Pioneers in neutralizing GDF-15
to overcome cancer therapy resistance
CatalYm has identified GDF-15 as a key cancer therapy resistance mechanism and is developing a safe and efficacious immune therapy for solid tumors. GDF-15, a local immunosuppressant expressed during cellular stress responses, is hijacked by cancer cells to evade immune system attacks. Visugromab, CatalYm’s lead antibody, has demonstrated durable anti-tumor efficacy with long-lasting objective responses in relapsed and refractory metastatic solid tumor patients in combination with anti-PD-1. CatalYm is now advancing into Phase 2b studies to confirm visugromab as a new class of cancer immunotherapy in a broad range of anti-cancer regimens, also in earlier treatment lines.
Leadership Team
+Scott Clarke
Chief Executive OfficerScott Clarke serves as Chief Executive Officer at CatalYm. He brings over two decades of executive leadership experience in driving company growth, developing products, and shaping and executing transactions in the biopharmaceutical industry. Scott joined CatalYm from Ambagon Therapeutics, where he oversaw the company’s $85 million Series A financing and the evolution of its discovery pipeline of molecular glues. Previously, he served as CEO at Tizona Therapeutics, overseeing significant transactions and the development of its first-in-class anti-CD39 antibody for advanced cancers. Earlier in his career, he led oncology partnering at Roche, and was responsible for product development at BioMarin, contributing to multiple approved medicines. Scott earned a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering at the University of California, Berkeley, a Master of Science in Biotechnology at Northwestern University, and an MBA at London Business School.
+Clinton Musil
MBA Chief Financial Officer and Chief Business OfficerClinton (Clint) Musil serves as Chief Financial Officer and Chief Business Officer at CatalYm. He brings decades of experience in the biopharmaceutical industry, including significant expertise in strategic planning and financial management with a proven track record in completing successful financings, pharmaceutical partnerships, and strategic transactions. He joins CatalYm from Skyhawk Therapeutics, where he held several roles of increasing responsibility, culminating in his position as CEO. Clint has completed multiple IPOs and held several executive roles at public biotech company including at ARMO Biosciences, which was acquired by Eli Lilly for $1.6 billion. Earlier in his career, Clint served in business roles within pharma, as an investment banker and as an investor. He holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and BSc in Molecular and Cellular Biology from the University of Arizona.
+Sujata Rao
MD Chief Medical OfficerSujata Rao serves as Chief Medical Officer at CatalYm. She brings over two decades in early- and late-stage clinical development as well as medical affairs experience in oncology and immunology to the company. Working at renowned companies like Onyx, Bristol Myers Squibb, Eli Lilly/ARMO, and Insilico Medicine, Sujata built extensive expertise in FDA and global regulatory engagement, as well as IND and BLA preparation to advance novel therapies. As CMO of Insilico Medicine, she developed strategies and clinical oversight for the successful approval and out-licensing of oncology and non-oncology assets. Prior to that, Sujata was Associate Vice President of Global Clinical Development at Eli Lilly for immuno-oncology assets. As Immuno-Oncology Medical Lead and Oncology Scientific Advisor at Bristol-Myers Squibb for nivolumab, she led collaborative research efforts for rare malignancies and lung cancer. Earlier in her career she was Sr. Medical Director at Onyx Pharmaceuticals, a subsidiary of Amgen, Inc. where she led efforts in liver, renal, and thyroid cancer for NEXAVAR®. Sujata completed her fellowship in medical oncology/hematology at Sloan Kettering Cancer Institute, New York.
+Stefan Ries
PhD Chief Scientific Officer and Head of Munich SiteStefan Ries serves as CatalYm’s Chief Scientific Officer (CSO) and Head of the Munich Site. He brings the team over 20 years of experience in drug discovery and development with a focus on oncology. Before joining CatalYm, Stefan was CSO at Sibylla Biotech in Milan and CSO at DISCO Pharmaceuticals, where he was responsible for all R&D activities and strategy. Before his roles as CSO, he was a Venture Partner at Versant Ventures and served for 16 years at Hoffmann-La Roche in different positions with increasing responsibility, culminating in his position as Vice President, External Innovation, Oncology. Stefan has a PhD in Biochemistry from the University of Regensburg, Germany and completed his postdoctoral fellowship in the lab of Professor Frank McCormick at the NCI-designated Cancer Center of the University of California, San Francisco. He is a member of the American Association for Cancer Research.
+Heike Krupka
PhD Chief Development OfficerHeike Krupka serves as Chief Development Officer at CatalYm. She brings over two decades of leadership experience in drug development in hematology, oncology, cell therapy, and immunology across the full product life cycle—from discovery through clinical testing to market launch. Heike joins CatalYm from Bristol Myers Squibb, where she served as Vice President and Head of Project Management for Hematology, Oncology, and Cell Therapy, following her role as Vice President and Early Development Program Leader for Cell Therapy and Immuno-Oncology, advancing alnuctamab and arlo-cel towards pivotal development. Previously, she oversaw the advancement of key products as Asset Team Leader at Pfizer, including elranatamab (ELREXFIO®) and sasanlimab. Prior to Pfizer she contributed to the clinical development of multiple novel therapeutics at KaloBios and Genentech/Roche (POLIVY®, GAZYVA®). Heike holds a PhD from the Technical University Munich and the Max Planck Institute for Biochemistry and a degree in chemistry from Ludwig-Maximilians-University in Munich, Germany.
+Andrea Goddard
Chief Technical OfficerAndrea (Andi) Goddard serves as Chief Technical Officer at CatalYm. She brings three decades of global biotechnology experience, spanning all levels of operations — from the manufacturing floor to the C-suite. Andi joined CatalYm from Roche Pharma and Genentech, Inc. where she most recently was the Chief Quality Officer for Roche Pharma Technical Operations. In this role, she led a global team delivering end-to-end quality and compliance for Roche’s pharmaceutical commercial products and clinical pipeline. During this time, Andi was also a member of the Genentech, Inc. Executive Committee. Previously, Andi held various operational and executive roles in manufacturing, technology, and quality across Roche and Genentech. Andi holds a BA in Human Biology from Stanford University.
Board of Directors
Roy Baynes
MB, BCh, PhDRoy Baynes received his MB, BCh (Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery) from the University of Witwatersrand, where he also received an MMed (specialist registration) and completed a PhD exploring mechanisms of human iron metabolism.
After additional clinical training in Johannesburg, and service on the faculty of the Department of Medicine at the University of Witwatersrand Medical School, Roy moved to the United States and joined the Division of Hematology in the Department of Medicine at the University of Kansas Medical Center where he served as Professor of Medicine in both hematology and bone marrow transplantation. From 1997 until 2002, he led the bone marrow transplantation service at the Karmanos Cancer Institute at Wayne State University in Detroit, where he was also a Professor of Medicine (Medicine, Hematology and Oncology), and the Charles Martin Professor of Cancer Research. He is a fellow of the American College of Physicians and the College of Physicians of South Africa.
Thereafter, Roy joined Amgen, Inc., where he became Vice President of Global Development and head of the hematology/oncology development team. He left Amgen in 2012 to become Senior Vice President at Gilead, Inc. where he led the establishment of the Oncology, Respiratory and Inflammation TAs, and joined Merck in 2013 where he was Senior Vice President and Head of Clinical Development and Chief Medical Officer. At Merck he was responsible for the development of the entire clinical portfolio in Merck Research Laboratories and was the architect of the development strategy for dozens of important new medicines including Keytruda®, a drug that has revolutionized cancer treatment around the world.
After retiring from Merck in 2022, Roy took on the role of EVP and Chief Medical Officer at Eikon Therapeutics. He is a member of the Board of Directors for Natera Inc., and Travere Inc. He is a compensated advisor to Nurix Inc. and to Decheng Capital.
Roy Baynes received his MB, BCh (Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery) from the University of Witwatersrand, where he also received an MMed (specialist registration) and completed a PhD exploring mechanisms of human iron metabolism.
After additional clinical training in Johannesburg, and service (...)
Jasper Bos
PhDJasper Bos, PhD is a General Partner at Forbion. He joined the CatalYm board in May 2025.
Jasper, a former Merck executive, joined Forbion as General Partner for the firm’s Growth Fund. Before joining Forbion’s Naarden-based headquarters, Jasper was Senior Vice President and Managing Director at M Ventures, the venture arm of pharmaceutical giant Merck, which he joined in 2009.
Under his leadership M Ventures invested in over 50 companies spanning biotech, life sciences tools, and tech companies with investment activities ranging from seed-stage to cross-over and IPO. His track record includes the successful sale of Prexton Therapeutics, Calypso, Epitherapeutics, Galecto, ObsEva, Translate Bio, and F-Star.
He has experience in several operational roles in portfolio companies and played a key role in the creation of multiple successful companies, like Prexton Therapeutics and Calypso Biotech. Jasper was the Chief Executive Officer of Nasdaq-listed Forbion European Acquisition Company and currently represents Forbion on the Board of Directors of Anaveon, Engrail, Cellcentric and EnGene (“ENGN”). Jasper holds a PhD in Pharmacy from the University of Groningen, the Netherlands.
Jasper Bos, PhD is a General Partner at Forbion. He joined the CatalYm board in May 2025.
Jasper, a former Merck executive, joined Forbion as General Partner for the firm’s Growth Fund. Before joining Forbion’s Naarden-based headquarters, Jasper was Senior Vice President and Managing Director (...)
Colleen Cuffaro
PhDColleen Cuffaro is a partner on Canaan’s healthcare investment team. She serves on the boards of Arrakis Therapeutics, Alphina Therapeutics, RADD Pharmaceuticals and is a board observer at Agomab Therapeutics. Additionally, Colleen is on the board of Connecticut Innovations and the New England Venture Capital Association. Prior to joining Canaan in 2014, Colleen was an analytical chemist at PMRS, Inc., where she worked with small and large pharmaceutical companies on drug product development, ranging from preclinical feasibility studies to commercial supply. She also served as a bioscience analyst for Entrepreneurship Lab NYC, an accelerator program for healthcare startups. Colleen holds a PhD in cellular and molecular physiology from Yale University and a BA in chemistry from the University of Pennsylvania.
Colleen Cuffaro is a partner on Canaan’s healthcare investment team. She serves on the boards of Arrakis Therapeutics, Alphina Therapeutics, RADD Pharmaceuticals and is a board observer at Agomab Therapeutics. Additionally, Colleen is on the board of Connecticut Innovations and the New England (...)
Hans van Eenennaam
PhDHans van Eenennaam is CEO and founder of IMMIOS and Chief Scientific Officer at Sairopa. Previously, he served as Chief Scientific Officer of AIMM Therapeutics and as Executive Vice President of Antibody Research and Site Head for Aduro Biotech Europe. In 2015, Aduro acquired BioNovion, a company advancing novel antibody therapies for immuno- oncology, which van Eenennaam co-founded in 2011 and also served as its Chief Operational Officer. He is a (co-)inventor of pembrolizumab (KeytrudaTM), BION-1301 (Zigakibart), MK-5890, ADU-1805 and ADU-1604. Earlier in his career, he held different positions at Organon, Schering-Plough and MSD/Merck.
Hans also serves on the Board of Directors of Lygature. Dr. van Eenennaam is a chemist by training and received his doctorate in autoimmune biochemistry from Radboud University in Nijmegen, Netherlands.
Hans van Eenennaam is CEO and founder of IMMIOS and Chief Scientific Officer at Sairopa. Previously, he served as Chief Scientific Officer of AIMM Therapeutics and as Executive Vice President of Antibody Research and Site Head for Aduro Biotech Europe. In 2015, Aduro acquired BioNovion, a company (...)
Otello Stampacchia
PhDOtello founded Omega Funds in 2004 and leads the firm’s investor relations and strategic initiatives. He is a member of the firm’s investment committee and is also heavily involved in a number of Omega’s therapeutic areas of interest, particularly in oncology, rare diseases and inflammatory disorders.
Previously, Otello was in charge of life sciences direct investments and diligence for healthcare venture fund of fund investments at AlpInvest Partners, one of the largest private equity asset managers worldwide. Before AlpInvest, he was the portfolio manager of the Lombard Odier Immunology Fund, a $3 billion listed investment vehicle in Geneva, Switzerland, investing in public and private healthcare companies worldwide. Previously, Otello was a member of the HealthCare corporate finance and M&A team at Goldman Sachs (London and New York offices). Before Goldman, he helped co-found the healthcare investment activities at Index Securities (now Index Ventures). Otello has a PhD in Molecular Biology from the University of Geneva, holds a European Doctorate in Biotechnology from the EU, and obtained an MSc in Genetics from the University of Pavia.
Otello founded Omega Funds in 2004 and leads the firm’s investor relations and strategic initiatives. He is a member of the firm’s investment committee and is also heavily involved in a number of Omega’s therapeutic areas of interest, particularly in oncology, rare diseases and inflammatory (...)
Jonathan Tobin
PhDJonathan is a Partner at Brandon Capital where he heads European operations and serves on the boards of Pheon Therapeutics, Myricx Bio, Astronautx and NRG Therapeutics. Previously, he was Managing Director at Arix Bioscience where he was responsible for numerous early and late-stage biotech investments and was also Principal at Touchstone Innovations. He has a PhD in Molecular Biology from UCL, an MBA from Imperial College and studied undergraduate Biology at Oxford University.
Jonathan is a Partner at Brandon Capital where he heads European operations and serves on the boards of Pheon Therapeutics, Myricx Bio, Astronautx and NRG Therapeutics. Previously, he was Managing Director at Arix Bioscience where he was responsible for numerous early and late-stage biotech investments (...)
Pascal Touchon
DVM, MBAPascal is an Operating Partner at Jeito Capital, bringing over 40 years of international experience in the biopharmaceutical industry. He has held a range of operational and strategic leadership positions and has served on the boards of several private and public companies.
Throughout his career Pascal has remained dedicated to transforming the lives of patients with serious medical conditions through pioneering science, collaborative leadership, and a steadfast commitment to excellence. He is the former Global Head of Strategy and Business Development, as well as the Global Head of the Cell & Gene division at Novartis Oncology, where he led the development and global launch of the first approved cell and gene therapy in the U.S. Following a 5-year tenure as CEO at Atara Biotherapeutics (ATRA), Pascal now serves as its Chairman, and as Independent Director at Ipsen (IPN) and Medincell (MEDCL).
He holds a Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine from Paul Sabatier University and an MBA from INSEAD.
Pascal is an Operating Partner at Jeito Capital, bringing over 40 years of international experience in the biopharmaceutical industry. He has held a range of operational and strategic leadership positions and has served on the boards of several private and public companies.
Throughout his career (...)
Our Investors
Our mission is supported by a syndicate
of renowned life science investors
