Co-founders & Board of Directors
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Dr. Gary Ruvkun
Recipient of the Nobel Prize in Medicine 2024
Professor, Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School
Co-founder and Board Member
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Dr. Ruvkun is a Professor of Genetics, Harvard Medical School and Hans-Hermann Schoene Distinguished Investigator, Department of Molecular Biology, Massachusetts General Hospital.
In addition to receiving the 2024 Nobel prize in Medicine, he was also awarded the prestigious Dan David Prize for his pioneering research on aging, and the Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences for his ground-breaking work in micro-RNA pathway and the Albert Lasker Award for Basic Medical Research.
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With a distinguished academic career, Professor Ruvkun’s holds memberships in National Academy of Sciences, the Institute of Medicine and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. His major research interests span microRNA and RNA interference mechanisms, microbial diversity, neuroendocrine control of detoxification, immunity, metabolism, aging, host-microbe interactions, and the potential for life on Mars. He has authored over 190 publications in high impact journals, contributing groundbreaking work in small RNA, aging, and host-microbe interactions.
Dr. Rudolph Tanzi
Joseph P. and Rose F. Kennedy Professor of Neurology at Harvard Medical School
Co-Director, Mass General Institute for Neurodegenerative Disease
Co-Director, McCance Center for Brain Health
Co-founder and Board Member
Dr. Rudolph Tanzi is a world-renowned neuroscientist and expert in Alzheimer's disease research. As the Co-Director of the McCance Center for Brain Health and the Mass General Institute for Neurodegenerative Disease, he has made significant contributions to our understanding of Alzheimer's and neurodegenerative diseases. Dr. Tanzi discovered several key Alzheimer's genes, including all three of the early-onset familial Alzheimer’s genes, and he directs the Alzheimer's Genome Project.
A pioneer in the development of disease models, Dr. Tanzi is advancing therapeutic approaches to Alzheimer's using human mini-brain organoid models developed in his lab. More recently, he introduced the “anti-microbial hypothesis” of Alzheimer’s, suggesting that infections may play a crucial role in the disease's development.
Dr. Tanzi has published over 600 scientific papers and has received numerous accolades, including the Metropolitan Life Award, the Potamkin Prize, and the Smithsonian American Ingenuity Award. He was also named to the TIME 100 list of the world’s most influential people in 2015. In addition to his scientific achievements, Dr. Tanzi is a New York Times bestselling author, having co-authored the books Decoding Darkness and three bestsellers with Deepak Chopra: Super Brain, Super Genes, and The Healing Self.
Outside of his academic career, Dr. Tanzi is also an accomplished musician, playing keyboards alongside Joe Perry of Aerosmith and other renowned artists.
Priti Chatter
General Partner, NeoNet Capital LLC.
Co-founder and Board Member
Priti is a successful entrepreneur and as a partner at NeoNet she focuses on investing on companies that translate groundbreaking science into innovative products. Over the years NeoNet has collaborated with visionary founders across sectors ranging from healthcare analytics to energy efficiency. Before NeoNet, she was a founding team member at technology startups in the telecom and internet industries. She holds six patents. Priti earned her M.S. in Administration from Boston College, and a Graduate Certificate in Finance from Harvard University.
Priti is always striving to give back to the community and serves as trustee to the Museum of Science, Boston. She is equally passionate about supporting charities focused on providing access to quality education for underprivileged students. Together with her husband, she has supported multiple research initiatives and endowed two chaired professorships at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.
Dr. J. Amaranath Govindan
Co-founder and Chief Scientific Officer
Board Member
J earned his Ph.D. in Genetics and Molecular Biology from Vanderbilt University, followed by eight years postdoctoral research in Professor Ruvkun's lab at Massachusetts General Hospital / Harvard Medical School. During this time, J dedicated four years to researching the microbiome. His work has focused specifically on identifying molecular mechanisms that are involved in host physiology, metabolism, and aging.
J has pioneered in the identification and characterization of genetic pathways involved in the host as well as microbes. He holds seven patents, with additional applications pending, and has authored 11 publications in high-impact journals, including Nature Cell Biology, Current Biology, Developmental Biology, and PNAS.
Dr. Elam Jayamani
Co-founder and Chief Technology Officer
Elam completed his Ph.D. from Max-Planck Institute in Germany, specializing in anaerobic microbiology. His doctoral research was focused on the metabolic pathways leading to short chain fatty acid production (metabolites) in anaerobic bacteria. In his four years of postdoctoral work at Professor Ruvkun’s lab at MGH / Harvard Medical School, he isolated the microbes that have evolved to target specific host pathways, to benefit the host’s physiology and metabolism.
Elam holds six patents, with additional applications pending, and has authored over 20 publications in high-impact journals, including Nature Cell Biology, PNAS, Journal of Bacteriology, and Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy.
Zachary Gund
Managing Partner, Coppermine Capital
Board Member
Zack is Managing Partner at Coppermine Capital a private investment firm he founded in 2002. He is currently serving as Chairman of Coppermine Bakery Holdings and is on the boards of Accord Care, Autism Care Partners, and Swan Fabrics. He also serves as a director of the Kellanova Company and W.K. Kellogg Co (Previously Kellogg Company). He received a BA from the University of Vermont and earned an MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg Graduate School of Management. He is a trustee of the George Gund Foundation, Fenn School, and the Epiphany School.
Mukesh Chatter
CEO, and Co-Founder, Alsym Energy
General Partner, NeoNet Capital LLC.
Board Member
Mukesh Chatter is a serial entrepreneur and CEO of Alsym Energy, a battery company offering high-performance, non-flammable, and low-cost energy storage alternative to Lithium-ion technology. Alysm’s innovative best-in-class batteries are ideally suited for stationery and mobility applications. Earlier, Mukesh co-founded Nexabit Networks, a highly successful terabit switch/router company until its acquisition by Lucent Technologies. Mukesh also co-manages NeoNet Capital LLC, an investment firm focused on funding outside-the-box, innovative ideas.
Mukesh was named one of the Top 10 Entrepreneurs of the Year by Red Herring Magazine and was named Rensselaer Entrepreneur of the Year in 2001. He holds over 23 patents and has several more pending. Over the years, he has served on several boards and has been widely covered by prestigious US and international media outlets.
Mukesh also serves on the Board of Trustees at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Mukesh and his wife Priti are deeply passionate about developing affordable solutions to global problems and have supported research projects at MIT and Harvard Medical School. They have also endowed two chaired professorships at Rensselaer to support development of clean water and carbon capture technologies. Mukesh received his master’s degree in computer and systems engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York.