Competition via innovation has been recognized as essential for mid- to long-term success and even survival of science-based corporations such as pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies. As such, understanding how best to innovate, and how to do it more often and efficiently, is top of mind for executives at many large corporations. Traditionally, the approach for … Continue reading “Constructing Innovation Supply Chains for the Pharmaceutical Industry”
Author: Noubar B. Afeyan
Noubar Afeyan, PhD, is Founder, Managing Partner and CEO of Flagship Ventures. A technologist, entrepreneur and venture capitalist, Noubar has co-founded and helped build 26 life science and technology startups during the past two decades. In addition, he is a Senior Lecturer at MIT in both the Sloan School of Management and the Biological Engineering Department. Noubar has authored numerous scientific publications as well as patents, and earned his Ph.D. in Biochemical Engineering from MIT in 1987.
In 1999 Noubar co-founded Flagship Ventures, an early stage venture capital and entrepreneurship firm managing funds in excess of $500M and a portfolio of over 40 early-stage ventures. Prior to that, he served as Chief Business Officer of Applera Corp., the parent of two NYSE listed divisions: Applied Biosystems (ABI) and Celera (CRA). While at Applera, he initiated the formation of Celera Genomics in 1998 and oversaw its launch as a tracking-stock subsidiary. Noubar founded PerSeptive Biosystems (PBIO) upon obtaining his PhD, and led it to become a $100M revenues biotechnology tools supplier prior to merging with Applera Corp. in 1997. Prior to Flagship, he also participated as founding investor and director in four additional privately held companies: ChemGenics Pharmaceuticals (sold to Millennium Pharmaceuticals), Antigenics (AGEN), Color Kinetics (CLRK, sold to Philips) and EXACT Sciences (EXAS). He currently serves as a Director for Flagship-founded ventures Adnexus Therapeutics, Affinnova, BG Medicine, Codon Devices, Ensemble Discovery, Genstruct, Helicos BioSciences (HLCS), T2 Biosystems and LS9. He also serves on a number of academic, advisory and non-profit boards.
On the Creation, Protection, and Delivery of Shareholder Value—Lessons from the Color Kinetics Experience
Entrepreneurship and innovation are powerful forces that, when combined, can lead to the creation of great value. Last week, the local startup community saw one of its finest recent examples of entrepreneurial innovation, Color Kinetics (CK), deliver nearly $800 million in cash to its shareholders—myself among them—upon the completion of its merger with Royal Philips … Continue reading “On the Creation, Protection, and Delivery of Shareholder Value—Lessons from the Color Kinetics Experience”