# Aditya Venugopal

> Aditya Venugopal is the Chief Business Officer of Alentis Therapeutics, a clinical-stage Swiss biotech chasing first-in-class therapies aimed at claudin-1 for fibrosis and cancer. An immunologist turned dealmaker, he spent 15-plus years moving between the lab bench and the negotiating table: a Ph.D. in immunology from Weill Cornell, seven years in strategic life-science consulting, then senior roles at Intercept, VectivBio and Versanis Bio. He has a habit of being in the room when companies get acquired - VectivBio went to Ironwood, Versanis went to Eli Lilly - and he reunited with CEO Mark Pruzanski at Alentis after first partnering with him at Intercept.

- **Role:** Chief Business Officer at Alentis Therapeutics
- **Organizations:** Alentis Therapeutics, Versanis Bio, VectivBio, Intercept Pharmaceuticals, Navigant Consulting, Easton Associates
- **Education:** Ph.D. in Immunology and Microbial Pathogenesis, Weill Cornell Medical College (Cornell University)
- **Known for:** Appointed Chief Business Officer of Alentis Therapeutics (November 2025)., Helped drive the M&A process leading to Versanis Bio's acquisition by Eli Lilly and Company., Led business development at VectivBio through its acquisition by Ironwood Pharmaceuticals.

## Career timeline

- **~2008** — Begins career in strategic life-science consulting at Easton Associates and Navigant Consulting (about seven years), leading global cross-functional teams on business development and licensing in immunology, oncology and rare diseases.
- **~2015** — Joins Intercept Pharmaceuticals in senior leadership roles, including Head of Strategic Planning; works with CEO Mark Pruzanski on launch strategy for obeticholic acid.
- **2020** — Appointed Vice President of Business Development at VectivBio, expanding the portfolio through platform technology acquisitions.
- **2022** — Joins Versanis Bio as Senior Vice President, Corporate Development and Strategic Planning; later Head of Corporate Development and Operations.
- **2023** — VectivBio acquired by Ironwood Pharmaceuticals.
- **2023** — Versanis Bio acquired by Eli Lilly and Company; Venugopal helped drive scaling, fundraising and the M&A process.
- **2025** — Appointed Chief Business Officer at Alentis Therapeutics, reuniting with CEO Mark Pruzanski.

## Achievements

- Appointed Chief Business Officer of Alentis Therapeutics (November 2025).
- Helped drive the M&A process leading to Versanis Bio's acquisition by Eli Lilly and Company.
- Led business development at VectivBio through its acquisition by Ironwood Pharmaceuticals.
- Held senior leadership roles at Intercept Pharmaceuticals, including Head of Strategic Planning.
- Earned a Ph.D. in Immunology and Microbial Pathogenesis from Weill Cornell.

## Latest updates

- **2025-11** — Named Chief Business Officer at Alentis Therapeutics as part of a wave of senior management appointments.

## Links

- Website: https://alentis.ch
- LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/aditya-venugopal-5b5a7723

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/aditya-venugopal
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-06-20