BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Third Rock Ventures, LLC, a venture capital firm focused on building life sciences companies, today announced the appointment of Mark A. Goldsmith, M.D., Ph.D., to the role of venture partner in the firm’s San Francisco office. Previously, Dr. Goldsmith was president and chief executive officer of Constellation Pharmaceuticals, the leading biopharmaceutical company in the field of epigenetics and a Third Rock Ventures portfolio company. As a venture partner, Dr. Goldsmith will serve as a senior advisor to the firm and participate in the ideation, development and leadership of new companies. He will also continue his active involvement with Constellation Pharmaceuticals by serving as executive chairman.
“We are excited to welcome Mark to the firm and to the San Francisco office,” said Mark Levin, partner at Third Rock Ventures. “Mark is a proven leader in the biotech space. During his time with Constellation, he and his team built a world-class epigenetics and chromatin biology research program leading to the valuable strategic collaboration between Constellation and Genentech. His operational expertise, combined with his deep scientific background, will be a tremendous asset as we continue to create and launch innovative companies and expand our presence on the west coast.”
Prior to joining Third Rock, Dr. Goldsmith held senior executive positions in the biotechnology industry and academia. Prior to his appointment at Constellation in 2009, Dr. Goldsmith was a senior executive-in-residence at Prospect Venture Partners, a leading healthcare venture capital firm. Previously, he served as CEO of Cogentus Pharmaceuticals and as senior vice president leading the health care division of Genencor International. Before entering the private sector, Dr. Goldsmith led a medical research laboratory at the Gladstone Institute of Virology and Immunology, practiced medicine on the faculty of the University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine and at San Francisco General Hospital, and was a consultant to leading pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies. He received his undergraduate degree from Princeton University, earned his M.D. and Ph.D. in microbiology and immunology from the University of California, San Francisco and conducted postgraduate medical training at Harvard Medical School and the University of California, San Francisco.
“Having worked with the Third Rock team while at Constellation, I have experienced firsthand the firm's passion for and commitment to building and investing in companies that are founded on cutting edge science with the potential to make a difference for patients,” said Dr. Goldsmith. “I look forward to working with the teams in San Francisco and Boston to discover, ideate and launch high-value companies around transformative scientific approaches.”
Keith E. Dionne, Ph.D., a Third Rock Ventures entrepreneur-in-residence, will be leaving the firm to join Constellation as president and chief executive officer to succeed Dr. Goldsmith.
About Third Rock Ventures
Third Rock Ventures is a venture capital firm founded in 2007 with the mission to launch transformative life sciences companies. With more than $800 million and two funds under management, the firm is focused on working with passionate entrepreneurs to build exceptional companies working in areas of disruptive science that will make a difference in the lives of patients. The firm has assembled a team with deep expertise and a proven track record of building respected and successful life sciences companies. With decades of complementary, cross-functional operational and leadership experience, the Third Rock team actively engages with its portfolio companies to provide hands-on strategy and experience to successfully launch companies with the best vision, science, operations, people and culture. With offices in Boston, MA and San Francisco, CA, Third Rock is well positioned geographically to closely collaborate with its portfolio companies to achieve their goals. To learn more about Third Rock and its portfolio companies, please visit www.thirdrockventures.com.
Current Third Rock Portfolio Companies
Ablexis, Afferent Pharmaceuticals, Agios Pharmaceuticals, Allena Pharmaceuticals, Alnara Pharmaceuticals (acquired by Eli Lilly & Co. in 2010), bluebird bio, Blueprint Medicines, Constellation Pharmaceuticals, CytomX Therapeutics, DC Devices, Edimer Pharmaceuticals, Eleven Biotherapeutics, Ember Therapeutics, Foundation Medicine, Kala Pharmaceuticals, Lotus Tissue Repair, NinePoint Medical, PanOptica Pharmaceuticals, Rhythm Pharmaceuticals, SAGE Therapeutics, Seventh Sense Biosystems, Taris Biomedical, TOPICA Pharmaceuticals, Warp Drive Bio and Zafgen.