Stephen Curtis

Sr Director, New Ventures

2022 - Current

BrightEdge is the impact investment, venture capital, and innovation arm of the American Cancer Society (ACS). We invest in for-profit, early-stage companies developing cutting-edge, cancer-focused therapeutics, diagnostics, devices, and technologies that can accelerate the ACS mission to end cancer for all. BrightEdge makes venture capital investments in start-up and early-stage companies for the venture capital allocation of the ACS investment pool – the ACS Impact Venture Fund (AIVF). Additionally, BrightEdge is working to operationalize its mission-driven impact framework to explore new investment/funding opportunities both within the ACS Impact Venture Fund and beyond.

Strategy / Business Development Consultant

2022

Interim COO / Board of Directors

2019 - 2022

Founding Chief Operating Officer and Board Member. Led early strategy and company building efforts, and business development activities. Founded by MPM Capital, NextPoint Therapeutics has assembled a team of proven drug developers to build a broad strategic pipeline of first-in-class immunotherapies based on a novel validated checkpoint axis, with the goal of delivering new options to people with cancer.

Co-Chair - Boston Chapter

2015 - 2022

Co-Chair - Healthcare SIG

2015 - 2022

Fellow - Class 20

2015 - 2017

The Kauffman Fellows Program is designed to develop a world-wide network of innovation investors who provide smart, connected capital to fuel entrepreneurial change. While working full-time at an investment organization, Fellows receive a structured curriculum with an individual development plan, executive coaching, facilitated mentoring, and peer learning and networking – all with a focus on giving back and on one’s responsibility as an emerging leader in the venture capital industry.

Stealth NewCos - Founding Board Member and COO/CBO

2018 - 2022

Created four NewCo's that are progressing through their initial seed financing.

Managing Director - Oncology Innovations

2018 - 2022

Managed MPM’s investment collaboration with Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and enabled the creation of multiple start-up companies. Also, supported MPM's relationship with multiple strategic partners and collaborators to accelerate the development of MPM portfolio companies.

Principal

2018 - 2018

Responsible for investment identification, due diligence, business development and new company creation activities.

Board Observer

2018 - 2020

Sr Director, Business Development - Emerging Technology and Innovation

2017 - 2018

The Emerging Technology and Innovation team complements therapeutic area-specific external research efforts by providing distinct geographic coverage plus access to novel pathways and new therapeutic modalities. We specialize in connecting partners to Lilly expertise and deploying flexible funding models. The team comprises experienced drug discovery and development scientists based in Cambridge, MA (external research hub established 2016), Indianapolis and Europe, with additional members in Japan. New opportunities of interest include pan-therapeutic and adjacent disease areas (as well as added support for Lilly’s core therapeutic areas). We are committed to collaboration with premier universities, investigators and companies around the world to advance innovation, enhance Lilly’s pipeline and improve patient outcomes. See https://www.lilly.com/partners/scientific-areas-of-interest.

Bioscience Ventures

2014 - 2016

2M Companies is the family office of Morton H. Meyerson and an investment firm focused on the bioscience, technology, and oil/gas industries. 2M is a values-driven organization that invests with people who are interested in effecting social change. The bioscience ventures team invests in innovative, early-stage technologies that can dramatically improve people’s health and well-being. We partner with universities and early-stage biotech companies to accelerate commercialization of their technologies, offering an alternative to the traditional models associated with university-based technology licensing offices and venture-capital financing. See http://www.2m.com. At 2M, I co-led the Bioscience Ventures group, focusing on Seed and Series A biotech investments and portfolio management. During my time there I was involved in deploying >$10MM in committed capital across six new investments and managing a portfolio of ten companies. I also held Board of Director seats at two portfolio companies, a Board Observer seat at one, and functioned as an interim manager for an emerging newco.

Licensing & Intellectual Property | Biopharmaceutical Leadership Development Program

2011 - 2014

Reata Pharmaceuticals is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on identifying, developing, and commercializing product candidates that modulate the activity of key regulatory proteins involved in the biology of oxidative stress, mitochondrial function, and inflammation to address the unmet medical needs of patients with a variety of serious or life-threatening diseases. See http://reatapharma.com/. The Biopharmaceutical Leadership Development Program (BLDP) at Reata Pharmaceuticals is designed to develop leaders through training and broad, cross-functional exposure to the complete drug development life cycle. In the year-long rotational program I completed projects in Medical Affairs, Clinical Development, Product Development, and Corporate Strategy. Upon completing the BLDP, I worked directly with Reata's VP of Licensing and Intellectual Property and an interdepartmental team of senior management to develop and optimize an external innovation sourcing program. In managing this program, I led cross-functional efforts to identify, evaluate, and in-license novel biopharmaceutical technologies across a wide range of therapeutic areas. These efforts led to the successful licensing of a novel class of Hsp90 modulators from the University of Kansas. See http://reatapharma.com/our-science/hsp/.

Market Analyst Intern

2010 - 2011

- Developed market research reports on key healthcare areas of interest for SVC. - Identified experts in the sectors of interest and performed in-person interviews. - Learned investment strategy and valuation models from SVC associates. - Presented reports to the Partners at SVC and made recommendations for future investments.

Doctoral Student

2006 - 2011

- Elucidated the role of lung stem cells in the initiation, maintenance, and progression of lung cancer. - Discovered the effect of lung tumor genotype on determining the identity of tumor-propagating cells. - Uncovered cellular markers and molecular pathways important in tumor-propagation and metastasis.