# Peter DiLaura

> Peter DiLaura is the CEO and Board Director of Helicore Biopharma, a San Mateo biotech building long-acting antibody-peptide conjugates that go after obesity by neutralizing the GIP hormone in the bloodstream rather than blocking its receptor. With nearly three decades of company-building behind him - CEO roles at Initial Therapeutics and Second Genome, business and strategy chief at Sonoma Biotherapeutics, and time as an Entrepreneur-in-Residence at Third Rock Ventures - he is the operator brought in to turn a $65M Series A and a clinic-ready antibody into medicines that aim for quarterly dosing and better-quality weight loss.

- **Role:** Chief Executive Officer and Board Director at Helicore Biopharma
- **Organizations:** Helicore Biopharma, Initial Therapeutics, Second Genome, Sonoma Biotherapeutics, Third Rock Ventures, Ingenuity Systems, Character Biosciences, Weave Bio
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** BS in Economics, The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania
- **Known for:** Grew Ingenuity Systems revenue from zero to over $30 million per year while building a 40-person team., Led Second Genome, a pioneering microbiome therapeutics company, as CEO., Built corporate functions and drove financing and corporate development as Chief Business and Strategy Officer at Sonoma Biotherapeutics.

## Career timeline

- **1995** — Earns BS in Economics from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.
- **2001-2010** — Holds commercial roles at Ingenuity Systems; joins as business development lead, grows revenue from zero to over $30M per year, and manages a team of 40.
- **2010s** — Serves as Chief Executive Officer of Second Genome, a microbiome therapeutics company.
- **2020s** — Entrepreneur-in-Residence at Third Rock Ventures, focused on new company creation.
- **2020s** — Chief Business and Strategy Officer at Sonoma Biotherapeutics, building finance, legal, IP, IR and HR functions for the regulatory T cell company.
- **2024** — Named President and CEO of Initial Therapeutics, a small-molecule protein-modulation company.
- **2025** — Becomes Chief Executive Officer and Board Director of Helicore Biopharma, which launched from stealth with a $65M Series A.

## Achievements

- Grew Ingenuity Systems revenue from zero to over $30 million per year while building a 40-person team.
- Led Second Genome, a pioneering microbiome therapeutics company, as CEO.
- Built corporate functions and drove financing and corporate development as Chief Business and Strategy Officer at Sonoma Biotherapeutics.
- Appointed CEO of Initial Therapeutics in April 2024 to advance novel protein-modulation small molecules.
- Took the helm at Helicore Biopharma, backed by Versant Ventures, OrbiMed, Wellington Management and Longitude Capital.
- Serves as an Independent Director at Character Biosciences and Weave Bio.

## Latest updates

- **2025-01** — Helicore Biopharma emerges from stealth with a $65M Series A co-led by Versant Ventures and OrbiMed.
- **2025-03** — Helicore doses the first participant in a first-in-human Phase 1 trial of HCR-188 in overweight or obese adults.

## Links

- Website: https://helicore.com
- LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/peterdilaura
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/peterdilaura

---

Profile page: https://yespress.io/peter-dilaura
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-06-08