BioGenerator, the investment arm of local innovation hub BioSTL, has bolstered its staff in recent months as it targets further growth in the agtech and digital health sectors.
The organization has added three new entrepreneurs in residence (EIRs) and two venture capital fellows.
BioGenerator Senior Vice President Charlie Bolten said the new additions will focus on sectors where the organization sees opportunity for new company development. Those fields include agtech, digital health and health care data.
The new EIRs and venture capital fellows also continue the investor's increasing focus and spending on talent.
“If you combine EIRs and fellows together, we are spending twice as much as we were two or three years ago on the talent piece,” Botlen said.
BioGenerator’s Venture Capital Fellows program is designed to provide participants an up-close and in-depth experience with venture capital investing and company creation. Fellows from the 2019 class have taken on leadership roles with BioGenerator portfolio companies.
Schlicher, who previously held leadership roles at Monsanto and Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals, will help BioGenerator develop new agtech companies, and focus on expanding the organization’s nondilutive programs in the agriculture sector.
Walp has joined BioGenerator with more than 20 years experience working in the fields of health care and health care data. He is helping build a new portfolio firm aimed at bettering health care outcomes using health care data analysis. Bolten said health care data is an “emerging field” where BioGenerator sees opportunity. “(This) was a specific targeted recruit to really strengthen an area where we want to make a bet and we didn’t have any talent. And that’s where it starts,” he said.
Tones is chief scientific officer of Cadre Bioscience, which is developing new medicines for cancer and cardiovascular disease. Founded by BioGenerator, Cadre follows the model of fast-growing St. Louis-based Canopy Biosciences, which has grown to over 50 employees through an umbrella company strategy that involves first putting together an experienced team and then having the company acquire and license technologies and assets.
Richards, a life sciences Ph.D. from Washington University in St. Louis, is working on BioGenerator portfolio companies in digital health and defense medicine.
Fredman is a recent medical school graduate, who brings experience with augmented reality startups. He is placing his focus on digital health for BioGenerator.
Lewis is now a VP at BioGenerator portfolio company Wugen.
Suntrup is now the head of product for BioGenerator portfolio company Readout Health.
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