Marian Nakada

VP, Venture Investments at Johnson & Johnson Innovation, JJDC

Marian Nakada, VP Venture Investments for Johnson & Johnson Innovation – JJDC, has over 30 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry, starting her career at the laboratory bench at Centocor and moving to a research leadership role before Centocor’s acquisition by Johnson & Johnson in 1999. She transitioned to Janssen Business Development and joined JJDC, Johnson & Johnson’s corporate venture group in 2013. She is passionate about leveraging Johnson & Johnson’s capabilities to help her portfolio companies succeed. Marian has a A.B. in Biology from Harvard College and a Ph.D. in Pharmacology from the University of Pennsylvania. She has authored 62 peer reviewed publications and 14 book chapters and is a past reviewer for the NIH Pharmacology Study Section. She is currently on the Boards of Navitor Pharmaceuticals, Redona (fka Twenty-eight Seven) Therapeutics, a stealth newco as well as the New England Venture Capital Association where she is working to champion change as an active contributor to its diversity & inclusion efforts. Outside work, Marian is a Board Member at InnerCity Weightlifting whose mission is to amplify the voice and agency of people who have been most impacted by systemic racism and mass incarceration.