Ash Khanna

Ash Khanna, PhD, MBA joined Pivotal in 2017. Ash brings 20 years of experience in the venture capital, pharmaceutical and biotech arena. Most recently, he co-founded Vaxcyte (formerly SutroVax), a Pivotal bioVentures portfolio company, where he served as Chief Business Officer. Previously he was President & Chief Business Officer of Imagen Biotech, a VC-backed startup developing treatments for severe ophthalmic diseases.

Prior to his operating roles, Ash was a Principal at SV Life Sciences (SVLS), a healthcare focused venture capital firm, where he led and managed investments in many biotech and diagnostic companies including, among others, Ophthotech, Mpex Pharmaceuticals, Good Start Genetics and Itero Biopharmaceuticals. He started his career in the pharmaceutical industry at Bristol-Myers Squibb where he held various positions including Team Leader responsible for the clinical advancement of multiple Diabetes programs including the currently marketed products, Onglyza® (Dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitor) and Farxiga® (SGLT2 inhibitor). Ash is a co-inventor on the Onglyza® patent.

Ash has an MBA from The Wharton School and a PhD in Pharmaceutics from SUNY-Buffalo. He is also a Kauffman Fellow and initially trained as a pharmacist.