Category Archives: Boards and governance

By Ankit Mahadevia, former CEO of Spero Therapeutics, as part of the From The Trenches feature of LifeSciVC The right leaders in the right structure can power companies to great things. The general consensus is that all companies need a

After the bursting of the pandemic biotech bubble, talk of industry consolidation was ubiquitous. The sector had pushed out too many IPOs during the go-go years, leading to too many public biotech companies, with sub-scale enterprises, and wasteful crowding in

Another day, another “restructuring” – there’s been a flurry of press releases recently using phrases like “exploring strategic alternatives”, “extending the cash runway”, and “de-prioritizing” certain R&D programs. These announcements are obviously responses to the tough market environment. In every

By Philip Astley-Sparke, CEO of Replimune, as part of the From The Trenches feature of LifeSciVC. I recently stepped down after a six-year stint as Chairman of uniQure (NASDAQ: QURE). In the process of interviewing potential successors, one candidate observed

By Rene Russo, CEO of Xilio Therapeutics, as part of the From The Trenches feature of LifeSciVC.  If we could quantify the time and money impact of the resources invested in quarterly Board meeting preparation, I wonder if we would

By Philip Astley-Sparke, CEO of Replimune, as part of the From The Trenches feature of LifeSciVC. One of the biggest elephants in the room regarding starting and scaling young companies is the tension, often healthy but sometimes detrimental, that exist

Startups management teams often have a love-hate relationship with their Board of Directors: while Boards can be hugely helpful and constructive in the best of times, they can be dysfunctional and damaging in the worst. And most CEOs enjoy complaining

This blog is written by Samantha Truex, Atlas EIR and CEO of a stealth-stage biotech, as part of the From The Trenches feature of LifeSciVC. In a 2014 analysis  of biotech boards and a reprise analysis in 2016, Bruce Booth

Today, Zafgen announced my resignation from their Board of Directors after 12 years of service. It’s a bittersweet moment for me: having been there since the beginning, I’ve watched, and supported, the Zafgen story through all the ups and downs

The private biotech sector is awash in capital today: funding over the last few quarters has been record-breaking, up over 250% since 2013, as biotech CEOs have worked hard to strengthen their companies’ balance sheets.  But in the process of

A biotech’s Board often plays important roles in shaping the company’s success or failure: contributing strategic guidance, providing proper governance, stewarding fiduciary responsibilities, raising a startups’ profile, aiding business development, to name a few. Over the life of a biotech,

This blog was written by Ankit Mahadevia, Atlas EIR and c0-founder of Spero and Rodin Therapeutics, as part of the “From the Trenches” feature of LifeSciVC. As startup folks we are great at keeping our heads down and looking ahead; this

Last month legendary investor Vinod Khosla commented that 95% of VCs add “zero value” and 80% probably “add negative value” in how they advise startup companies in their portfolio.  This is a stunning indictment of the VCs that Khosla has