Karolina Zapadka
Investor at Parkwalk Advisors
Karolina Zapadka
Investor at Parkwalk Advisors
United Kingdom
Overview
Work Experience
Life Science Investor
2021 - Current
One of the UK’s leading growth fund managers backing world-changing technologies. Over £400m raised; invested into over 150 companies. Part of FTSE 250 sector specialist group with £1.4bn net assets.
Founder & CBO
2019 - 2021
Healthcare pre-clinical stage venture, specializing in data analytics, software, and digital health wearable • Developed the investment and business strategy and secured initial funding. Led the pre-seed investment process • Managed business development activities, setting-up initial observational clinical trials in one of the London hospitals
Founder & Head of Life Sciences Accelerator (Accelerate@Babraham)
2018 - 2021
The UK’s leading bioincubator. The Campus companies have raised over £1.2bn to date. • Campus Portfolio (Selected): Adrestia Therapeutics, Alchemab Therapeutics, Artios, Benevolent AI, bit.bio, Closed Loop Medicine, Crescendo Biologics, F-star, Kymab, PetMedix, Predictimmune • Accelerator Portfolio: 2021: Mosaic Therapeutics, Neobe Therapeutics, Creasallis, CamRegen, Medusa Pharmaceuticals 2020: Stroma Biosciences, ArkVax, ConcR, Paediatric HealthTech, 2019: CCBio, Microfluidx, Reflection Therapeutics, Shift bioscience, Tropo4 Therapeutics 2018: Antiverse, Enhanc3D Genomics, Kalium Health, Oppilotech, Qkine, VisusNano • Founded and successfully executed the first life-science/MedTech accelerator in Cambridge with portfolio companies raising £68m+ in investment to date. Secured strategic partnerships and non-dilutive sponsorship from AstraZeneca, Eisai, MundiPharma, LifeArc, and the Kidney Research UK • Established clear governance and developed a long-term growth strategy for the Accelerator (Accelerate@Babraham) activities, including early-stage and scale-up stage venture support. Worked closely with the campus CEO, board, chairman, BBSRC and carefully selected a strategic partners committee • Sourced and conducted preliminary technical due-diligence research on over 80 early-stage life-science businesses from which selected 20 ventures for the accelerator, covering a broad range of modalities, therapies, and indications. • Created and finalized investment presentations and company valuations, developed corporate strategy for various companies, helped understand financing/operational needs, and industry competitive landscape • Prepared and presented a comprehensive investment and acquisition analysis of over 60 biotech companies (seed, Series A, Series B, and pre-IPO) to support The Economic Impact Report (2020) of the UK’s leading bioscience campus More information see: https://www.accelerateatbabraham.com/
Principal Business Development
2019 - 2021
Private profitable biotechnology company (FTE 55). It is an outsourced drug discovery and development platform company. The team designs and delivers on integrated programs to guide clients' assets through drug discovery, preclinical research, and beyond. The company specializes in customized experimental design with data-rich endpoints, enhancing the likelihood of success for client programs entering clinical stages. Their approach is rooted in first principles and scientific excellence, covering various therapeutic areas such as immunology & inflammation, metabolic diseases, cardiovascular diseases, respiratory diseases, oncology, neuroscience, and infectious diseases.
Founder & Chief Marketing Officer (Chief of Staff)
2014 - 2017
The Innovation Forum is an international grassroots network of over 10,000 innovators that supports scientific entrepreneurs aiming to build ambitious companies at the intersection of science, technology and health. Their IMAGINE IF! initiative is a leading pre-acceleration programme for early-stage science-based ventures providing start-ups with extensive opportunities to take their venture to the next level through structured interactions with key stakeholders, tailored expert mentoring and connections with other founders and companies. • Established IMAGINE IF! virtual accelerator for cutting-edge science. The portfolio companies have raised $100m+ in investment to date. Portfolio examples: Healix, Lifebit • Founded a global grassroots network of over 10,000 innovators; recruited and led 13 international and multicultural teams • Developed and executed the long-term strategy of the company, secured collaboration with Top 5 biopharma More information see: http://www.inno-forum.org/
Postdoctoral Researcher
2016 - 2017
• Member of development/biophysical team that delivered five pre-clinical & clinical candidate medicines (1xPh1 & 1xPh2) • Developed and implemented new protocols leading to over 4 drug candidates (biologics) • Led research projects in the fields of metabolic science, diabetes and Neurodegeneration diseases managing a team of PhD/MA students
PhD Student - Researcher
2012 - 2016
• Completed full funded PhD in molecular biophysics/protein folding (diabetes & neuroscience) • Published first author paper in the Journal of the American Chemical Society (IF 16.383) • Thesis: ‘Understanding the mechanism of aggregation and amyloid fibril formation of Glucagon-Like Peptide-1’ Worked under the guidance of Prof. S. Jackson (University of Cambridge)
Researcher
2009 - 2011
Publicly listed in 2021 pharmaceutical company, c$100m after IPO. • Employee number 5 of a VC backed early-stage biotech. Member of development team that delivered three pre-clinical and clinical stage assets • Worked with a range of biologics including antibodies, ADCs, proteins, and peptides. Led research projects in the fields of oncology and diabetes managing a team of laboratory technicians and PhD/MA students. Inventor on US patent in antibody stability 20130209465