Chairman, Managing Director
Brad Bolzon, Ph.D.
Background
Brad Bolzon, Ph.D., is Chairman and Managing Director of Versant. He is the leader of the firm, architect of its strategy, and oversees operations across North America and Europe.
Brad combines 13 years of global pharmaceutical industry leadership experience and 18 years as a venture capitalist. His track record consists of a multitude of successful investments including Amira, Okairos, Speedel, Quanticel, Novira, Flexion, Crispr, BioTie, Jecure, BlueRock, Black Diamond, Northern Biologics, Monte Rosa and the firm’s Discovery Engines that have collectively generated close to $1.7 billion in returns for Versant stakeholders. Over his tenure, he has translated that experience into building and developing the current Versant investment team.
History
Prior to joining Versant, Brad served as Executive Vice President, Global Head of Business Development, Licensing & Alliances at Roche, one of the largest pharmaceutical companies worldwide. Under his leadership, Roche established partnerships with over 75 venture-backed biotech companies across North America, Europe and Asia, and transformed its R&D pipeline into an industry leader. Prior to that, he held executive roles at Eli Lilly in drug discovery, clinical research, regulatory affairs and business development. Brad earned Master of Science and Ph.D. degrees in Pharmacology from the University of Toronto.