Kv

Kurt von Emster

Managing Partner, Head of Life Sciences Abingworth

Menlo Park, California

Invests in

  • Min Investment:

    $15,000,000.00
  • Max Investment:

    $30,000,000.00
  • Target Investment:

    $22,500,000.00

Skills

Biotechnology
Lifesciences
Venture Capital
Investments
Pharmaceutical Industry
Corporate Development
Strategy
Start-ups
Mergers & Acquisitions
Strategic Planning
Investor Relations
Oncology
Entrepreneurship
Competitive Analysis
Business Planning
Private Equity
Technology Transfer
Management
Commercialization
Licensing

Education

Work Experience

  • Managing Partner, Head of Life Sciences

    2015

    Abingworth invests in private and public life sciences companies. We are currently investing $1.1b in funds.

  • Board Member

    2023

    Iambic Therapeutics combines physics and AI to create a differentiated drug discovery platform to quickly and efficiently create potentially best-in-class molecules.

  • Board Member

    2020

Orbus Therapeutics

2020

  • Board Member

    2020

    Orbus is a phase 3 oncology company. Eflornithine is a novel cytostatic agent that inhibits tumor growth by preventing cell division and proliferation which Orbus Therapeutics is developing for the treatment of patients with anaplastic astrocytoma (AA), or Grade 3 glioma, a rare and deadly form of brain cancer. Eflornithine irreversibly blocks ornithine decarboxylase (ODC), a key enzyme associated with various types of cancer.

  • Board Member

    2020

    SFJ Pharmaceuticals® is a global specialty pharmaceutical company with an innovative pharmaceutical co-development model that provides an advantageous alternative to traditional pharma partnerships. SFJ Pharmaceuticals®’s unique partnering approach provides experienced clinical and medical professionals, clinical development resources and operational oversight and execution to accelerate late-phase drug development candidates across multiple indications and therapeutic areas. The result is pipeline acceleration for our partners.

  • Board Member

    2019

    Jasper is a biotechnology company focused on enabling safer conditioning agents to allow for expanded use of curative therapy with stem cell transplants and gene therapies. Jasper’s lead compound, JSP191, is in clinical development as a conditioning antibody that clears hematopoietic stem cells from bone marrow in patients undergoing a stem cell transplant.

  • Board of Directors

    2009 - 2024

2015 - 2022

  • Chairman

    2015 - 2022

    Vaxcyte is developing best-in-class vaccines for human health.

  • Chairman

    2020 - 2022

    Our mission is to improve medical treatment for patients with immunologic and inflammatory diseases. Our lead program is atacicept for IgAN currently in Phase 2 clinical development.

  • Board Member

    2020 - 2022