Illumina Ventures, a healthcare venture firm announced a strategic partnership with Illumina, and the addition of four new members to the European team, which includes Arnaud Autret, PhD, MSc, who will be Principal and Head of European Operations, William Byrne, PhD, be an Associate – Europe, and Ronan Byrne and Ivan Coulter, PhD, BSc, will serve as Venture Advisors – Europe.
“We are already supporting some great companies in Ireland, France and the UK. The addition of Arnaud, William, Ronan and Ivan to our team will enable us build upon our successes and pursue even more ambitious genomics-focused projects in Europe,” said Nick Naclerio, PhD, Illumina Ventures Founding Partner.
“We are committed to supporting new and existing early-stage startups in Europe that are developing innovative clinical diagnostics and life science research tools, as well as therapeutic platforms, digital health initiatives and genomics applications,” said Wouter Meuleman, PhD, Illumina Ventures Partner. “We are excited to have Arnaud, William, Ronan and Ivan join in our efforts.”
Arnaud brings more than 15 years of financial and investment experience in the life sciences and biopharmaceutical industries, as well as scientific knowledge, to his new position. Before joining Illumina Ventures, William was Head of Biotechnology at NEOM, a futuristic megacity that will be located in Saudi Arabia and rely on renewable energy and new technology for sustainable living. As a highly experienced CEO, Ronan has built and led several companies over his career that he later sold to multinational companies. Over the last decade, he has focused his efforts on the commercialisation of innovations in the life sciences industry. Ivan is an entrepreneur with experience in translating early-stage innovations into clinical development programs. As a pharmacologist, he understands the importance of aligning molecular pathways with appropriate therapeutics and diagnostics. He is currently the Founder and Managing Director of Eden BioPharma Limited in Dublin. Ivan was also the Founder and CEO of Sigmoid Pharma Limited.
