Larry Bock
Larry Bock is an entrepreneur who has aided in starting or financing 40 early stage growth companies, with a combined market value of more than $30 billion.[1] He received a degree in biochemistry and has a M.B.A. After school, he worked for Genentech.[2] Bock is a donor, co-founder, and the executive director of USA Science and Engineering Festival.[3][4]
Bock was highlighted as a keystone species in the ecosystem of Silicon Valley in the book The Rainforest.[5] A keystone species, in the innovation context, is someone who connects people who would benefit from working together, but who would not work together under normal circumstances because of trust, distance, and/or cultural barriers.
Bock has invested in several companies including the following:
- Acceleron Pharma
- Aurora Biosciences
- Biosym Technologies
- ekoVenture
- Gen-Probe, a blood screening company
- Gensia Pharmaceuticals
- Genocea Biosciences
- IDEC Pharmaceuticals Magen Biosciences
- Oclassen Pharmaceuticals: commercialized Cinoxacin
- Plexikon Pharmaceuticals
- Poland Partners
- Sequana Therapeutics
- Sapphire Energy, which produces crude oil from algae
- Siluria
- Sirtris Pharmaceuticals, which produces treatments for type 2 diabetes and types of cancer
- Software Transformation
- and Viagene.[6]
Bock was previously a CEO of Nanosys, where he helped to raise $55 million in funding.[7] Bock was also a special limited partner with Lux Capital.[8]
Bock founded the following companies:
- Illumina, a biotechnology company for genetic products
- Nanosys, a nanotechnology company for optics and batteries
- Pharmacopeia biotechnology, a company investigating small molecule combinatorial chemistry
- Idun Pharmaceuticals, a company developing drugs targeting apoptosis
- Caliper Life Sciences, which aids in drug discovery.
USA Science and Engineering Festival
Bock worked with Lockheed Martin to start the first festival in San Diego.[9] It was later moved to Washington D.C.
References
- ↑ "Larry Bock". The Huffington Post. Retrieved 5 December 2014.
- ↑ Thornton, Kelly (August 29, 2012). "Mr. Bock Goes To Washington And Takes The Science Expo With Him". Retrieved 5 December 2014.
- ↑ "Larry Bock". luxcapital. Retrieved 5 December 2014.
- ↑ "Join Festival Co-founder Larry Bock and Stem Experts for e-week twitter chat". USA Science Festival. Retrieved 5 December 2014.
- ↑ Hwang, Victor and Greg Horowitt (2012). The Rainforest: The Secret to Building the Next Silicon Valley. Los Altos Hills: Regenwald. pp. 68–75. ISBN 978-0615586724.
- ↑ "Larry Bock". Xconomy. Retrieved 5 December 2014.
- ↑ Bock, Larry (2004). "Following Mr. Robinson's Advice: The Story of Nanosys". Nanotechnology Law & Business 1.1: 91–97. Retrieved 9 December 2014.
- ↑ Nour, David (March 20, 2009). The Entrepreneur's Guide to Raising Capital (1st ed.). Praeger. p. 8,17,46. ISBN 978-0313356025.
- ↑ Tamura, Leslie (October 25, 2010). "Festival on the Mall challenges young and old to think scientifically". The Washington Post. Retrieved 8 December 2014.