TPG Biotech® believes that investors should understand both the discoveries which lead to new companies, and the marketplaces which will determine their eventual success or failure. Our team combines scientific acumen with business experience to drive results.
Fred Cohen, M.D., D.Phil., Partner and Managing Director
Prior to joining TPG Biotechnology in 2001, Dr. Cohen was a Professor of medicine, cellular and molecular pharmacology, biochemistry and biophysics and pharmaceutical chemistry at UCSF. In this context, he was Chief of the Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism and directed an active research program in the areas of prion biology, structure based drug design, bioinformatics and heteropolymer chemistry. Dr. Cohen is a Fellow of the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, American College of Physicians, a member of the American Society for Clinical Investigation and the Association of American Physicians, and the recipient of several awards and honors including the Burroughs-Wellcome New Initiatives in Malaria Award, the LVMH Science Pour L’Art Prize (shared with Stanley Prusiner), a Searle Scholars Award and Young Investigator Awards from the Endocrine Society and the Western Society for Clinical Investigation. He graduated magna cum laude from Yale University in 1978 and received his D.Phil from Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar in 1980, his M.D. from Stanford Medical School as an American Cancer Society Postdoctoral Fellow in 1984 and his internal medicine and endocrinology training at UCSF. He joined TPG in 2001 to initiate TPG’s venture efforts in biotechnology and life sciences. He currently serves on the boards of directors of: Aptalis Pharma, Inc.; CardioDx, Inc.; Five Prime Therapeutics, Inc.; Genomic Health, Inc.; Quintiles Transnational Corporation; Roka Bioscience, Inc.; Veracyte, Inc.; and XDx, Inc.
Geoff Duyk, M.D., Ph.D., Partner and Managing Director
Prior to joining TPG Biotechnology in 2004, Dr. Duyk served on the board of directors and was President of Research & Development at Exelixis, Inc., where he led a group of more than 550 people focused on the discovery and development of small molecule therapeutics. Prior to Exelixis, Inc., he was one of the founding scientific staff at Millennium Pharmaceuticals, Inc. As Vice President of Genomics at Millennium Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Dr. Duyk was responsible for building and leading the informatics, automation, DNA sequencing and genotyping groups as well as the mouse and human genetics group. Prior to this, Dr. Duyk was an Assistant Professor at Harvard Medical School in the Department of Genetics and Assistant Investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. While at Harvard Medical School, Dr. Duyk was a Co-Principal Investigator in the NIH funded Cooperative Human Linkage Center. Dr. Duyk has been and continues to be a member of numerous NIH panels and oversight committees focused on the planning and execution of the Human Genome Project, and has been elected to the board of directors of the American Society of Human Genetics. Dr. Duyk graduated from Wesleyan University in 1980 with a B.A. in Biology and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. He holds a Ph.D. and M.D. from Case Western Reserve University and completed his medical and fellowship training at UCSF. While at UCSF, he was a fellow of the Lucille P. Markey Foundation and was also awarded a post-doctoral fellowship from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. Dr. Duyk currently serves on the boards of directors of: Aerie Pharmaceuticals, Inc.; Alphabet Energy, Inc.; Amyris; Beta Renewables, Inc.; DNAnexus, Inc.; Elevance Renewable Sciences, Inc.; fourteen22, Inc.; Galleon Pharmaceuticals, Inc.; Genomatica, Inc.; Karos Pharmaceuticals, Inc.; and is a board observer at Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical, Inc.
Ted Breck, Managing Director
Mr. Breck leads TOP’s business in life sciences structured investments for mid- and late-stage pharma pipeline assets, drug launches and drug royalty monetizations. Previously, Mr. Breck led the effort at TPG-Axon Capital for three years. Prior to joining TPG-Axon in 2005, Mr. Breck had two decades of experience in healthcare investment banking at Lehman Brothers in New York and subsequently, San Francisco, where he led the firm’s West Coast business in financing and merger and acquisition transactions for biopharma, medical device and healthcare services companies. Mr. Breck received his B.A. at the University of California at Berkeley. Mr. Breck is a member of the Advisory Council of the J. David Gladstone Institutes, an independent, non-profit biomedical research organization affiliated with the University of California, San Francisco.
Eran Nadav, Ph.D., Managing Director
Dr. Nadav joined TPG Biotechnology in 2007 with a focus on global pharmaceuticals and biotechnology investments. Prior to this, Dr. Nadav served as Business Development Director at Eisai, Inc. in New Jersey for four years, where he evaluated and negotiated notable licensing and acquisition deals. Prior to this, Dr. Nadav worked for the Israeli office of JJDC, the venture capital subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson, where he analyzed and executed investments in innovative technologies, medical devices and biopharmaceuticals. Previously, Dr. Nadav worked for Neurim Pharmaceuticals Ltd., supporting the clinical development of Circadin®. Before his professional career and academic studies, Dr. Nadav served in the Israel Defense Forces for three years. Dr. Nadav holds a B.S. magna cum laude, M.S. magna cum laude and Ph.D. in biochemistry, as well as an MBA from Tel Aviv University. Dr. Nadav currently serves as the chairman of the board at Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical, Inc., and serves on the board of directors of Trevi Therapeutics, Inc.
Heather Preston, M.D., Managing Director
Prior to joining TPG Biotechnology in 2005, Dr. Preston invested at JP Morgan Partners, LLC where she focused on medical device and biotechnology venture capital investing. Prior to JP Morgan Partners, LLC, Dr. Preston was an Entrepreneur-in-Residence with New Enterprise Associates, and prior to this, Dr. Preston spent five years at McKinsey & Company in New York and London, where she was a leader of their pharmaceutical and medical products consulting practice, advising large pharmaceutical companies and biotechnology companies on critical strategic issues such as R&D portfolio prioritization, M&A opportunities, new technology acquisitions, new product launches and product growth strategies. Before joining McKinsey & Company, Dr. Preston was a fellow in gastroenterology and hepatology at UCSF, having previously trained in internal medicine at the Massachusetts General Hospital. Prior to this, Dr. Preston completed a postdoctoral fellowship in molecular biology at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard University. Dr. Preston has an undergraduate degree in biochemistry from the University of London and a medical degree from the University of Oxford. During her academic career, Dr. Preston was the recipient of a Fulbright Scholarship, a Fulbright Cancer Research Scholarship, a Harlech Scholarship and a Science and Engineering Research Council Postdoctoral Fellowship Award. Dr. Preston co-founded Virobay, Inc. and was CEO from the company’s founding until 2010. Dr. Preston currently serves on the boards of directors of: Albireo AB; Alder Biopharmaceuticals, Inc.; Aptalis Pharma, Inc.; Conventus, Inc.; Otonomy, Inc.; Vibrynt, Inc. and Virobay, Inc.
Paul Sekhri, Managing Director and Operating Partner
Prior to joining TPG Biotechnology in January 2009, Mr. Sekhri was Founder, President, and Chief Executive Officer of Cerimon Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Prior to this, Mr. Sekhri was President and Chief Business Officer of ARIAD Pharmaceuticals, Inc. In 2002, Mr. Sekhri joined the Sprout Group, the venture affiliate of Credit Suisse First Boston in New York, where he was a Partner for healthcare technology investments. Prior to joining the Sprout Group, Mr. Sekhri spent four years at Novartis AG (“Novartis”), most recently as Senior Vice President, and Head of Global Search and Evaluation, Business Development and Licensing for Novartis Pharma AG. Prior to this, Mr. Sekhri developed the Disease Area Strategy for Novartis, identifying specific therapeutic areas upon which the company would focus. His first role at Novartis was as Global Head, Early Commercial Development, a department which he established to ensure the differential competitive advantage of Novartis’ pipeline. Mr. Sekhri completed graduate work in neuroscience at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, where he also received a B.S. in Zoology. Mr. Sekhri has held directorships with more than 12 private and public companies and is currently a member of the boards of directors of: MacroGenics, Inc.; moksha8, Inc., where he is the Chairman of the board of directors; PatientSafe Solutions, Inc.; Tandem Diabetes Care, Inc.; and of the BioExec Institute and non-profit Cancer Research Institute and TB Alliance. Mr. Sekhri is a board observer at IMS Health, Inc., and is a member of the Patrons Council of Carnegie Hall, where he also served on the Board of Trustees from 2009-2012.
Mark Braganza, M.D., Principal
Prior to joining TPG Biotechnology in 2006, Dr. Braganza led the development of diagnostics to accompany Chiron Corporation’s Oncology Development pipeline, as well as Chiron Oncology’s US Medical Affairs Department. At Chiron Corporation, Dr. Braganza initially worked in Corporate Strategy before moving to the Oncology Development Group in the Biopharmaceuticals Division. From 1999 to 2003, Dr. Braganza worked with Boston Consulting Group in London, advising clients in pharmaceuticals, biotechnology and healthcare strategy. Dr. Braganza holds an undergraduate degree in Physiology and a degree in Medicine from the University of Cambridge, and he completed general medical and surgical rotations in the Cambridge region before working in Accident and Emergency Medicine (ER) in London. Dr. Braganza is a board observer at NovaSom, Inc. and Roka Bioscience, Inc. He is currently based in the UK, and focuses largely on European investments.
Mark Gudiksen, Ph.D., Principal
Dr. Gudiksen joined TPG Biotechnology in 2008, with a focus on both healthcare and industrial biotechnology. Prior to joining TPG Biotechnology, Dr. Gudiksen was at McKinsey & Company where he worked on a broad spectrum of strategic topics and M&A opportunities. Prior to this, Dr. Gudiksen received his Ph.D. in chemical physics from Harvard, and his B.S. in chemistry from Stanford. His doctoral work in nanotechnology was recognized with several highly cited publications in leading scientific journals, such as Science and Nature, as well as general audience publications as broad as Scientific American and the Wall Street Journal. Dr. Gudiksen currently serves on the boards of directors of Alphabet Energy, Inc., Auxogyn, Inc. and Nodality, Inc., and is a board observer at DNAnexus, Inc.
Tiffany Clay, Vice President
Ms. Clay is a Vice President at TPG and founding member of the TPG Alternative and Renewable Technologies (ART) team. She originally joined TPG Capital as an Associate in their leveraged buyout group in 2008 where she focused on energy and healthcare related deals. Before joining TPG she was a consultant with McKinsey & Co., serving clients on energy and environment-related projects throughout North America and the Middle East. At McKinsey she spent a year as a researcher on the McKinsey Greenhouse Gas Abatement Initiative, a project sponsored by McKinsey, the Natural Resources Defense Council, the Environmental Defense Fund, and a consortium of private sector clients to assess the relative attractiveness of greenhouse gas abatement options and create an abatement cost curve (published in December 2007 as “Reducing U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions: How Much at What Cost?”). Ms. Clay received her M.B.A. from Harvard Business School where she graduated with high distinction as a George F. Baker Scholar. She received a B.A. from Yale University where she graduated summa cum laude and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. She is a member of the Board of the World Resources Institute.
Kevin Lind
Mr. Lind is lead underwriter of TOP’s Life Sciences structured investments and drug royalty monetizations effort. Previously, Mr. Lind was instrumental in the structured and royalty effort at TPG-Axon. Prior to joining TPG-Axon in 2006, he worked in Lehman Brothers' Healthcare Investment Banking group, starting in 1998. At Lehman, he completed over 20 mergers and acquisitions, partnering agreements and financings for life sciences and medical device companies. He received an M.B.A. from UCLA Anderson School of Management and a B.S. from Stanford University in Biological Sciences. Mr. Lind currently is a board observer of Edev S.à.r.l. and previously was a JDC observer for a structured investment at TPG-Axon.
Cayce Denton, Associate
Prior to joining TPG Biotechnology in 2010, Ms. Denton managed finance for the Nutropin and Lytics franchises at Genentech, Inc., where she also participated in a CFO Rotation Program consisting of time in R&D Finance, Financial Planning and Analysis, Audit and Treasury. Prior to Genentech, Inc., she was in Business Development at Novartis in Cambridge, where she helped execute an approximately $700 million partnership with Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Prior to Novartis, Ms. Denton worked in biotech venture capital at Atlas Venture and was an investment banker with Credit Suisse First Boston’s Technology Group, in Boston. Ms. Denton has an MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, where she was awarded the F. H. Shields Fellowship and co-founded the Biotech Investment Group, and a B.S. from M.I.T. in Biology. Ms. Denton is a board observer of Otonomy, Inc.; PatientSafe Solutions, Inc.; Veracyte, Inc.; and a board member of Karos Pharmaceuticals, Inc., and Trevi Therapeutics, Inc.