Erika Smith

Erika successfully advanced dozens of companies and technologies in life sciences by leading the launch of three investment funds: The Blavatnik Fund for Innovation at Yale, the YEI (Yale) Innovation Fund, and the Center for Innovative Technology (CIT) BioLife Fund in partnership with Johnson & Johnson. Erika holds board roles at BIO and at CVG, the venture capital organization of CT. She is an invited TedX presenter, received an Innovation Award from Senator Chris Murphy, and co-authored a playbook for best practices of "Empowering Women Entrepreneurs" sponsored by JPMorgan Chase (INBIA). Erika received a Bachelor’s in Biomedical and Electrical Engineering and MBA from Vanderbilt University.