products for Kite's solid tumor programs.
Christine Cassiano
Strategic Communications Advisor
25+ year career in corporate communications in the life sciences industry
Kite Pharma – Senior Vice President, Corporate Communications & Investor Relations (acquired by Gilead)
W2O Group – Head of Healthcare
Hill + Knowlton Strategies – Senior Vice President & Co-Director, Healthcare
Senior Communications roles at Amgen, Allergan and Abraxis BioScience
Christine Cassiano is a Strategic Communications Advisor to Vida Ventures. She is a communications executive with wide experience in investor relations, financial communications, corporate communications, media relations, brand strategy and public affairs. Christine previously served as Senior Vice President of Corporate Communications and Investor Relations for Kite Pharma until the acquisition of Kite by Gilead Sciences in 2017.
Christine's career is distinguished through the development of integrated communications strategies for companies with novel therapies such as Yescarta™ (axicabtagene ciloleucel) and Botox®/Botox® Cosmetic (onabotulinumtoxinA). She has held executive management positions in international communications agencies, including roles as the Head of Healthcare for the W2O Group and Senior Vice President & Co-Director for Healthcare at Hill + Knowlton Strategies. Christine co-founded ARC2 Communications & Media, a boutique agency that developed groundbreaking platforms for some of the largest companies in healthcare. She has also held senior global communications roles in biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies such as Amgen, Allergan and Abraxis BioScience.
Some of Christine's career achievements include a SABRE Silver Anvil award for the launch of Botox® Cosmetic (Allergan), an In2 SABRE Award for the Most Innovative Brand/Agency Collaboration (Pfizer/ARC2), and PR Week's 40 Under 40. She holds a B.A. from California State University, Fullerton and Investor Relations Certification (IRC) from the University of California, Irvine.
Kate Bechtold
Kate Bechtold, M.B.A.
Senior Director, Investor Relations
10+ years experience in healthcare and biotech
UroGen Pharma: Senior Director, Investor Relations & Corporate Communications
Kite Pharma: Associate Director, Investor Relations; Associate Director, Product Communications
Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center: Pediatric Oncology
Cornell University College of Arts & Sciences: B.A.
University of Southern California Marshall School of Business: M.B.A.
Kate Bechtold, M.B.A. is Senior Director of Investor Relations and Communications for Vida Ventures.
Kate most recently served as Senior Director of Investor Relations for UroGen Pharma where she developed and implemented a strategic IR program from the ground up and also played a central role in the communications efforts for the approval and launch of Jelmyto™, (mitomycin) for pyelocalyceal solution, the first and only non-surgical treatment indicated for adults with low-grade upper tract urothelial cancer. Previously, Kate served as a key member of the Kite Pharma Investor Relations and Communications team in multiple roles, including Associate Director of Investor Relations and Associate Director of Product Communications, where she supported the approval and launch of Yescarta™ (axicabtagene ciloleucel), the first approved chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T therapy for the treatment of adult patients with relapsed or refractory non-Hodgkin lymphoma. With an extensive healthcare background, Kate's prior experience includes roles of increasing responsibility at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York. She holds a B.A. from Cornell University College of Arts and Sciences and an M.B.A. from the University of Southern California Marshall School of Business.
Cassidy Hayes
Communications Associate
3+ years administrative/event planning experience
1+ years paid marketing experience
Bottleneck Management- Event Planner's Assistant
Match Management (formerly known as Trisect)- Office Coordinator for in-house advertising agency
Columbia College Chicago- B.A. in Advertising
Cassidy Hayes is a Communications Associate at Vida Ventures.
Prior to Vida, Cassidy worked for Bottleneck Management and assisted with event coordination and scheduling resource allocations while serving as a point of contact for clients and guests. Prior to Bottleneck, Cassidy worked for Trisect (now known as Match Management) where she provided administrative support in a fast-paced agency environment and developed tools for client project tracking.
Cassidy completed her undergraduate degree at Columbia College Chicago in Advertising.
Alex Shen
Alex Shen, Ph.D.
Associate Director, Program Management
10+ year career in academia, medical devices, and biotech
Kite Pharma – Corporate Strategy; Tech Ops Strategy
Freudenberg Medical – New Product Development Lead
Spinal Singularity – Co-Founder
UCLA – M.S. and Ph.D in Micro-Nano Engineering
UCLA – B.S. in Mechanical Engineering
Alex was most recently a member of Kite Pharma's Corporate Strategy team, where he drove development of long-range strategic plans and processes to scale up organizational agility. Previously, Alex gained a breadth of entrepreneurial experience through his work with early-stage companies, accelerators/incubators, and as a founding member of a Y Combinator-backed medical device company.
Alex received his B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering with a focus in Microelectromechanical Systems (MEMS) and Nanotechnology from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Alex remains involved with academia, contributing to entrepreneurial programs at UCLA.
Victoria Stephens
25+ years in private equity, venture capital, consulting, finance, accounting
TPG Capital, TPG Sixth Street Partners, Tarrant Management, SandsPoint Capital Advisors
University of Texas at Arlington: B.B.A. in Accounting
Victoria Stephens is Controller at Vida Ventures.
Victoria brings over 25 years of experience in private equity, venture capital, consulting, finance, and accounting. In addition to her role at Tarrant, Victoria's prior experience includes roles at TPG Capital, TPG Sixth Street Partners, and SandsPoint Capital Advisors. She received a BBA in Accounting from the University of Texas at Arlington.
Travis Olson
Travis Olson, CPA
Senior Accounting Associate
10+ years accounting/investment operations
ERS of Texas, Marsh & McLennan Companies, IBC Bank
St. Edward's University (Austin): BBA
Certified Public Accountant: CPA
Travis Olson, CPA, is a Senior Accounting Associate at Vida Ventures.
Travis has over a decade of experience in accounting and investment operations, including at ERS of Texas, Marsh & McLennan Companies and IBC Bank. He received a BBA from St. Edward's University (Austin) and is a Certified Public Accountant.
Stephanie Ott
Stephanie Ott, CPA
13+ years of experience in accounting/investment operations
Trinity University (San Antonio): BSBA
Texas A&M University: MBA
Stephanie Ott, CPA, is a Senior Accounting Associate at Vida Ventures.
Stephanie has over thirteen years of experience in small business and partnership accounting, private equity, fund administration, financial reporting, and investment management. Prior to her role at Vida, Stephanie worked as an Accounting Manager for Tarrant Management, TPG's Family Office. Stephanie's previous work experience also includes roles at MUFG Investor Services (Formerly UBS Fund Services (Cayman) Ltd.), Quantlab Financial and PricewaterhouseCoopers.
Stephanie received her BSBA in finance and accounting from Trinity University in San Antonio, TX. She earned her master's degree in accounting from Texas A&M University and is a Certified Public Accountant.
Scott McCurry
Texas Tech University: BA
The University of Texas at Dallas: MBA
Served in the U.S. Navy as an Air Traffic Controller
Scott McCurry is a Senior Accounting Associate at Vida Ventures.
Scott has over 14 years of experience in family fund accounting, real-estate, private investments, healthcare, insurance and public audit services. Prior to his role at Vida, Scott worked as a Senior Accountant for Tarrant Management, TPG's Family Office.
Scott received his BA in accounting and finance from Texas Tech University and his master's degree from The University of Texas at Dallas.
Jessica Lasorsa
Task-driven Executive Assistant with 4+ years of administrative experience
4+ years of operational experience
Life Time- Member Concierge Manager
Exhale Spa, Hyatt- Director of Operations
Orangetheory Fitness- Regional Manager
And Partners Luxury Branding- Office Manager and Assistant to the President
Jessica Lasorsa is an Executive Assistant at Vida Ventures.
Previously, Jessica held a variety of administrative, operational, and managerial roles across companies focused in the health and wellness industry. Prior to that, Jessica worked for And Partners, a branding and design agency in New York City, where she supported the President of the company.
Jessica received her B.S. degree in Mass Communications (Public Relations, Journalism) from Miami University.
Alicia McCauley
Proactive Executive Assistant with 5+ years of project management experience
2+ years of administrative experience
InLine Mechanical- Project Manager
Eastern Bank- Administrative Associate
Alicia McCauley is an Executive Assistant at Vida Ventures.
Prior to Vida, Alicia worked as a Project Manager at InLine Mechanical LLC. As a Project Manager, Alicia was responsible for tracking project schedules firmwide, ensuring all deadlines were met in a timely manner, and building/maintaining independent and long-term relationships with General Contractor companies to ensure needs were being met. Alicia's previous experience includes various roles in project management, operations, and marketing.
Alicia received her B.S. in Business Management from Roger Williams University.
Brandi O'Donnell
Brandi O'Donnell
20+ year career in professional executive support
TPG – Executive Assistant to Co-CEO, Senior Advisors, and Tech Adjacencies
America's Cup – Executive Assistant to CEO and COO
Doha Film Institute – Executive Assistant to Executive Director
Santa Fe Film Festival – Executive Assistant to Co-Director
Brandi O'Donnell is the Executive Assistant to Dr. Fred Cohen.
Prior to joining Vida Ventures in 2020, Brandi was an Executive Assistant at TPG for over seven years. In her time at TPG she supported several leaders including the Co-CEO, John Winkelried, and TPG Senior Advisors Dr. Fred Cohen, Edward Norton, and the Honorable William K. Reilly. Brandi began her career as an assistant working aboard M.Y. Silver Lining for Mr. and Mrs. Alfred H. Balm. She continued her career as an assistant at the Santa Fe Film Festival, the Doha Film Institute in Qatar, and the 34th America's Cup in San Francisco before transitioning to private equity and investment.
Alex Mejia
Butterfly Equity – Executive Assistant to Co-CEO & Co-Founder
Saban Capital Group – Executive Assistant to CFO
California Capital Management – Executive Assistant to CEO
Gentle Giant Studios – Accounts Receivable Coordinator
Prior to joining Vida Ventures in 2022, Alex was the Executive Assistant to the Co-Founder andCo-CEO at Butterfly Equity where she was responsible for the daily operations of her executive. Previously, she worked at Saban Capital Group where she started in the Private Equity team supporting two Managing Partners before moving into the Finance Department where she assisted the CFO with high level tasks. Alex began her Executive Assistant career at California Capital Management where she worked for the CEO of this wealth management firm.
Owen Witte
Owen Witte, M.D.
SAB Chair
40+ year career in cancer and immunology research.
Extensive experience consulting in the biotech and pharmaceutical industry.
Allogene Therapeutics – Board of Directors and Scientific Advisory Board.
Kronos Bio – Founder and Science Advisory Board Chair
Member National Academy of Sciences
Member American Academy of Arts and Scienes
Member National Academy of Medicine
University Professor of Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics, UCLA
President's Chair in Developmental Immunology, UCLA
Founding Director, Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research, UCLA
Owen Witte received his undergraduate degree from Cornell and his MD from Stanford University. He completed postdoctoral research at MIT then joined the faculty at UCLA where he presently is a University Professor of Microbiology, Immunology and Molecular Genetics and holds the President's Chair in Developmental Immunology. He is the Director of the Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research at UCLA.
Dr. Witte has made significant contributions to the understanding of human leukemias, immune disorders, and epithelial cancer stem cells. His work includes the discovery of tyrosine kinase activity for the ABL gene and the demonstration of the BCR-ABL oncoproteins in human leukemias. This has had practical impact in leading to the development of kinase targeted therapy as an effective treatment for these leukemias and other cancers. His work also led to the co-discovery of Bruton's tyrosine kinase (BTK) which is required for normal B-lymphocyte development, and when mutated leads to X-linked agammaglobulinemia, a form of immune deficiency. New inhibitors for BTK are entering clinical practice for the treatment of certain lymphomas and leukemias. Recent work has concentrated on defining the stem cells for epithelial cancers of the prostate and other organ sites to help define new types of therapy for these diseases.
Dr. Witte has extensive experience consulting in the biotech and pharmaceutical industry. He is currently on the Board of Directors and Scientific Advisory Board at Allogene Therapeutics, and a Founder and Scientific Advisory Board Chair at Kronos Bio.
He is a member of the National Academy of Sciences, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the National Academy of Medicine. He has received many awards for his research including most recently the Association of American Medical College's Award for Distinguished Research in Biomedical Sciences and the Stanford University School of Medicine's Arthur Kornberg and Paul Berg Lifetime Achievement Award in Biomedical Sciences.
Howard Chang
Howard Chang, M.D, Ph.D.
SAB Member
15+ year experience in science, medicine, and technology development
Stanford University: Ludwig Professor of Cancer Genomics
Accent Therapeutics: Scientific Co-Founder and SAB
Boundless Bio: Scientific Co-Founder and SAB
Epinomics: Scientific Co-Founder and SAB (acquired by 10x Genomics)
Howard Y. Chang M.D., Ph.D. is Director of the Center for Personal Dynamic Regulomes and the Virginia and D.K. Ludwig Professor of Cancer Genomics at Stanford University. He is a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator; he is also Professor of Dermatology and of Genetics at Stanford University School of Medicine. Chang earned a Ph.D. in Biology from MIT, M.D. from Harvard Medical School, and completed Dermatology residency and postdoctoral training at Stanford University. His research addresses how large sets of genes are turned on or off together, which is important in normal development, cancer, and aging. Chang discovered a new class of genes, termed long noncoding RNAs, can control gene activity throughout the genome, illuminating a new layer of biological regulation. He invented ATAC-seq and other new methods for defining DNA regulatory elements genome-wide and in single cells. The long term goal of his research is to decipher the regulatory information in the genome to benefit human health.
Dr. Chang is a member of the National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Medicine, American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and Academia Sinica. His honors include the NAS Award for Molecular Biology, Outstanding Investigator Award of the National Cancer Institute, Paul Marks Prize for Cancer Research, Judson Daland Prize of the American Philosophical Society, and the Vilcek Prize for Creative Promise. His work was honored by the journal Cell as a Landmark paper over the last 40 years and by Science as "Insight of the decade".
Dr. Chang co-founded Epinomics (now part of 10x Genomics), Accent Therapeutics, and Boundless Bio.
Dinah Sah
Dinah Sah, Ph.D.
25+ year career in biotech, drug discovery and development
Voyager Therapeutics – Founding Team, Chief Scientific Officer
Alnylam Pharmaceuticals – Vice President, Research
Biogen – Associate Director, Research
Dinah Sah, Ph.D. is a Scientific Advisor to Vida Ventures.
She most recently served as Chief Scientific Officer at Voyager Therapeutics, a biotech company that she helped launch in 2014, focused on the discovery and development of AAV gene therapy for the treatment of severe neurological diseases. Prior to Voyager Therapeutics, Dinah was Vice President of Research at Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, and led research efforts from 2005-2012 to develop a new class of drugs based on RNA interference. She previously served at Biogen from 1999-2005 and Signal Pharmaceuticals from 1993-1999 where she provided neuroscience research leadership focused on protein therapeutics and neural stem cells, respectively. Dinah's accomplishments include leadership of multiple programs from early research through Phase 1 clinical trials, and the discovery of novel therapeutic targets and drug candidates that advanced into clinical development. Her leadership of drug discovery and development programs based on RNAi therapeutics resulted in the landmark demonstration of human proof-of-mechanism for this novel class of drugs in TTR amyloidosis patients which led to the approval of ONPATTRO® (patisiran).
Dinah obtained a B.S. in Biology from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a Ph.D. in Neurobiology from Harvard University. She serves as a member of the scientific advisory boards of Voyager Therapeutics
Ralph DeBerardinis
Ralph DeBerardinis, M.D., Ph.D.
20+ years in science, medicine and genetics
UT Southwestern – Chief, Pediatrics and Genetic Metabolism
Children's Medical Center Research Institute – Professor
Member – National Academy of Medicine
Ralph DeBerardinis, M.D., Ph.D. is a member of the Scientific Advisory Board at Vida Ventures.
Ralph has been on the faculty at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center since 2008. He is a Professor in the Children's Medical Center Research Institute and an Investigator in the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. Ralph serves as Chief of Pediatric Genetics and Metabolism and directs the Genetic and Metabolic Disease Program at UT Southwestern. His laboratory studies the role of altered metabolic states in human diseases, including cancer and pediatric inborn errors of metabolism. He has published over 200 research articles in genetics and metabolism and is on the editorial board of several journals. He has also served on the Scientific Advisory Boards of several companies, including Agios Pharmaceuticals and Peloton Therapeutics.
Ralph was born and raised in the Philadelphia area, earning a B.S. in Biology from St. Joseph's University and M.D. and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Pennsylvania. He trained in Pediatrics, Medical Genetics and Clinical Biochemical Genetics at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, ultimately obtaining board certification in all three areas. Ralph performed post-doctoral work with Craig Thompson, M.D., in the Abramson Family Cancer Research Institute at Penn, where he began to establish versatile systems to assess metabolism in cancer cells and tissues. Work in the DeBerardinis lab at UT Southwestern has uncovered new pathways and new metabolic liabilities in human cancer, and has used clinical genomics and metabolomics to identify new Mendelian metabolic diseases in children.
Dr. DeBerardinis has received several awards for his laboratory's contributions, including an Outstanding Investigator Award from the National Cancer Institute in 2017 and the Edith and Peter O'Donnell Award in Medicine from the Academy of Medicine, Engineering & Science of Texas in 2019. He was elected to the American Society for Clinical Investigation in 2012 and to the Association of American Physicians and National Academy of Medicine in 2020.
Stephen Mayo
Stephen Mayo, Ph.D.
30+ year career in protein engineering research and technology development
Caltech: Bren Professor of Biology and Chemistry; Merkin Institute Professor
Xencor: Co-Founder
Molecular Simulations Inc. (currently Biovia): Co-Founder
Merck: Board of Directors
Sarepta Therapeutics: Board of Directors
Stephen L. Mayo, Ph.D. is the Bren Professor of Biology and Chemistry and Merkin Institute Professor at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, California. He holds joint appointments in the Division of Biology and Biological Engineering and the Division of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering. He has been a member of the Caltech faculty since 1992 and served as Vice Provost for Research from 2007 to 2010 and Chair of the Division of Biology and Biological Engineering from 2010 to 2020. He received his undergraduate degree in chemistry from the Pennsylvania State University, his Ph.D. in chemistry from Caltech, and did postdoctoral work at both UC Berkeley and Stanford University School of Medicine in chemistry and biochemistry, respectively.
Dr. Mayo's research focuses on the development of computational approaches to protein engineering – a field that has broad applications ranging from advanced biofuels to human therapeutics. He was elected to the National Academy of Sciences in 2004 for his pioneering contributions in the field of protein design.
Dr. Mayo co-founded: Molecular Simulations Inc. (currently Biovia), a computational chemistry company; Xencor, a publicly traded bio-therapeutics company focused on developing next generation biologics for treating cancer; and, Protabit, a privately held protein engineering company focused on the use of AI and machine learning for protein engineering applications. Dr. Mayo has also provided consulting and expert witness legal services to both for-profit and not-for-profit organizations. He is currently serving on the Merck Board of Directors, the Sarepta Therapeutics Board of Directors, and on the Scientific Advisory Boards of Rubryc Therapeutics and Evozyne.
In addition to his academic and private-sector work, Dr. Mayo has held a number of significant positions including serving as an elected Board Member at the American Association for the Advancement of Science (2010-2014) and serving as a presidential appointee on the National Science Foundation's National Science Board (2013-2018).
Fred Cohen
Fred Cohen, M.D., D.Phil
Co-founder & Senior Advisor
30+ year career in science, medicine, entrepreneurship and VC
TPG Biotechnology – Founding Partner and Managing Director (retired)
Professor of Cellular & Molecular Pharmacology, Medicine, Biochemistry & Biophysics at UCSF Chief of Endocrinology & Metabolism (emeritus)
Cell Design Labs – Co-Founder and Executive Chairman (acquired by Gilead)
Sweetwater Spectrum – Co-Founder
Fellow of National Academy of Medicine and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, American College of Physicians, Rhodes Scholar, Searle Scholar
Fred Cohen, M.D., D.Phil is a Co-Founder and Senior Managing Director at Vida Ventures.
Prior to Vida, Fred was a Partner and founder of TPG Biotechnology, a life science focused investment effort from 2001-2016.
From 1980 through 2014, Fred was at UCSF where he held various clinical responsibilities as a research scientist, an internist for hospitalized patients, a consulting endocrinologist, and as the Chief of the Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism. His research interests included structure-based drug design, prion diseases, computational biology and heteropolymer chemistry. Fred has published over 200 peer reviewed articles, participated as a co-inventor on over 10 patents and has served as an editor or editorial board member of several international scientific journals.
Fred received his B.S. degree in Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry from Yale University, his D.Phil. in Molecular Biophysics from Oxford on a Rhodes Scholarship, his M.D. from Stanford and his postdoctoral training and postgraduate medical training in Internal Medicine and Endocrinology at UCSF. He is a Fellow of the American College of Physicians and the American College of Medical Informatics and a member of the American Society for Clinical Investigation and Association of American Physicians. Fred has received several awards for his work including a Searle Scholarship, Young Investigator awards from the Endocrine Society and the Western Society for Clinical Investigation, and the LVMH Science pour l'art prize (shared with Stanley Prusiner). Fred was elected to the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences in 2004 and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2008.
Fred currently serves on the Board of Directors of several biotechnology and pharmaceutical organizations including CareDx (NASDAQ: CDNA), Progyny (NASDAQ: PGNY), Veracyte (NASDAQ: VCYT) and UroGen (NASDAQ: URGN). Fred was Co-Founder and Executive Chairman of Cell Design Labs and a former Director of Quintiles (NYSE: Q), Aptalis Pharma, Rapid Micro Biosystems, Roka (NASDAQ: ROKA), Five Prime Therapeutics (NASDAQ: FPRX), Genomic Health (NASDAQ: GHDX) and Tandem Diabetes (NASDAQ: TNDM).
Fred and his wife, Dr. Carolyn Klebanoff, were founders of Sweetwater Spectrum, a non-profit organization that creates and runs planned communities for adults with autism. Dr. Klebanoff currently serves as the Board Chair and Fred is a member of the Advisory Board.
Transforming biomedical innovations into therapies
Make a meaningful difference in patients' lives
© 2023 Vida Ventures, LLC