[January 08, 2024]

Biotech Industry Veterans Jeff Jonas and Al Robichaud Join Cure Ventures as Partners

Cure Ventures ("Cure"), a life sciences venture capital firm focusing on company formation around groundbreaking curative technologies, today announced the appointment of industry leaders Jeff Jonas, M.D. and Al Robichaud, Ph.D. as partners to expand the firm's work with biotech entrepreneurs in developing therapeutics that cure life-altering diseases.

For more than 30 years, Dr. Jonas has thrived in R&D leadership and cutting-edge drug discovery, both of which are at the heart of Cure's mission. Most recently he was the chief executive officer (CEO) of the incubation platform, ABio-X. He was previously the CEO of Sage Therapeutics, where he developed several advances in central nervous system treatments. Millions of people across the globe may have been potentially helped by drugs where Dr. Jonas has led organizations and teams responsible for the development and support of medicines such as Mirapex, Lexapro, Vyvanse, Zulresso, Zurzuvae and Namenda.

"Much of my career has been spent finding medicines that can make a meaningful difference in the lives of patients, and that aligns very well with Cure's goals," said Dr. Jonas. "I'm excited to join this stellar leadership team. I've known the partners for many years. It's clear to me that Cure has the chops to strategically choose its partners and elevate their work. The team's transparency and flexibility are second-to-none as they collaborate with companies and innovators to create new solutions in various disease categories. I can't wait to get started."

Dr. Jonas has a long history of accelerating growth as evidenced by Sage's $3 billion alliance with Biogen. A graduate of Harvard Medical School, he has also served as president of Shire Regenerative Medicine, executive vice president of Ionis Pharmaceuticals and chief medical officer of Forest Laboratories.

"Jeff hasan incredible background in advancing companies in their drug development pipeline. More importantly, he is about as well respected a leader as you can find in our industry," said Dave Fallace, co-founder and managing partner at Cure Ventures. "Bringing Jeff aboard was one of the easiest decisions we've made because we know he is capable of taking this firm to the next level."

Cure has also added Al Robichaud, Ph.D., former Chief Scientific Officer at Sage, to solidify its leadership team as the firm prepares for new ventures in 2024 and beyond. A Ph.D. recipient in organic chemistry from UC Irvine, Robichaud brings more than 35 years of experience. While at Sage, Robichaud helped launch the company into the public market, and oversaw the discovery and development of two commercially approved drugs, Zulresso and Zurzuvae. He also is the primary discovery scientist, and principal inventor of Caplyta, an approved drug for the treatment of bipolar depression. Prior to Sage, Robichaud held multiple leadership roles at large pharmaceutical companies focused primarily on neuroscience.

"As Cure looks to its immediate and long-term future, we want to make sure we have a strong leadership team to guide the firm," said Lou Tartaglia, Ph.D., co-founder and managing partner at Cure Ventures. "Jeff and Al are exactly what we need, when we need it. Their leadership qualities, drug discovery and development expertise, and neuroscience background ensure that Cure not only meets its lofty goals but exceeds them in the advancements of patient care."

"I look forward to this next chapter in my career, with the privilege of rejoining my longtime colleague Jeff as well as with the wonderful team at Cure," added Al Robichaud on his appointment. "The strides science has made in recent years cannot go unnoticed. Cure Ventures is committed to backing this innovation by building companies that seek to make impactful new medicines for patients."

Cure was founded by a network of highly accomplished industry veterans, including Managing Partners, Richard (Rich) Lim, M.B.A.; David (Dave) Fallace, J.D., M.B.A.; and Lou Tartaglia, Ph.D. The managing partners have played major roles in the success of several biotechnology companies, including Juno Therapeutics, Agios Therapeutics, Nuvation Bio and many others.

About Cure Ventures

Founded in 2021, Cure Ventures is a life sciences venture capital firm focusing on de novo company formation around groundbreaking curative technologies. Above all else, the Cure team leads with respect for people and for science. Led by highly accomplished industry veterans, Cure's investment thesis is founded on three tenets: A seed funding model that allows Cure to de-risk the science and set companies up for success; genetic validation that increases the probability of success; and embedded Cure operators to drive the best day-to-day decision making in collaboration with founders. For more information, please visit: www.curevc.com

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