at the Air & Space Museum
(Washington DC, August 2008)
- My credentials:
- currently, Managing Director for a biotech start-up in Scotland (in "stealth mode")
- most recently, Business Development Entrepreneur in the Division of Pathway Medicine at the University of Edinburgh
- responsible for corporate and business development at three biotech start-ups in the San Francisco Bay Area, consulted for three more and have had business relations with dozens of others
- conducted business with large biotechs and pharma (Amgen, Genentech, Pfizer, Bayer, Merck, etc.)
- primary contact with customers and clients, presented, explained our technology offerings, generated quotes and closed deals
- conducted negotiations and contract work including reviewing, editing, and making recommendations on dozens of term sheets and agreements
- wrote business plans, quarterly and annual reports, and met with investors
- created marketing materials (booth, brochures, presentations, print advertisements)
- solely responsible for all intellectual property and licensing at three biotechs
- conducted prior art searches and provided written opinions, for novelty and inventiveness, on PCT applications to the US Patent & Trade Office
- worked with lawyers to progress several patents (USPTO, WIPO) and submitted application pro se (without a lawyer)
- PhD in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology with research experience in oncology, genetics, immunology, virology, transgenics and molecular evolution in government, private and university laboratories in the USA and Scotland
- MBA with electives in Negotiations and International Trade & Finance
- taught a wide variety of science subjects, from Astronomy to Medical Genetics
- sole proprietor of Merlin Science, offering self-paced, self-learning science courses (hypertextbooks) since 1996
For over seven years I was the "right-hand man" for biotech CEOs in San Francisco and now I can help your company. I understand that biotechs succeed only with realistic views of the market and competition, careful handling of negotiations and contracts as well as a deep understanding of their IP position.
