Kurt von Emster

Kurt von Emster, CFA has been a member of the Board of Directors since April 2009 and brings over 25 years of experience in life science investment. Mr. von Emster is a Managing Partner at Abingworth, a leading life sciences investment firm, where he invests globally in private and public companies Mr. von Emster began his career as a biotechnology and healthcare analyst in 1990, and then was promoted to Vice President and Portfolio Manager at Franklin Templeton. He then became a General Partner at MPM Capital in 2000. In 2009, he co-founded venBio, a US healthcare investment firm, and most recently was a Partner in the San Francisco office. He holds board positions at CymaBay, Jasper Therapeutics, Orbus Therapeutics, SFJ Pharmaceuticals, Tizona Therapeutics, Trishula Therapeutics, Vaxcyte, and Vera Therapeutics. He was formerly on boards at Aurinia, CRISPR Therapeutics, Cytos, Kesios, Facet, and Somaxon. Mr. von Emster holds a Bachelor of Science in Business and Economics and is a Chartered Financial Analyst.