# Jeffrey Aronin

> Jeffrey S. Aronin is an American entrepreneur and investor, founder, chairman and CEO of Chicago-based Paragon Biosciences. He founded Ovation in 2000, led it through its 2009 acquisition by Lundbeck, and later established Paragon in 2017. His public work also includes founding MATTER, teaching entrepreneurship, and serving on scientific and civic boards.

- **Role:** Founder, Chairman and CEO at Paragon Biosciences
- **Organizations:** Paragon Biosciences, Ovation Pharmaceuticals (founder and former CEO), Lundbeck Inc. (former CEO), Marathon Pharmaceuticals (former chairman and CEO), MATTER (founder and former chairman), Harmony Biosciences (founder and chairman), The Aspen Institute (trustee), Weizmann Institute of Science (board member), Discover Financial Services (former board member)
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** B.S. in Marketing, Northern Illinois University, M.B.A., DePaul University
- **Known for:** Built Ovation before its 2009 acquisition by Lundbeck, valued at up to $900 million., Established Paragon Biosciences in 2017 as a company creator and investor., Founder and former chairman of MATTER, which reported incubating more than 1,000 startups across its first decade in October 2025.

## Career timeline

- **1989** — Graduated from NIU with a marketing degree; subsequently worked in sales and marketing at Carter-Wallace.
- **2000** — Founded Ovation Pharmaceuticals and served as president and CEO.
- **2009** — Lundbeck completed its acquisition of Ovation in a transaction valued at up to $900 million; Aronin continued as CEO of Lundbeck Inc.
- **2010** — Selected as an Aspen Institute Henry Crown Fellow.
- **2011-2017** — Chairman and CEO of Marathon Pharmaceuticals.
- **2014** — Founded MATTER; its Chicago startup center opened in 2015.
- **2017** — Founded Paragon Biosciences in June and Harmony Biosciences; became Harmony board chairman in October.
- **2019** — Elected an Aspen Institute trustee and received NIU’s Innovation and Entrepreneurship Award.
- **2023** — Served as Harmony executive chairman during January-April leadership transition, then returned to the non-executive chairmanship.
- **2026** — Paragon announced the completed sale of Emalex Biosciences to Teva on June 11.

## Achievements

- Built Ovation before its 2009 acquisition by Lundbeck, valued at up to $900 million.
- Established Paragon Biosciences in 2017 as a company creator and investor.
- Founder and former chairman of MATTER, which reported incubating more than 1,000 startups across its first decade in October 2025.
- Selected for the 2010 Henry Crown Fellowship.
- Received NIU’s 2019 Innovation and Entrepreneurship Award.
- Served fourteen years on the Discover Financial Services board.

## Latest updates

- **2026-06** — Paragon announced that its sale of Emalex Biosciences to Teva had closed; terms included $700 million cash, up to $200 million in commercial milestone payments, and net-sales-based royalties subject to regulatory approval.
- **2025-10** — MATTER, which Aronin founded, reported more than 1,000 startups incubated and more than $5 billion raised by member companies across its first decade.

## Links

- Website: https://paragonbiosci.com/leadership-jeff-aronin/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffrey-aronin

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