Geeta Vemuri, PhD, MBA is a healthcare executive with unique experience in both Fund management and big pharma. Dr. Vemuri is the Founder of Agent Capital (2017), a Healthcare Venture Fund with focus on therapeutics investments in the areas of Oncology, Immunology and Rare Diseases. Current investors in the fund include, a strategic investor, family offices of former Pharma executives and institutional investors. Dr. Vemuri’s fund responsibilities include, firm management and portfolio management including deal negotiation, active company management through board role.

Prior to Founding Agent Capital, Dr. Vemuri was Managing Partner of Baxter/Baxalta Ventures from 2012-2016, with over $300M under management where she set strategy and executed on all aspects of management of the capital and was investment committee member. Prior to this, she was Partner at Quaker Partners with focus on therapeutics and diagnostic investments. She started her business career at Salomon Smith Barney as Associate Specialty Pharma Analyst. She is a Kauffman Fellow Mentor (since 2018). Under her leadership, Baxter ventures was named as a top 6 Corporate healthcare VC Groups by Silicon Valley Bank (2015). She has a PhD in biochemistry from the Indian Institute of Sciences and an MBA in Finance from Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.

Agent Capital’s current portfolio investments include – Aptinyx (APTX), Carisma Therapeutics, DragonFly Tx, DiCe Molecule, Entrada Therapeutics, Freenome, ImCheck Tx, Orchard Therapeutics (ORTX), Orbus Therapeutics, Pliant Therapeutics (PLTX), Precision BioSciences (DTIL) and SkyHawk Therapeutics.

Some of her Baxter/Baxalta portfolio investments include – Covagen (acq by J&J), Gadeta (acq by Gilead), Naurex (acq by Allergan), Ocular Therapeutics (OCTX), Opsona Therapeutics, Precision BioSciences (DTIL), SyntImmune (acq by Alexion), True North (acq by Biovertiv/Sanofi).

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Mining Midwest Biotech Treasures: Part V