Olivia Cavlan joins LifeArc Ventures

LifeArc Ventures, the venture capital arm of LifeArc, today announced that Olivia Cavlan MD has joined its team as a Partner.

Olivia was previously Chief Corporate Development and Strategy Officer at the UK biotechnology company Alchemab Therapeutics, which she co-founded, with responsibility for global business development, partnerships, and corporate strategy.

Before Alchemab, Olivia was an Investment Principal at SV Health Investors and a Partner at McKinsey & Company, where she was part of the leadership team in the Healthcare Private Equity and Pharmaceutical practices. At McKinsey, she co-led the global Real World Evidence practice and QuantumBlack’s biopharmaceutical offering, focusing on target discovery and clinical development. She has led global biopharma R&D transformation initiatives and developed clinical and commercial strategies for preclinical and clinical assets.

Olivia is a Non-Executive Director of the UK BioIndustry Association and a member of the Investment Committee for Cancer Research UK’s (CRUK) Seed fund. She co-founded and sits on the Board of Sevenless Therapeutics, a company specialising in small molecule pain treatments. She holds an MBChB in Medicine and a BSc in Pharmacology from Bristol University.

Clare Terlouw, Managing Partner, LifeArc Ventures, said: “Olivia’s breadth of skills across biotech will complement the team’s strengths and help drive forward our strategy of investing in new companies in the UK and beyond. In addition, her experience as a biotech co-founder and management team member will be a valuable resource for our existing portfolio of innovative life sciences companies.”

Olivia Cavlan, Partner, LifeArc Ventures, commented: “LifeArc Ventures combines a portfolio of high-quality investments with an impressive track record. I’m looking forward to working with Clare and the team to continue to support, source, build and invest in the most innovative companies that have potential to make a difference to patients worldwide.”