# Ashley Zehnder

> Ashley Zehnder is the co-founder and CEO of Fauna Bio, a Berkeley biotech mining the genomes of hibernating ground squirrels, bears and 452 other mammal species for drugs that could treat humans. A boarded avian veterinarian with a Stanford PhD in cancer biology, she had her career epiphany while giving chemotherapy to a parrot, when a faculty member asked in disbelief, 'Birds... get cancer?' That question convinced her the wall between animal and human medicine was an illusion. Fauna Bio's Convergence AI platform turns the survival tricks of extreme mammals into therapeutic targets, work that has drawn partnerships with Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk and NASA-funded research into putting astronauts into a hibernation-like state.

- **Role:** Co-founder and CEO at Fauna Bio
- **Organizations:** Fauna Bio, On Deck Longevity Biotech, Nucleate Bio
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM), University of Florida, PhD in Cancer Biology / Oncology, Stanford University, Residency, Companion Exotics, UC Davis
- **Known for:** Co-founded and leads Fauna Bio, applying comparative genomics and AI to drug discovery, Built the Convergence AI platform spanning 452 mammal species and 65 hibernators, Secured collaborations with Eli Lilly (up to ~$494M) and Novo Nordisk

## Career timeline

- **~1987** — Volunteers at a veterinary clinic at age 7, deciding to become a healer for animals
- **2001-2005** — Earns DVM at the University of Florida, entering vet school at age 20
- **post-DVM** — Trains at Manhattan's Animal Medical Center and completes a Companion Exotics residency at UC Davis
- **2009-2015** — Earns PhD in Cancer Biology at Stanford; the 'Birds... get cancer?' moment reframes her purpose
- **post-PhD** — Postdoctoral scholar in Dr. Carlos Bustamante's lab at Stanford alongside Linda Goodman
- **2018** — Co-founds Fauna Bio with Katie Grabek and Linda Goodman; becomes CEO
- **2019** — Fauna Bio enters research collaboration with Novo Nordisk on obesity therapeutics
- **2021** — Closes Seed funding (~$9M)
- **2023** — Strikes drug-discovery collaboration with Eli Lilly, potentially worth up to ~$494M, for obesity targets
- **2024** — Fauna Bio researcher awarded NASA early-stage grant to study hibernation in space (STASH)

## Achievements

- Co-founded and leads Fauna Bio, applying comparative genomics and AI to drug discovery
- Built the Convergence AI platform spanning 452 mammal species and 65 hibernators
- Secured collaborations with Eli Lilly (up to ~$494M) and Novo Nordisk
- Named to SF Business Times 'Women Who Lead in Life Sciences'
- Named an 'Emerging Woman Founder in Bio' by the Wave Summit
- Represented Fauna Bio for the Fortune AI Minute
- Author of 20+ peer-reviewed publications, including in Cell, Nature and Nature Medicine
- Board-certified (boarded) avian veterinarian

## Latest updates

- **2024-01** — Fauna Bio researcher awarded a NASA early-stage grant to study hibernation in space (the STASH project).
- **2023-12** — Fauna Bio entered a drug-discovery collaboration with Eli Lilly, potentially worth up to ~$494M, focused on obesity targets.

## Links

- Website: https://faunabio.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashley-zehnder-31950827/
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/ashleyz413

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/ashley-zehnder
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-06-25