Management and Board of Directors
Dr. Glenn Larsen
Co-founder, President
and CEO of Aquinnah
Dr. Larsen brings a unique skill set to his role as CEO—he is both a highly experienced scientist and a skillful businessman with a Ph.D. in biochemistry and a PMD from Harvard.
He has been a drug hunter all his life and has a deep understanding of how to create successful drugs. Dr. Larsen's track record speaks for itself: he has led teams to advance 15 new drug candidates to clinical
development and 5 drugs to commercialization with sales over $10B.
During a notable career at major pharmaceutical companies, Dr. Larsen was involved in all facets of drug research and development, including leading drug discovery teams, and advancing drug development programs through the preclinical, clinical, regulatory and commercialization stages.
Bob Carpenter
Mr. Carpenter is a pioneer in the biotechnology and healthcare industries. He founded and was CEO of a number of successful biotech companies he took public, including Integrated Genetics and GelTex Pharmaceuticals, both of which were acquired by Genzyme. Mr. Carpenter served on the Board of Genzyme from 1994 to 2011, most recently as Lead Director.
He also founded Boston Medical Investors in 1994 and currently serves as a Director of Good Start Genetics, Olaris Therapeutics, Immuneering Inc, Hydra Biosciences, and Lysosomal Therapeutics, Inc.
Mr. Carpenter is a graduate of West Point, Stanford University and holds an MBA from Harvard Business School.
Dr. Ben Wolozin
Co-Founder and the Chief Scientific Officer
Professor of Pharmacology and Neurology, Boston University School of Medicine
Dr. Wolozin holds an MD and Ph.D. degree and has extensive research experience in this field. He is a distinguished scientist who identified one of the first molecular markers for the tangle pathology that accumulates in neurons in Alzheimer’s disease. He was also the first to identify the link between the use of statins (a cholesterol lowering drug) and
reduced rates of Alzheimer’s disease. More recently, he discovered the role of persistent stress granules in ALS and Alzheimer’s disease.
He has won multiple awards for his research, including the prestigious Zenith Fellows Award and the A. E. Bennett award from the Society for Neuroscience.
Daniel Geffken
Chief Financial Officer
Daniel brings more than 30 years of financial support and strategy exclusively for life sciences, with experience ranging from start-ups to publicly traded companies with $1 billion+ market capitalizations. He has participated in seven initial public offerings since 2013, and has raised more than $1 billion in equity and debt securities for life science companies throughout his career. He has served as CFO and strategic
consultant to numerous companies, including Apellis Pharmaceuticals, Cidara Therapeutics, GenePeeks, Homology Medicines, Stealth BioTherapeutics and Transkaryotic Therapies. Along with his role at Aquinnah, Daniel is Founder and Managing Director of Danforth Advisors. Daniel holds a BS from The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, and MBA from Harvard Business School.
Joe Vacca, Ph.D.
Vice President, Medicinal Chemistry
Dr. Vacca is a leader in the pharmaceutical industry with 30+ years of experience. Dr. Vacca directed multiple interdisciplinary teams of scientists while serving at Merck Research Labs and retired as Vice President and Chemistry Site Head (Kenilworth). These teams discovered many new therapeutics, including novel treatments for HIV (Crixivan™, Isentress™, Doravirine) and HCV (Vanihep™ and Zepatier™). Dr. Vacca was inducted into the
prestigious Medicinal Chemistry Hall of Fame based on his many outstanding accomplishments. After leaving MRL, Joe served as Senior VP of International Discovery Services at WuXi Apptec, a leading global discovery and life sciences services organization in China. Joe has consulted with Aquinnah Pharmaceuticals since its inception and now oversees all medicinal chemistry efforts on Aquinnah’s programs.
Joshua D. Fox
Corporate Counsel
Josh is a leading corporate attorney specializing in life sciences, with significant expertise in financings and exit events. He was named a "Top Lawyer" in corporate law in the 2021 issue of Boston Magazine. Along with his role at Aquinnah, he is a partner
and member of the Venture Capital & Emerging Company Practice Group at Mintz, where he advises on strategic and venture capital financings, mergers and acquisitions and initial public offerings. Josh holds a JD from Harvard Law School.