In the dynamic field of life sciences, skillful operators ensure the efficient development of medical innovations, while insightful investors provide crucial capital and strategic guidance. Rich Aldrich’s 30+ year career uniquely bridges both sides, having played key roles in founding and managing successful ventures in the industry.

Rich Aldrich is a co-founder and partner at Longwood Fund. Before Longwood, he founded RA Capital Management and has been instrumental in co-founding and contributing to the growth of notable biotech companies, including Sirtris Pharmaceuticals, Concert Pharmaceuticals, and Vertex Pharmaceuticals, among others.

In this episode, Hercules Capital’s Janice Bourque and Rich Aldrich discuss key lessons in operations and investment, the advantages of public investing, the attributes of a strong management team, Rich’s reflections on the industry and much more.

Topics include:

• Transitioning from operations to investing
• Rich’s key lessons from public investments
• The advantages of public investing
• Attributes of a strong management team
• Current areas of scientific interest for Rich
• Emerging challenges in life sciences
• Deciding whether or not to commercialize
• Rich’s reflections on the industry’s evolution
• And other topics…

Rich Aldrich is a co-founder and partner of Longwood Fund, an early-stage life science venture firm. With over 30 years of experience in the life sciences space, he has co-founded and helped build several biotech companies including Sirtris Pharmaceuticals, Concert Pharmaceuticals, and Vertex Pharmaceuticals, among others. Before the Longwood Fund, Rich founded RA Capital Management, a life sciences investment fund with an AUM of over $9 billion.

Rich received his undergraduate degree from Boston College and an MBA from the Amos Tuck School at Dartmouth. He currently serves as a Director of Longwood portfolio companies Axial, Sitryx Therapeutics, and Colorescience.