Michael Fenn

As Director of External Innovation at Dewpoint Therapeutics, I'm helping solve some of the most pressing challenges in the biomolecular condensate field by working closely with our R&D and business development teams to source & evaluate emerging scientific, technological, and therapeutic assets of strategic interest, as well as managing our world-class scientific advisory board, and fostering collaborations with a variety of current & future partners. About me: I'm a builder. I am driven to create new technologies and foster the broader innovation ecosystem by working at the intersection of research, entrepreneurship, and the biotech industry. As a recovering professor & dedicated entrepreneur, my scientific & engineering expertise is balanced by my appetite for risk & impact. Moreover, my experience with startups, business development & venture capital has taught me to strategically build value, lead diverse teams, and use data-driven approaches. Career Highlights: As Director of Healthcare & Life Science at Harvard Innovation Labs, I served as a pillar of Harvard’s life science startup ecosystem. Taking a 'founders first' approach, I oversaw all HC&LS startup incubator programs including the Build-It Venture Program, Life Lab, and Allston Venture Fund, as well as our partnership with Lab Central. I also led project management & planning of a new $10M translational biotech incubator at Harvard Medical School as part of the $200M Blavatnik Therapeutics Initiative. As the first employee of a biotech startup, I led business development, built a robust IP portfolio & invented a glycoimmunology nanoparticle drug delivery platform for ophthalmology, autoimmune & inflammatory diseases. As cofounder & advisor for a number of startups, my efforts have led to $35M+ in venture funding, FDA clearance, formation of strategic partnerships, scale-up to GMP manufacturing, creation & licensing of intellectual property, as well as a successful exit. To this end, built an in-vitro diagnostic startup, Luminist Labs, out of my Florida Tech research laboratory, which completed Y-Combinator (W16), secured VC funding, achieved CLIA certification, and was successfully acquired by DiscernDx in 2020. Cofounded Florida Tech's Biomedical Engineering Department as Assistant Professor - with a limited budget, built a fully accredited department of 230+ students, established a translational research center, and acquired $2M funding via NIH grants & industry partnerships Opinions my own.