Merika Koday

Merika Koday, PhD, currently serves as a Principal for Accelerator where she is responsible for sourcing and evaluating emerging biotechnology investment opportunities. Dr. Koday also provides project management and scientific development oversight to select Accelerator portfolio companies, including ALSP Orchid Acquisition Corporation I, KayoThera, Inc. and Lydian Neurosciences.

Before joining Accelerator in 2018, Dr. Koday served as project manager for Cell and Gene Therapy at Seattle Children’s Research Institute. She helped advance basic research programs into clinical development and supported industry partnerships and collaborations. Previously, Dr. Koday was a co-founder and Senior Scientist at Virvio, a University of Washington spin-out company focused on developing de novo designed proteins as therapeutic alternatives to monoclonal antibodies. Merika received her Ph.D. from the University of Washington and a B.S. from the Colorado School of Mines.