Vivo Ventures Announces Promotions of Dr. Chen Yu and Dr. James Zhao to Managing Partner
May 25, 2011
PALO ALTO, Calif., --
Vivo Ventures, LLC ("Vivo") announced today the promotions of Dr. Chen Yu
and Dr. James Zhao to Managing Partner in recognition of their
contributions to the firm.
Dr. Yu first joined Vivo in 2004 and has
been a Partner since 2007. He currently serves as a Director of Sagent
Pharmaceuticals, Nora Therapeutics and Synaptic International, and has
been actively involved in many of the firm’s earlier private and public
investments, including China KangHui Holdings, Achillion, Transcept,
Tranzyme and Cubist. In addition, he has had an operational role in a
part-time capacity as Chief Business Officer of China KangHui Holdings
overseeing their corporate development and investor relations efforts.
Prior to his time at Vivo, Dr. Yu was an early employee at aQuantive,
which listed on Nasdaq in 2000 and ultimately was acquired for $6.5B by
Microsoft. Dr. Yu also currently serves on the Board of Governors for the
Stanford Medical School Alumni Association. Dr. Yu received his B.A. from
Harvard University; his M.D. and MBA degrees are both from Stanford.
Dr. Zhao first began working with the firm in late 2005. With his
promotion to Managing Partner, he will now be heading Vivo’s China team.
He has made significant contributions to the firm’s success in China,
including opening its Shanghai and Chengdu offices. He was also
instrumental in assisting in the formation of Vivo’s RMB denominated fund
in partnership with the Chengdu Hi Tech Yinke Fund. Dr. Zhao is actively
involved in all of Vivo’s investments in China and will serve as the lead
Vivo representative for Shanghai Hile, Sundise, and IMH. Prior to joining
Vivo, Dr. Zhao was a consultant with the Monitor Group focusing on life
sciences. Prior to that, he worked as a sales supervisor for Bristol Myers
Squibb in Chengdu. Dr. Zhao received his medical degree from West China
University of Medical Sciences in Chengdu, his M.S. in Molecular Biology
from Vrije University in Brussels, and his M.B.A. from Washington
University, St. Louis.
"We are pleased to recognize the
contributions of our new Managing Partners as we continue to strengthen
and grow our team in the U.S. and in China," said Frank Kung, Vivo
Ventures co-founder and Senior Managing Partner.
About Vivo
Ventures
Vivo Ventures is a life-sciences focused venture capital
firm formed in 1996 with over $750M under management. With over 90 years
of scientific and operational expertise in biotechnology, Vivo makes
investment decisions for the Funds and helps its portfolio companies
develop corporate strategy, arrange licensing agreements and strategic
alliances, recruit key management personnel, and acquire new products and
technology to accelerate growth. Its current portfolio includes more than
60 private and public biotechnology companies in the areas of
biopharmaceuticals, specialty pharmaceuticals, and medical devices. For
more information, please visit www.vivoventures.com.
Contact
Albert Cha
+1-650-688-0818
acha@vivoventures.com