 Board of Directors
Thomas Baruch, Chairman
Founder and Managing Director, CMEA Ventures
Mr. Baruch founded CMEA Ventures to pursue a lifelong fascination with how investment discipline and strategy can nurture investment success in the application of exponential new technologies, such as Moore's Law and genomics, to building breakthrough companies that will transform markets.
Mr. Baruch honed his early-stage investment skills beginning at the Battelle Development Corporation in the late 1960's and then at Exxon Corporation in the 1970's and early '80's. At Exxon, he managed investments and created several early-stage technology companies applying materials science and semiconductor-industry technologies such as Supertex (SUPX). Mr. Baruch formed CMEA Ventures with New Enterprise Associates (NEA) in 1989 after previously having founded and served as CEO of Microwave Technology, Inc., a supplier of GaAs integrated circuits and value-added sub-systems.
Mr. Baruch was one of the original investors in Aclara Biosciences (which merged with Monogram Biosciences - NASDAQ: MRGM), Flextronics (FLEX), Netro (NTRO), Silicon Spice (acquired by BRCM), and Symyx Technologies (SMMX). He currently serves on the boards of Alien Technology, Entropic Communications, Foveon, NewPath Ventures, Raven Biosciences, RF Magic and Symwave.
Mr. Baruch currently heads up the firm's materials and alternative energy investments to include fuel cells, solar power generation and management, biofuels, and rechargeable batteries, among others. He continues to engage in his passion for early-stage investments by serving as Chairman of the Board of materials and energy companies including: Codexis, Inc., Intermolecular, Superprotonic and Wildcat Discovery Technologies. He currently also serves on the board of Solyndra.
Mr. Baruch holds an engineering degree from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and a Juris Doctor degree from Capital University. He is a registered patent attorney and is also a member of the Board of Trustees of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and the Board of Trustees of the Berkeley Institute for Synthetic Biology (BISB).
Andrew McMillan, Ph.D.
Principal, 5AM Ventures
Andrew McMillan, Ph.D. joined 5AM Ventures in 2005 from NASA, where he was a Principal Investigator in the Bioengineering Branch and the Center for Nanotechnology at the Ames Research Center. Dr. McMillan's research contributions in the areas of nanotech and biomaterials have resulted in five patents and nineteen publications in leading peer-reviewed journals, including Nature Materials, JACS and PNAS, and have been featured in US News & World Report, Scientific American, New Scientist, and AIChE Journal. Dr. McMillan represents 5AM working closely with the following portfolio companies: Achaogen, Ambrx, KaloBios Pharmaceuticals, Pearl Therapeutics, PhaseRx, Rennovia and Wildcat Discovery Technologies. Dr. McMillan holds a B.S. in Chemistry from UNC-Chapel Hill and a Ph.D. in Chemistry from Emory University, where he earned department honors for his research in biomaterials for drug delivery and tissue engineering. Dr. McMillan is based in the Menlo Park, CA office.
Anup Jacob
Partner, Virgin Green Fund
Anup Jacob is a Partner of Virgin Green Fund and a member of its Investment Committee. Prior to founding VGF with his partners Shai Weiss and Evan Lovell, Anup was an investment professional with TPG and a partner in TPG’s Aqua Fund, which focused on growth capital investments in the water and renewable energy sectors.
Anup serves on the Board of Solyndra, a solar company based in California. He previously served on the board of Jain Irrigation Systems. He has also served as a CFO of various portfolio companies and has chaired several audit and strategic committees.
Anup started his career at Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette in New York and India in the Global Power and Merchant Banking groups.
Anup is involved in several children’s charities and environmental charities in India and the US and is a national judge for the E&Y Entrepreneur of the Year for Energy and Mining Awards. He is a graduate of the University of Chicago.
Peter Schultz, Ph.D.
Professor of Chemistry at The Scripps Research Institute
Dr. Peter Schultz is a founder and scientific advisor to Wildcat. In addition, Dr. Schultz is currently a Professor of Chemistry at The Scripps Research Institute and is the former Institute Director for the Genomics Institute of the Novartis Research Foundation. Dr. Schultz has pioneered combinatorial approaches to the physical and life sciences. He was the founder of Symyx Technologies, which has had a large commercial impact in the materials and catalysis fields, including partnerships with Exxon-Mobil, Dow and others. He is a member of the National Academy of Sciences and the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences. Dr. Schultz is a founding scientist of Affymax Research Institute and co-founder of Symyx, Syrrx, Kalypsys, Phenomix, Ilypsa, and Ambrx.
Robert Downs
Director of Engineering, Genomics Institute of the Novartis Research Foundation
Mr. Robert Downs is a founder and scientific advisor to Wildcat. Mr. Downs is currently Executive Director of Engineering, Informatics and Information Technology at the Genomics Institute of the Novartis Research Foundation. Mr. Downs is one of the world’s leading experts regarding high-throughput automation in the life sciences. He has led teams that developed the technology underlying Syrrx (protein crystallization) and Kalypsys (cellular screening). His systems are used in leading pharma and biotech companies and research institutes worldwide. Prior to GNF, Mr. Downs held various Engineering Director positions at General Motors’ Saturn division. In the late 1990’s he started GM’s first hybrid electric car program and developed the technology for several years, which is now captured in the Saturn VUE Green Line Hybrid SUV - General Motors’ first production hybrid electric automobile. Mr. Downs holds a B.S. degree in Engineering and Applied Science from Caltech and a M.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering from Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Mark Gresser, M.B.A.
President and Chief Executive Officer, Wildcat Discovery Technologies
Before joining Wildcat Discovery in 2008, Mr. Gresser held global leadership positions at Material Sciences Corporation, Honeywell, and AlliedSignal, and has over twenty-two years experience in general management, materials development, sales, marketing, and engineering. Mr. Gresser holds a BSME and an M.B.A. from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.
BOARD OBSERVER
John D. Diekman, Ph.D.
Founder and Managing Partner, 5AM Ventures
John D. Diekman, Ph.D. is a founder and Managing Partner of 5AM Ventures. Prior to founding 5AM, Dr. Diekman was a founder and Managing Director of Bay City Capital, a life sciences investment firm. Previously, Dr. Diekman was Chairman and CEO of Affymetrix, Inc, where he still serves as a Director. Dr. Diekman currently serves as Board Chairman of Ambrx and Phenomix as well as on the Boards of Directors of Igenica, Ingenuity Systems, Marcadia, and PhaseRx. He is also Vice-Chairman of Singapore's Life Science Fund, Bio*One Capital. He was recently named a Trustee of Princeton University and is also former Trustee of The California Institute of Technology and The Scripps Research Institute, where he served as Chairman. Dr. Diekman holds a B.A. in Chemistry from Princeton University and a Ph.D. in Chemistry from Stanford University.
BOARD OBSERVER
Michael Melnick, Ph.D.
Principal, CMEA Ventures
Michael Melnick joined CMEA as Principal in 2008. He is currently acting CEO of Biolight Harvesting and Chairman of the Board of Inventure Chemical. Prior to CMEA, Michael was Chief Commercial Officer and Executive VP of Operations at Assay Designs from 2006 to 2007; co-founder and Vice President of Business and Corporate Development at Cell Signaling Technology from 1999 to 2006; and staff scientist at New England Biolabs from 1995 to 1999. Michael has a PhD in Genetics from Harvard University, a BS degree with honors from Stanford University, and an MS degree in Biological Sciences from Stanford University. Dr. Melnick is also a Visiting Scholar at UC San Diego.
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