Atlas Venture is a top-tier life sciences investment firm
Atlas Venture hired Occam to recruit an Entrepreneur-In-Residence (EIR), who would serve as the founder for a new company focused on allergy or asthma. Atlas planned to in-license a clinical asset and task the newly recruited EIR with building a company around the program. Occam took on this challenge in exchange for equity in the nascent company.
When we commenced on the project, the allergy newco had no name, no employees and no assets to develop. Given this context, it was a challenge to engage talented candidates with relevant expertise. It required the suspension of disbelief and the candidate’s own vision. In addition, it was vital to find the right person to chart the company’s course—someone with the necessary skills but also an entrepreneurial mindset and the willingness to take on the risks associated with leading a brand-new venture.
When the NewCo ultimately acquired an allergy program for development, Occam was able to recruit a sought-after chief medical officer from a leading public gene therapy company to become Atlas’ EIR. This individual brought a formidable and relevant background in immunology. At the time that he joined, Atlas invested $8 million in seed funding into the NewCo. In addition to overseeing the R&D strategy and execution, the new EIR has played a vital leadership role in building the NewCo from scratch. The company is in the process of raising a series A financing.
