With 29 years of experience in the biotech, medical device, pharmaceutical and drug delivery industries, Dr. Michael J. Weickert brings together thought leaders, strategic partners, and investors to develop and market trailblazing products that might otherwise go unnoticed. He has provided international executive leadership for both established and start-up companies.As a corporate officer, director, and entrepreneurial leader, Dr. Weickert is known as a trailblazer, savvy deal maker, and astute investor who has taken on business projects that have produced sweeping changes for both public and private companies, including the transformation of Nektar Therapeutics (formerly Inhale Therapeutics Systems) from a partnered-products company into a more lucrative proprietary products company. He has prepared 40 business plans for startups, including for a Nobel Prize winner, and for spinouts, new products, and public companies.Dr. Weickert is CEO of Pacylex Pharmaceuticals (part-time), Executive Chairman of Chelation Partners, COO of Greenfire Bio (part time). He was formerly CEO of illumiSonics, Sonescence and S.E.A. Medical Systems where he was also co-founder and Chairman. He also is former COO of Ohm Oncology and was Chief Business Officer at Corium International, Inc. an established drug delivery company, and StrataGent Life Sciences, Inc., a drug delivery startup, where he managed marketing, business development and finance and worked on the merger of the two companies. As the Vice President of Development for Auspex Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Dr. Weickert planned and led development of their flagship deuterated CNS/psych pharmaceutical product. Dr. Weickert personally initiated and negotiated Seed through Series C investment rounds and partnerships valued in the hundreds of millions of dollars. While at Nektar Therapeutics, Dr. Weickert created a start-up anti-infectives business unit that placed four products in development and formed the core of a nine-figure pulmonary business acquisition by Novartis. He also developed and led Portfolio Management, New Product Planning, and Product Marketing groups. Dr. Weickert has been a Limited Partner at Quantum Technology Partners often participating in diligence, on the drug and device screening committees for Life Science Angels (LSA) in Silicon Valley for 6 years, screening hundreds of opportunities for those worth investing in, and a venture partner at another fund. Dr. Weickert holds a Ph.D. and M.S. in Genetics from the University of Wisconsin, an M.S. in Biology from Northern Illinois University, and B.A. in Biology from Southern Illinois University. He completed his postdoctoral fellowship with the National Cancer Institute/NIH.Dr. Weickert maintains a professional blog that may be found at www.witcreek.com/musings-on-medical-startups.html and invites connections on LinkedIn www.linkedin.com/in/weickert He resides in California with his wife and three children.