# Mohan Iyer

> Mohan Iyer is a General Partner at SOSV's IndieBio SF, the world's leading biotech accelerator. With 25+ years operating life science startups across Genentech, Tethys Bioscience, Second Genome, and Pendulum Therapeutics, he brings rare bench-to-boardroom experience to pre-seed biotech founders. Trained as a chemical and biomedical engineer before earning his MBA from Yale, Iyer has spent his career translating disruptive biology into products the world actually needs — and now bets on founders doing the same.

- **Role:** General Partner at SOSV / IndieBio SF
- **Organizations:** SOSV, IndieBio, Pendulum Therapeutics, Second Genome, Tethys Bioscience, Burrill & Company, diaDexus, The Wilkerson Group (IBM Healthcare Consulting), Genentech
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** B.S. in Chemical Engineering, University of Tennessee, M.S. in Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, MBA, Yale University
- **Known for:** General Partner at IndieBio SF, the #1 early-stage biotech accelerator globally, Part of Genentech's founding-era scale-up team in the 1980s — at the birth of the biotech industry, Helped build Second Genome as the first venture-backed microbiome genomics company

## Career timeline

- **1986** — Joined Genentech as Senior Process Engineer; part of the first team scaling biotech's earliest pharmaceutical-grade proteins to kilogram production
- **1986-1993** — Seven years at Genentech scaling up manufacturing processes for biotech's first products
- **1993** — Left Genentech after Roche acquisition to pursue MBA at Yale
- **1995-1997** — Senior Healthcare Consultant at The Wilkerson Group (IBM Healthcare Consulting)
- **1997-2005** — EVP, Corporate and Business Development at diaDexus
- **2006-2009** — Managing Director, Merchant Banking at Burrill & Company
- **2009-2011** — Chief Business Officer then CFO at Tethys Bioscience — developed first commercial test predicting type 2 diabetes conversion risk
- **2012-2017** — Chief Business Officer at Second Genome — the first venture-backed microbiome genomics company
- **2017-2021** — COO at Pendulum Therapeutics — probiotics for metabolic health in type 2 diabetes patients
- **2021** — Joined IndieBio SF as General Partner at SOSV, one of three new GPs announced

## Achievements

- General Partner at IndieBio SF, the #1 early-stage biotech accelerator globally
- Part of Genentech's founding-era scale-up team in the 1980s — at the birth of the biotech industry
- Helped build Second Genome as the first venture-backed microbiome genomics company
- Contributed to Tethys Bioscience's development of the first commercial type 2 diabetes risk prediction test
- Backed 29+ companies through IndieBio with investments in $100K-$2M range
- Career spans the full arc of modern biotech: from manufacturing proteins at Genentech to backing synthetic biology startups

## Latest updates

- **2025-02** — Profile updated on IndieBio website as General Partner at SOSV & IndieBio SF
- **2021-09** — Officially joined IndieBio SF as General Partner

## Links

- Website: https://indiebio.co
- LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/mohansiyer
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mqdr3Vl6amo
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/indiebio

---

Profile page: https://yespress.io/mohan-iyer
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-05-18