Reza Afkhami

Reza Afkhami is a biotechnology leader with over 20 years of experience in corporate development, management, strategy, and fund raising at therapeutic companies. He has worked across various fields including immunology, neuroscience, oncology, ophthalmology, rare diseases, cardiology, and metabolic diseases, and modalities such including small molecules, antibodies and cell therapies.

Reza is the Chief Business Officer at Kamau Therapeutics, a cell therapy company focused on sickle cell disease. He was previously served as Chief Corporate Development Officer at 23andMe, where he secured a license with GSK, and worked on out-licensing two clinical antibodies, and spinning out the drug discovery team. At Global Blood Therapeutics, Reza was SVP of Corporate Development and Strategy, expanding the clinical pipeline and playing a key role in Pfizer’s acquisition of GBT for $5.4B. At Surrozen, he served as VP of Corporate Development and Strategy, focusing on R&D strategy, negotiating a $600M licensing transaction with Boehringer-Ingelheim, and managing investor relations. Reza held senior roles at Prothena Biosciences, helping facilitate a $600M license agreement with Roche, and working on global commercialization and launch planning. At SPRIM Advanced Life Sciences, he led a US clinical research services and consulting operation. At CV Therapeutics, he managed various transactions, including a $500M ex-US commercial license, a $185M royalty financing, and a $1.4B acquisition by Gilead.

Reza holds a Bachelor’s degree in International Economics from Georgetown University and an MBA from U.C. Berkeley. He speaks four languages and lives in Menlo Park, CA with his family.