Jeff King, Chief Executive Officer.  Jeff’s professional spark comes from finding a path to the marketplace for new ideas. He loves learning about new technology and working with inventors to apply his broad technical background, in both the physical and biological sciences, to find a way for their discoveries to help people in need. During his 17 years in the biotech industry, he has built teams, advanced technology, experienced success and the heartbreak of failure. He has evaluated over 50 invention disclosures and patents from university researchers and contributed to almost 100 SBIR and STTR applications over 32 projects. Awarded grants brought in over $12M in non-dilutive funding. These projects resulted in the formation of four spinout companies.

Jeff enjoys cooking, outdoor activities with his wife and children and running an occasional 5k.

Education:
Human Frontier Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Bern, Switzerland.
Postdoctoral Fellow, University of California, San Francisco.
Ph.D. Biophysics, University of California, Berkeley.
B.S. Engineering Physics, University of Arizona, Tucson.

Renee Shirley, Chief Operating Officer.  Renee enjoys collaborating with technology inventors and bringing together the multiple pieces it takes to achieve commercial development. She has a broad scientific background that includes applying molecular biology, genetic, and immunological techniques to yeast, mice, Tier 1-classified bacteria, and primate and human samples. While working at Oregon Health & Science University, Renee completed her M.B.A. at Portland State University where she specialized in Management of Innovation & Technology. Since moving into the biotech industry, she has directed or contributed to the commercial development of a diverse set of technologies that has led to over 20 STTR/SBIR grant submissions and over a $1M in funding.

Renee enjoys hiking, skiing, and exploring the Pacific Northwest with her family.

Education:
Ph.D., Genetics, University of Wisconsin, Madison.
M.B.A., Management of Innovation & Technology at Portland State University.
B.A., Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, University of Colorado, Boulder.