# Damaris Skouras

> Damaris Skouras is the founder, chairman, and CEO of Olatec Therapeutics, a New York clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company built around dapansutrile, an oral, specific NLRP3 inflammasome inhibitor she has pushed from the lab bench into Phase 2 trials spanning gout, melanoma, type 2 diabetes, and Parkinson's disease. She started in finance as a Wall Street biotech banker in 1982, founded her own investment advisory firm in 1985, and eventually crossed the table to run the kind of company she used to finance. With a Stanford degree, a Harvard MBA, and the immunologist who discovered interleukin-1 as her co-founder, she has raised over $100 million to bet that a single inflammatory switch can be turned off across a range of diseases.

- **Role:** Founder, Chairman & CEO at Olatec Therapeutics
- **Organizations:** Olatec Therapeutics, Global Reach Management Company, Allen & Company Inc.
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** BA, Stanford University, MBA, Harvard University (Harvard Business School)
- **Known for:** Founded and leads Olatec Therapeutics, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company., Advanced dapansutrile, an oral specific NLRP3 inflammasome inhibitor, from discovery into Phase 2 clinical development., Raised over $100 million in total funding, including a $40 million Series A in 2023.

## Career timeline

- **1978** — Earns a BA from Stanford University.
- **1982** — Earns an MBA from Harvard University and joins Allen & Company Inc. as Vice President, shepherding biotech and technology start-ups from early inception through exit.
- **1985** — Founds Global Reach Management Company, an international advisory firm with an investment banking niche in biotechnology.
- **Pre-2013** — Co-founds Olatec Therapeutics, serving as President (and earlier as co-President & CFO).
- **2013** — Becomes Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Olatec Therapeutics.
- **2021** — Olatec reports dapansutrile reduces tumor growth in a mouse model of melanoma.
- **2023** — Olatec closes a $40 million Series A round led by Sanders Morris Harris.
- **2026** — First Parkinson's disease patients are dosed in the Phase 2 DAPA-PD trial at Cambridge - Olatec's expansion into neurological disease.

## Achievements

- Founded and leads Olatec Therapeutics, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company.
- Advanced dapansutrile, an oral specific NLRP3 inflammasome inhibitor, from discovery into Phase 2 clinical development.
- Raised over $100 million in total funding, including a $40 million Series A in 2023.
- Built a multi-indication pipeline spanning gout, melanoma, type 2 diabetes, pancreatic cancer, and Parkinson's disease.
- Over 30 years of drug-development and biotech finance experience across both sides of the table.
- Recruited Charles A. Dinarello, MD - the immunologist who discovered interleukin-1 - as co-founder and scientific leader.
- Serves on multiple for-profit and not-for-profit boards across the life sciences.

## Latest updates

- **2026-03** — Olatec announced the first Parkinson's disease patients were randomized in the 12-month Phase 2 DAPA-PD trial at Cambridge University Hospitals, marking its expansion of dapansutrile into neurological disease.
- **2023-02** — Olatec closed a $40 million Series A financing round led by Sanders Morris Harris.

## Links

- Website: https://olatec.com
- LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/damaris-skouras-957531114
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/OlatecThera

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/damaris-skouras
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-06-04