This article is one in a series seeking to give a face to some of the folks at RA Capital Management toiling away tirelessly and passionately to bring the next generation of medicines to patients. 

RA Capital is incredibly proud to have a number of women in senior positions and a deep bench of female biotech and investment leaders. In this piece, Sarah Reed, RA Capital’s general counsel, spoke with just three of the many phenomenal women here who have been involved in some of our recent high-profile exits.

Since the original version of this article was published in 2023, the market has continued to be tight for biotech investment. New companies continue to form and get funding, but overall, investors are reducing risk with an increasing preference for companies with clinical data – or at a minimum validation in animal studies – before follow-on investments are attractive. 

Clinical trials can fail, regulators change their minds, manufacturing might run into an unsolvable glitch, and venture capital might dry up. Given all the risks small biotech companies face that are outside of their immediate control, might it be safer to just work for a more stable, revenue-generating company? Maybe! But before you rule out jumping into a small biotech, consider the pros and cons.

LENZ Therapeutics CEO Eef Schimmelpennink spoke with RApport about how last year’s acquisition of Pfenex by Ligand gave him a chance to seek out a new challenge, the benefits of breaking the mold, and helping 120 million Americans ditch their reading glasses.