Next-generation therapeutics for obesity and its continuum of cardiometabolic diseases

Ian F. Smith serves as a senior advisor to Bain Capital Life Sciences and previously held executive positions at Vertex Pharmaceuticals. In addition to serving as the chairman of the board of Rivus, he is Executive Chairman and a member of the board of directors of Solid Biosciences, as well as board member to several other private and public biotechnology companies, including: Foghorn Therapeutics, Stoke Therapeutics, Alkeus Pharmaceuticals, and iVexSol Inc. Previously, he was Executive Chair and member of the board of directors of ViaCyte, Inc. He received a B.A. with honors in accounting and finance from Manchester Metropolitan University in the United Kingdom.

Francesco De Rubertis, Ph.D., is a co-founder and partner at Medicxi. Prior to that, he was a partner at Index Ventures, having joined the firm to launch its life sciences practice. Dr. De Rubertis also serves as a member of the board of directors of Centessa Pharmaceuticals plc, Synox Therapeutics, and Levicept. His prior investments include CellZome, GenMab, GenSight Biologics, Micromet, Minerva Neurosciences, Molecular Partners, PanGenetics, Parallele Biosciences, Profibrix and Versartis. Dr. De Rubertis received a B.A. in genetics and microbiology from the University of Pavia in Italy and a Ph.D. in molecular biology from the University of Geneva in Switzerland, after which he became a postdoctoral scientist at the Whitehead Institute at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He is a chartered financial analyst.

Derek DiRocco is a partner at RA Capital Management, where he works on both public and private investments. He serves as a member of the board of directors for multiple private and public biotech companies, including Mineralys Therapeutics, Inc., Acrivon Therapeutics, Inc., Werewolf Therapeutics Inc. and 89bio, Inc. He earned a B.A. in biology from College of the Holy Cross and a Ph.D. in pharmacology from the University of Washington. He conducted postdoctoral research at Brigham and Women’s Hospital/Harvard Medical School, where he researched the role of the Wnt signaling pathway in mouse models of kidney disease and was part of a team that discovered a stem cell subtype responsible for solid organ fibrosis.

Erin Lavelle has more than 25 years of strategic and operational leadership experience in the biopharmaceutical industry. She most recently served as Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer at ProfoundBio, where she led a $112 million Series B financing round and negotiated a $1.8 billion sale to Genmab. Prior to ProfoundBio, she was the Chief Operating Officer/Chief Financial Officer at Eliem Therapeutics, where she was instrumental in orchestrating Eliem’s initial public offering. Before Eliem, she was the Chief Operating Officer at Alder Biopharmaceuticals, Inc., where she led the company’s nearly $2 billion acquisition by H. Lundbeck A/S. Her extensive tenure in the biopharmaceutical sector also includes 15 years at Amgen, culminating as General Manager of Amgen’s Taiwan affiliate, and including positions where she spearheaded commercial excellence and digital health initiatives and was involved in global marketing, global commercial finance and strategy & corporate development. Ms. Lavelle began her career as an investment banker in the healthcare group at Merrill Lynch & Co. She served on the boards of Neoleukin and Vitaeris. She earned a B.A. in economics from Yale University.

Rick E Winningham serves as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Theravance Biopharma, Inc. Prior to that, he held leadership positions at Theravance, Inc. (now Innoviva, Inc.). He began his career at Bristol Myers Squibb and its predecessor Bristol Myers, where he held various U.S. and global management positions, culminating in his role as President of the Oncology/Immunology/Oncology Therapeutics Network and President of Global Marketing, overseeing a range of therapeutic areas. Mr. Winningham was previously a director at the California Healthcare Institute (CHI) until its merger with BayBio, creating the California Life Sciences Association (CLSA). He chaired CHI and served on CLSA’s board, including as its Chairman. He is a member of the board of directors for the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO), where he serves on the Health Section Governing Board Standing Committee on Reimbursement, and a member of the board of directors of Jazz Pharmaceuticals plc. He previously served as a board member of Retrotope Inc. and OncoMed Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Mr. Winningham earned a B.S. from Southern Illinois University and an M.B.A from Texas Christian University.

With more than 20 years of experience developing early-stage and venture-backed companies in the biotechnology, information technology, and renewable energy sectors, Allen Cunningham is a co-founder and Chief Executive Officer at Rivus. Mr. Cunningham has expertise in many aspects of early-stage company development, including operations management, intellectual property, product development, licensing and distribution, mergers and acquisition, and finance. Prior to Rivus, he co-founded and served as the Chief Executive Officer of Gencia Biotech. Mr. Cunningham graduated from the University of Virginia with a B.A. in English.

Shaharyar Khan, Ph.D., is an expert in the field of mitochondrial biology and has dedicated his career to the pursuit of novel mitochondrial therapeutics. As Rivus’ co-founder and Chief Scientific Officer, Dr. Khan contributes more than two decades of experience managing multidisciplinary teams of talented mitochondrial biologists, computational and medicinal chemists, and clinicians. Prior to his role at Rivus, he co-founded Gencia Biotech, where he also served as Chief Scientific Officer, and pioneered multiple drug discovery programs, including large and small molecules, aimed at harnessing the unique role of mitochondria in the maintenance of cellular health. He earned a B.A. in philosophy from the University of Virginia and holds a Ph.D. in neuroscience from the University of Virginia.