Claudio Santos

I am currently Chief Business Development Officer at Bioncotech Therapeutics. Here, it is my responsibility to lead interactions with existing and prospective investors, analyse pre-clinical and clinical data to prepare and present marketing and due diligence material, negotiate contracts and agreements, manage intellectual property and present to the Board of Directors.

By training, I am a molecular biologist who has mostly worked in oncology research. In addition to my strong scientific background, I have a good understanding of the drug discovery / development process, and business experience gained in technology transfer, business development and venture capital roles.

Before joining Bioncotech, I spent 3 years at Sixth Element Capital (London), a venture capital firms that manages the CRT Pioneer Fund (CPF), a £70m venture capital fund making investments in oncology from discovery through to entry to Phase II clinical trials. Here, I played a key role in the investments we made in 3 companies (Achilles Therapeutics, Artios Pharma, Neophore Ltd) and an directly in-licensed project (the “Ras Inhibitor Programme”). Furthermore, I carried the following activities:

• Screened, evaluated and carried out scientific and commercial diligence on over 50 investment opportunities, which included meeting with academic founders, management teams and co-investors, and identifying and consulting with key opinion leaders, to evaluate and shape investment propositions.

• Worked with founders and management teams during the creation of Neophore Ltd and Azeria Therapeutics to establish technology de-risking strategies, workplans and milestones.

• Wrote and presented 5 detailed Investment Committee papers covering scientific background, technology assessment, development plan and budget, competitive and IP position, valuation and management team.

• Led or supported senior colleagues with the negotiation of financial terms, project budgets and milestones, investment documents and license agreements.

• Managed the investment on the “Ras Inhibitor Programme”, which included sitting on the Joint Steering Committee, monitoring the programme’s scientific developments and leading business development activities, which culminated in signing a term-sheet with a Top 10 Pharmaceutical company.

• Attended Artios Pharma’s Board of Director meetings as an invited Observer.

• Attended networking and bio-partnering conferences to promote CPF, source new investment opportunities and raise the profile of portfolio projects and companies.

Before my time in venture capital, I had worked in a technology transfer manager role at Cancer Research Technology, where I carried out the following activities:

• Scouted for, and carried out scientific, IP and commercial diligence on intellectual property funded by Cancer Research UK at Imperial College London and University of Southampton. Prepared material for, and carried
out, marketing and commercialization activities.

• Supported applications for follow-up funding and identification of academic or commercial collaborators. Managed commercial and intellectual property activities on three CRUK-funded drug discovery projects.

• Worked with scientists and patent attorneys on filling and managing the life-cycle of patents spanning small molecules, antibodies and cell therapy areas.

• Supported senior colleagues in the negotiation and execution of a research collaboration and option agreement between BioInvent AB, CRT and the University of Southampton.

• Marketed CRT’s PRMT5 program and supported senior colleagues in the negotiation of a licensing deal with Merck Sharp & Dohme (in a deal worth up to $500M).