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Corey Goodman is a Managing Partner at venBio, a leading venture capital firm specializing in life sciences. He is a distinguished scientist, entrepreneur, and investor with a profound impact on biotechnology and therapeutics.
Corey Goodman primarily invests in innovative therapeutic companies within the life sciences sector. His focus areas include neuroscience, oncology, immunology, and drug discovery platforms, seeking ventures with strong scientific foundations and potential to address significant medical needs.
Corey Goodman works as a Managing Partner at venBio, a prominent venture capital firm. venBio is headquartered in San Francisco, California, with a focus on investing in groundbreaking life science companies.
Corey Goodman is the Co-founder and Managing Partner at venBio Partners in the San Francisco Bay Area. Before entering venture capital, he spent 25 years in academia as a Professor of Biology at Stanford University and the Evan Rauch Chair of Neurobiology at UC Berkeley, authoring and publishing over 200 scientific papers. Transitioning to the biotechnology sector, he co-founded eight life sciences companies, including Renovis, where he was Chief Executive Officer, and later served as the President of Pfizer’s Biotherapeutics and Bioinnovation Center. At venBio, he recently helped close the $528 million Global Strategic Fund IV and currently chairs the boards of several portfolio companies, including ALX Oncology following its 2020 initial public offering. His extensive career bridges academic neuroscience and commercial drug development, with a primary focus on funding innovative therapeutics for major unmet medical needs.
Corey Goodman stands as a distinguished figure in the life sciences investment landscape, serving as a Managing Partner at venBio, a leading venture capital firm focused on transforming healthcare through innovative biotechnology. At venBio, Dr. Goodman plays a pivotal role in identifying, evaluating, and nurturing early-stage and growth-stage therapeutic companies poised to make significant impacts on patient care. His leadership helps steer venBio's investment strategy towards groundbreaking scientific advancements with strong commercial potential.
Dr. Goodman's investment focus at venBio is deeply rooted in his extensive scientific background and entrepreneurial success. He primarily targets companies developing novel therapeutics across a broad spectrum of disease areas, including neuroscience, oncology, immunology, and rare diseases. His expertise is particularly valuable in assessing the scientific rigor and clinical viability of drug discovery platforms and therapeutic candidates. He seeks out ventures that are not only scientifically sound but also possess strong management teams and a clear path to addressing unmet medical needs.
Before joining venBio, Dr. Goodman built an illustrious career spanning academia, entrepreneurship, and large pharmaceutical leadership. He was a highly respected Professor of Neurobiology at the University of California, Berkeley, where his pioneering research significantly advanced our understanding of neural development and genetics. This academic foundation provided him with an unparalleled depth of scientific insight, which he seamlessly transitioned into the commercial realm.
His entrepreneurial spirit led him to co-found several highly successful biotechnology companies. Notably, he was a co-founder of Exelixis, a prominent oncology company, and Renovis, where he served as President and CEO, focusing on neurological and inflammatory diseases. He also co-founded Evolve Biosystems, a company dedicated to infant gut health. These experiences provided him with firsthand knowledge of the challenges and opportunities inherent in building and scaling biotech ventures from the ground up. Further solidifying his industry credentials, Dr. Goodman served as President of Biotherapeutics and Bioinnovation at Pfizer, where he was responsible for leading global research and development efforts in biologics and fostering external innovation.
Corey Goodman's unique blend of academic brilliance, entrepreneurial drive, and pharmaceutical leadership makes him an invaluable asset to venBio and its portfolio companies. His investment philosophy emphasizes rigorous scientific validation, strategic development pathways, and the potential for therapies to truly revolutionize patient outcomes. While specific individual investments are part of venBio's collective portfolio, his influence is evident in the firm's track record of backing companies that have brought innovative treatments to market or are advancing promising candidates through clinical development. His contributions continue to shape the future of biotechnology, driving the translation of cutting-edge science into life-changing medicines.