Mentors & Instructors

Meet the Experts Behind Your Success

Our Mentors and Instructors are experienced industry professionals, successful startup founders, and academic experts in life science innovation. With decades of experience, they provide hands-on guidance in R&D, regulatory affairs, business development, and fundraising to help you scale your venture successfully.

Mentors & Instructors

Our mentors bring expertise across key areas such as venture capital, product development, intellectual property, and leadership coaching.

Ajay Kumar, PhD

Vice President, Finance and Program Management

ILSE

Andrew MacPherson

President

Diagnostics Intelligence Group

Craig Kenesky

Associate

Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, PC

Catia Verbeke

Managing Director and Partner

L.E.K. Consulting

Daniel J. O'Connor

Life Sciences CEO & Director

David Martin, PharmD, MBA

President & CEO | CEO, Co-Founder, Director | Chief Development Officer

TrippBio, Inc. | Host Therapeutics, Inc. | Cadenza Bio

David L. Pompliano, PhD

Principal

Sanderling Consulting, LLC

Diego Silva

Managing Partner

Vaxine, Inc.

Ipek Kocoglu

Associate Professor

Kean University

Jack Cox, MBA

Principal

JACNCO Market Access Consulting, LLC

Janet Nikolovski

Chief Innovation Officer

Revalia Bio

Jared Sorin

Co-Leader, Venture Capital and Emerging Companies Practice

Brown Rudnick LLP

Jim Gunton

General Partner

Tech Council Ventures

Johannes Dapprich, PhD

CEO | University-Industry Partnerships

NeuroPair, Inc. | Karolinska Institutet

John Pennett

Partner

Eisner Advisory LLC

Juan Quijano, PhD

Independent

Judith Sheft

Executive Director

NJ Commission on Science, Innovation & Technology

Julia Byrd

Operating Partner

Mach49

Vice President Human Resources / Head of Human Resources US and EU

Julie Oleynick, MS

WuXi AppTec

Ken Suh, MBA

CEO

Sauvie Inc.

Keith Bostian, PhD

CEO

ILSE

Larry Samilow

Co-Founder and Managing Director

Verve Group Consulting

Martin Peters

Commercial Strategy

Independent

Michael Wiley

Vice President

Foundation Venture Capital Group

Navneet Puri, PhD

Founder & Principal

ABAN Consulting

Patrick Donahue

Audit Partner

Withum

Patrick Park, PharmD, MBA, RUCIF

Founder & CEO | Pharmaceutical Industry Fellowships (RPIF) Consultant

P&P Ace Advisors | Rutgers University

Patrick Thompson

Founder

Thompson Advisory, LLC

Peter Butch

Partner

Fox Rothschild LLP

Peter Hoehn

Consultant, Commercial Strategy & Precision Medicine Strategy

Multiple

Paul Oyefesobi, PharmD, RPh

Director, Pricing & Market Access

REGENXBIO

Pavita Howe

Innovation and Entrepreneurship

Rob Ott

Executive Coach & Strategic Advisor

Ott Management Solutions, LLC

Robert McLaughlin

Vice President, Research

ILSE

Stanislav Glezer

Managing Director

Outcome Capital

Sandra Powell-Elliott

Chief Innovation and Commercialization Officer

Hackensack Meridian Health

Sonia Sequeira

CEO

Vitruviae

Stephen Parent

Co-Founder, Chief Strategy and Business Development Officer

Kathera Bioscience Inc.

Thomas Richardson, PhD, MBA

President

ILSE

Tugce Tunalilar

Independent

Vincent Smeraglia

Executive Director, New Ventures

Rutgers University

Viprali Bhatkar

Senior Director, Global Digital Health Lead

BMS

William Hanlon, PhD

Consultant / Strategic Advisor

Bill Hanlon Consulting LLC

Younok Shin, PhD, MBA, NACD DC

Founder and CEO

OnusBio

Mentoring Benefits

Working with a mentor can accelerate your startup’s growth by providing personalized feedback, strategic insights, and valuable industry connections.

Expert Guidance

Learn from top industry professionals.

Networking Opportunities

Access an exclusive network of investors and founders.

Business Strategy

Refine your business model and go-to-market plan.

Pitch Preparation

Get feedback on your investor pitch.

Join the Program

Join the program and gain access to mentorship that will shape your success in the life sciences industry.