# Daniel Grau

> Daniel Grau is an entrepreneur and operating executive whose career includes co-founding Sojournix and serving as Avilar Therapeutics’ early-stage CEO and president. He is now an Avilar director, a Cirrus Therapeutics director, and an advisor at Raven and HotSpot Therapeutics. His earlier roles include president of Heptares, CEO of Cortria, and COO of CombinatoRx. He holds a BA from Davidson and three graduate degrees from Yale.

- **Role:** Director at Avilar Therapeutics; Director at Cirrus Therapeutics; Advisor at Raven and HotSpot Therapeutics
- **Organizations:** Avilar Therapeutics, Cirrus Therapeutics, Raven (RA Ventures), HotSpot Therapeutics, Sojournix, Heptares Therapeutics, Cortria, CombinatoRx, TetraGenetics, Research Alliance Corporation I, Concert Pharmaceuticals, Nimbus Therapeutics
- **Education:** BA in English Literature, High Honors, Davidson College, MPhil in philosophy; MA; MAR, Yale University
- **Known for:** Promoted to CombinatoRx’s newly created COO role in 2007., Co-founded Sojournix; the company announced $70 million in cumulative financing in January 2019., Led Avilar at its $60 million seed-financed public launch and subsequent seed-round upsize to $75 million.

## Career timeline

- **1998-2001** — Worked as a management consultant advising US and Japanese companies.
- **2001** — Joined CombinatoRx.
- **2001-2004** — Vice President of Corporate Development and Strategy at CombinatoRx.
- **2004-2005** — Vice President of Commercial Operations at CombinatoRx.
- **2006** — Became Senior Vice President of Commercial Operations at CombinatoRx in January.
- **2007** — Promoted from Senior Vice President of Commercial Operations to the newly created COO position at CombinatoRx on January 16.
- **2009** — A July 10 SEC filing identifies him as Cortria president and CEO.
- **2010** — Cortria was acquired; Grau’s career biographies identify him as its former CEO.
- **2012** — A January appointment notice identifies him as Heptares’ newly appointed president; a November 2011 notice also reports the appointment.
- **2015** — Heptares, where he served as president, was acquired by Sosei.
- **2016** — Co-founded Sojournix, serving as CEO and director.
- **2019** — Sojournix announced a $44 million Series C on January 3; Grau joined TetraGenetics’ board in May and presented on later-stage investment at LSX in October.
- **2020** — Became a Research Alliance Corporation I director in May.
- **2021** — Led Avilar as CEO and president at its November 18 public launch with $60 million in seed financing.
- **2023** — Was CEO and president when Avilar announced the seed round’s increase to $75 million on February 16.

## Achievements

- Promoted to CombinatoRx’s newly created COO role in 2007.
- Co-founded Sojournix; the company announced $70 million in cumulative financing in January 2019.
- Led Avilar at its $60 million seed-financed public launch and subsequent seed-round upsize to $75 million.
- Earned High Honors at Davidson and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa.
- Awarded a Dana Honor Scholarship at Davidson and a Mellon Fellowship in the Humanities and Day Graduate Prize at Yale.

## Latest updates

- **2026-10** — Public biographies checked in October 2026 list Grau as an Avilar director and Raven advisor; Cirrus also lists him as a director, and Avilar and Raven list his HotSpot advisory role. This is a verification date, not an appointment date.
- **2023-02** — Avilar increased its seed financing to $75 million, adding Sanofi Ventures, Medical Excellence Capital, and Astellas Venture Management.

## Links

- Website: https://avilar-tx.com/team/daniel-grau-mphil/

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/daniel-grau
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-11