pediatric-oncology
(3)
Shorla Oncology
Shorla Oncology is a specialty pharmaceutical company based in Clonmel, Ireland, with a U.S. base in Cambridge, Massachusetts, that develops and commercializes innovative oncology drugs for orphan and pediatric cancers. Founded in 2018 by Sharon Cunningham and Orlaith Ryan, Shorla focuses on indications where existing treatments are limited, in shortage, or poorly suited to patients - reformulating and reinventing cancer therapies into easier-to-administer forms such as oral liquids and ready-to-dilute vials. The company markets four FDA-approved products in the U.S. and is advancing an early-stage pipeline addressing rare cancers.
Sharon Cunningham
Sharon Cunningham is the CEO and co-founder of Shorla Oncology, a specialty pharmaceutical company she launched in 2018 with Orlaith Ryan out of Clonmel, Ireland, focused on reformulating oncology drugs for women's, orphan, and pediatric cancers. A PwC-trained chartered accountant with an MBA from UCD Smurfit, she relocated from Waterford to Boston in 2021 to lead Shorla's U.S. commercialization, which now includes four FDA-approved products. She was named EY Entrepreneur Of The Year Ireland 2024 (with Ryan) and represented Ireland at the EY World Entrepreneur competition in 2025.
Julie Grant
Julie Grant is a General Partner at Canaan, a $5B technology and healthcare venture capital firm, where she leads biopharma investments and company formation on the West Coast. She co-founded and served as founding CEO of Day One Biopharmaceuticals, a purpose-built pediatric oncology company that grew to a $1.5B+ valuation and was later acquired by Servier. A Yale-educated molecular biophysicist who went on to Stanford MBA and Cambridge MPhil, Grant brings rare operational depth to venture - having sat in the CEO chair before returning to investing. In 2023, President Biden appointed her to the National Cancer Advisory Board. She is the fourth woman to become a General Partner at Canaan.