Zhizhong Yao

Partner - Sofinnova Acceleration Strategy BiovelocITA

2023 - Current

An investment strategy dedicated entirely to the creation and acceleration of biotech startups in Europe. Our team provides a hands-on, robust framework for startups, combining direct management, financial backing and access to Sofinnova’s extensive infrastructure and network. We partner with Europe's leading medical research organizations to identify ground-breaking science.

Principal - Sofinnova Capital Strategy

2015 - 2024

Sofinnova Partners is a leading European venture capital firm specialized in Life Sciences. Based in Paris, France, with offices in London and Milan.

Director Board of Directors

2023 - 2023

Ensocell is a new venture capital-backed Life Science company utilizing cutting-edge single cell genomics technologies, AI-based computational tools, and advanced cell models to identify novel disease intervention points and to discover novel therapeutics for autoimmune, inflammatory, and fibrotic diseases. Founded by leading scientists at Wellcome Sanger Institute, the company is located at the Wellcome Genome Campus in Hinxton, UK, and in San Francisco, USA.

Board Observer

2022 - 2023

Mablink Bioscience is a biotechnology company that seeks to bring new and better treatment options to cancer patients with unmet needs. The company is developing the next generation of an emerging class of cancer drugs called antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs). Mablink's patented hydrophilic drug-linker technology enables the design of homogenous, plasma-stable next generation ADCs that have high DAR (drug-to-antibody ratio) while retaining excellent pharmacological properties and tolerability.

Director Board of Directors

2022 - 2023

DISCO Pharma, operating out of Cologne, Germany and Schlieren, Switzerland, employs a disruptive scalable technology to map the surfaceome of cancer cells and develop first-in-class cancer drugs. With the advent of new cell-surface, target-directed therapeutic modalities (including ADCs and bi-specific antibodies), it is critical to ramp up the discovery of meaningful targets. DISCO does so by comprehensively identifying druggable targets, as well as protein communities (i.e., different proteins that form nanoscale organizations on a cell), across the entire cancer cell surface at scale, thus uncovering crucial new information that neither genome nor transcriptome sequencing can provide. By knowing which proteins are truly present on the cell surface, and how they are associated within protein communities, DISCO can design highly specific binders, boosting expected efficacy and reducing side effects. DISCO has a highly experienced team with a strong track record in cancer drug discovery and entrepreneurial value creation, as well as a deep understanding of surface proteomics born out of ETH in Zurich and developed further within the Company. DISCO is backed by world leading life sciences investors including Sofinnova Partners, Panakes Partners, M Ventures and AbbVie Ventures.

Board Observer

2021 - 2023

GlycoEra’s innovative CustomGlycan platform unlocks the power of glycan-mediated biology to develop a pipeline of novel biologics for a broad range of indications. Founded by a highly experienced team of glycoengineering leaders, the company is based in Schlieren, Switzerland. For further information, please visit www.glycoera.com.

Board Observer

2019 - 2023

Mnemo Therapeutics is a biotechnology company focused on developing powerful cell therapies that create accessible cures. With its EnfiniT platform, a groundbreaking drug discovery engine, Mnemo applies a novel, integrated approach to cell therapy. Through precise identification of a new class of antigens with greater target specificity and the ability to efficiently reprogram T cells to increase their memory phenotype, as well as refine their engineering, Mnemo will transform the body's immune response to overcome disease.

Board Observer

2019 - 2022

Polyneuron is a growing Basel-based biotechnology company active in the area of autoimmune disease treatments. The company was founded in 2014 as a spinout company from the University of Basel to develop novel treatments to combat immune disorders using its Antibody-Catch™ technology platform.

Board Observer

2018 - 2020

NodThera is a biotechnology company developing a new class of potent and selective NLRP3 inflammasome inhibitors for the treatment of diseases driven by chronic inflammation. Led by an experienced management team, NodThera is leveraging new insights into inflammasome biology and chemistry to build a platform of highly differentiated small molecule NLRP3 inhibitors. The company was founded by Epidarex Capital and further financed by 5AM Ventures, Cowen Healthcare Investments, F-Prime Capital, Novo Holdings, Sanofi Ventures and Sofinnova Partners. NodThera maintains offices in Cambridge, UK, Seattle, WA and Boston, MA.

Human Frontier Science Program (Cross-disciplinary Fellows)

2013 - 2015