Former CEO, Nerio; Managing Partner
Sandy Madigan, Ph.D. has a strong scientific background and 30 years of experience in corporate financing, operations, business and corporate development, and M&A. Sandy is a managing partner with Avalon BioVentures and previously was a serial entrepreneur for Avalon Ventures portfolio companies. Most recently, Sandy was co-founder and CEO of Nerio Therapeutics in Avalon XI (acquired by Boehringer-Ingelheim in July 2024 for up to $1.3 billion). Previously, he served as the transacting CEO of Calporta Therapeutics in Avalon X (acquired by Merck in 2019 for up to $576 million). Outside of the Avalon portfolio, he was a founder and the CEO of Strategic Enzyme Applications and a founder and VP, corporate development for BioVerdant. Sandy performed his post-doctoral training at The Salk Institute for Biological Studies. He received his Ph.D. in genetics and his B.S. in biochemistry from The State University of New York at Stony Brook where, as a graduate student, he was awarded the Abrahams Memorial Award for outstanding potential for basic research.