Carlos Velez

Founder & Managing Partner at Lacerta Bio

Trainer

Dr. Velez is the Founder and Managing Partner of Lacerta Bio, an international consultancy specializing in both in- and out-licensing of prescription and non-prescription product candidates and commercial products, across multiple therapeutic areas and markets. The company also offers a variety of other services related to business development and licensing, such as valuation, portfolio analysis and prioritization, in-house training programs, and business planning. He is also the co-founder of Connexin Therapeutics, a company currently raising their second round of financing for the discovery and development of retinal neuroprotectants.

Prior to the formation of Lacerta Bio in 2010, he was the Director of Business Development at Penwest Pharmaceuticals, where he was responsible for the out-licensing of internally-developed 505(b)(2) programs, as well as the scouting and analysis of in-licensing opportunities in neurology. Penwest was acquired by Endo Pharmaceuticals in 2010. He was also the Chief Business Officer of Lantic Therapeutics (UK) until the passing of the scientific co-founder in 2012. Other previous employers include Forest Labs, Frankel Group (now Huron Consulting) and Genencor (now Danisco).

He holds a B.S. in Pharmacy from the Albany College of Pharmacy, a Ph.D. in Pharmacy from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and an MBA in Technology Management from the Rochester Institute of Technology.