# Gerrit Klaerner

> Gerrit Klaerner is a German polymer chemist and biotechnology company builder who cofounded Ilypsa, helped found and served as president of Relypsa, and founded Tricida. He was President and CEO of Helicore Biopharma when it emerged from stealth in January 2025 with $65 million in Series A financing. His career combines scientific training, business development, financing and spinout negotiations.

- **Role:** Polymer chemist, biotechnology founder and executive
- **Organizations:** Helicore Biopharma, Tricida, Relypsa, Ilypsa, Symyx Technologies
- **Nationality:** German
- **Education:** M.S. in Chemistry, Philipps University of Marburg, Ph.D. in polymer and organic chemistry, Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research, Mainz, Postdoctoral research, Stanford University and IBM Almaden Research Center
- **Known for:** Cofounded Ilypsa, acquired by Amgen in a transaction announced at $420 million in 2007., Helped negotiate Relypsa’s spinout from Amgen as an adviser to 5AM Ventures., Founder and president of Relypsa from October 2007 to June 2013; the company was later acquired in 2016 for approximately $1.53 billion.

## Career timeline

- **1997** — Moved to the United States for postdoctoral work in California.
- **1998-2003** — Worked at Symyx Technologies as Staff Scientist, Senior Staff Scientist and Director of Business Development.
- **2003** — Cofounded Ilypsa.
- **2006** — Helped negotiate Ilypsa’s Astellas licensing agreement, worth up to $92 million with $22 million upfront.
- **2007** — Ilypsa acquired by Amgen; helped negotiate Relypsa’s spinout and became a founder and president of Relypsa.
- **2013** — Left Relypsa in June; founded Tricida and became President and CEO in August.
- **2018** — Tricida became publicly listed on Nasdaq.
- **2019** — Rang Nasdaq’s opening bell for Tricida on October 14.
- **2023** — Tricida filed for Chapter 11 on January 11.
- **2025** — President and CEO of Helicore Biopharma at its January 28 emergence from stealth.

## Achievements

- Cofounded Ilypsa, acquired by Amgen in a transaction announced at $420 million in 2007.
- Helped negotiate Relypsa’s spinout from Amgen as an adviser to 5AM Ventures.
- Founder and president of Relypsa from October 2007 to June 2013; the company was later acquired in 2016 for approximately $1.53 billion.
- Founded Tricida and led it through its 2018 public listing.
- Led Helicore Biopharma at its emergence with $65 million in announced Series A financing.
- Named coinventor on the block copolymers patent application US20020010267A1.

## Latest updates

- **2025-01** — Helicore emerged from stealth on January 28 with Klaerner as President and CEO and $65 million in Series A financing.
- **2026-10** — As checked on October 9, Helicore’s official website lists Peter DiLaura as Chief Executive Officer and Board Director. Klaerner’s founding leadership role should be treated as historical.

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/gerrit-klaerner
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-10