Christoph Westphal

Entrepreneur

1968 - Current

Dr. Westphal is a co-founder and Partner of Longwood Fund and was previously co-founder, CEO, and lead investor of six biotech companies that have completed IPOs: Momenta (NASDAQ: MNTA), Alnylam (NASDAQ: ALNY), Acceleron Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: XLRN), Sirtris (NASDAQ: SIRT; acquired by GSK), Verastem (NASDAQ: VSTM), and Flex (NASDAQ: FLKS). He co-founded two additional companies that completed IPOs: Concert Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: CNCE), and OvaScience (NASDAQ: OVAS). He also cofounded Alnara (acquired by Lilly), and Axial (private). Companies co-founded by Dr. Westphal have developed and received FDA approval for important drugs, including the largest-selling heparin in the US, and a therapy for MS; and several experimental medicines: for cystic fibrosis (phase 3), for currently incurable cancers (positive pivotal phase 3), for serious inflammatory disorders (phase 2), and for serious neurological illnesses such as ALS, MS (both in phase 2), Charcot Marie Tooth (two programs in phase 2), and amyloidosis (positive pivotal phase 3). In addition, these companies have created substantial shareholder value and aggregate, sustained market capitalizations of over $14 billion. Companies co-founded by Dr. Westphal have created over 3,000 good jobs. Dr. Westphal serves on the BIO Emerging Companies Section Governing Board, the Board of Overseers of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, and is a member of the Boston Commercial Club. He served on the Board of Fellows of Harvard Medical School for six years. Dr. Westphal has been the lead or senior author on several patent applications and scientific papers in leading journals such as Cell, Nature and Nature Genetics. Dr. Westphal has been featured in the media in the past, including on '60 Minutes', CNN, an ABC News Special hosted by Barbara Walters and as the subject of a Fortune cover article.