DCVC Bio

Cofounder and Managing Partner of DCVC Bio.

Cofounder and Managing Partner of DCVC Bio.

Justin Kern is an investor with a background in microbiology who focuses on companies applying technology across therapeutics, agriculture, food, and industrial applications, supporting them from early stages through exit. He previously invested at Paine Schwartz Partners, a private-equity firm in food and agriculture, and was a partner at AccelR8, an early-stage deep tech VC firm focused on climate change mitigation through advanced materials, synthetic biology, and agriculture. He holds a PhD in microbiology and bachelor's degrees in biology and economics from the University of Chicago and completed a postdoctoral scholarship at Stanford University.

Emily Park invests in early-stage therapeutics platform and computational biology companies at DCVC Bio, concentrating on drug development and pipeline strategy while advising portfolio companies on operations and fundraising. She previously worked in public markets as a biotech equities analyst at Point72 Asset Management and on Goldman Sachs' Global Investment Research team, and has consulted independently for hedge funds and TechBio companies. She holds a bachelor's degree in English literature from Columbia University and an MD from Rutgers New Jersey Medical School.

Aimee Villamayor supports the DCVC Bio managing partners with scheduling, event and offsite organization, and running the firm's San Francisco office. Before joining DCVC Bio in 2018, she was People Experience Manager and Office Manager at a San Francisco health and wellness company and spent over a decade at investment banks and hedge funds. She holds a bachelor's degree in economics with a minor in geology and Earth science from San Francisco State University.

Carly Smith manages day-to-day operations of the DCVC Bio office, coordinating with team members and handling scheduling for key personnel. Before joining the firm, she held office management roles across various sectors, including startups and Michelin-starred restaurants. She holds a bachelor's degree in mathematics from Mills College.

Chris Meldrum works on new company creation at DCVC Bio, partnering with scientific founding teams from academia and industry to launch ventures, with a focus on therapeutic platform companies in biotechnology. He previously co-founded and served as Managing Director at Golden Pine Ventures, where he launched and ran six biotech start-ups spun out of eastern U.S. universities, and earlier was Director of Corporate Alliances at Paradigm Genetics and managed biotechnology out-licensing at Purdue University. He holds an MBA from the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota and a bachelor's degree in chemistry from the University of Utah.

Serge Messerlian has worked across the life sciences industry in hematology, oncology, immunology, and rare diseases. He was CEO of Teon Therapeutics, an immuno-oncology biotech, and previously served as President of Janssen Oncology, a division of Johnson & Johnson, where he directed strategy for brands and pipeline programs including cell therapies and bi-specifics. He also held executive roles at Johnson & Johnson's Actelion, Baxalta, and Baxter International, and holds degrees from McGill University and an MBA from the University of Toronto.