Who is Orn Almarsson?

Executive Officer, Director, Promoter at Axelyf

Where does Orn Almarsson work?

Orn Almarsson is Founder of Axelyf.

Where did Orn Almarsson go to school?

Orn Almarsson studied at UC Santa Barbara (Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Bioorganic chemistry); Harvard Business School (Leadership and Strategy in Biotech and Pharma); Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Postdoc, non-aqueous enzymology).

Orn Almarsson

Founder

Founder at Axelyf

Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, United States

FoundedAxelyf

Find your path to Orn

721 people in our graph share verified history with Orn — schools, employers, funds. One of them is your warm intro.

Árni BlöndalunlockedOrn: together at Axelyf (2025–2026)

Orn: together at Axelyf

×6Orn: together at Moderna

×4Orn: together at J&J PRD

Founder at Axelyf

Intro paths

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In turn, Orn can intro founders to Axelyf's investors below.

Axelyf's investors · 1

Brunnur Ventures GPReykjavik · $1M – $3M checks · since 2025

Experience

AxelyfChief Executive Officercurrent2025 — presentMassachusetts, United States
AxelyfCo-Foundercurrent2022 — presentHafnarfjörður, Capital Region, Iceland
AxelyfChief Executive Officer2025 — 2026Massachusetts, United States
UNSWVisiting Fellow, chemistry and RNA institutecurrent2022 — present
AfiRx, LLCPrincipalcurrent2022 — presentBrookline, Massachusetts, United States
Lyndra TherapeuticsChief Technology Officer2020 — 2022Massachusetts, United States
Moderna TherapeuticsHead of Delivery Sciences2013 — 2020Cambridge, MA
AlkermesVice President2008 — 2013
Transform PharmaceuticalsSenior Director2000 — 2008
J&J PRDSenior Director, early drug product development US2005 — 2008
MerckResearch Fellow / group leader preformulation1995 — 2000

Skills & more

Formulation Development8Pharmaceuticals4Chemistry35Biotechnology40Analytical Chemistry42R&D32Product Development12Drug Delivery25Drug Discovery74Pharmaceutical Industry72Formulation55Commercialization7

+5 more

LifesciencesCharacterizationBiopharmaceuticalsDrug DevelopmentPharmaceutics

Languages Danish · German

From Orn's professional profile.

Frequently asked questions

Who is Orn Almarsson?: Executive Officer, Director, Promoter at Axelyf
Where does Orn Almarsson work?: Orn Almarsson is Founder of Axelyf.
What companies did Orn Almarsson found?: Orn Almarsson founded Axelyf.
Where did Orn Almarsson go to school?: Orn Almarsson studied at UC Santa Barbara (Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Bioorganic chemistry); Harvard Business School (Leadership and Strategy in Biotech and Pharma); Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Postdoc, non-aqueous enzymology).

Founder mafias

Massachusetts Institute of Technology mafia1,422

Also came through, then founded or led a company.

Elad GilPhDFounded Brain Co. +1 Hemant TanejaS.B.Founded Hippocratic AI Nat FriedmanBachelor of ScienceFounded Xamarin Brad FeldS.B.Founded Techstars Matt HuangB.S.Founded Paradigm +1 Delian AsparouhovDropoutFounded Nightingale +1

+ 1,415 more →

Harvard Business School mafia1,221

Also came through, then founded or led a company.

Brad GerstnerMBAFounded Altimeter Tim DraperMBAFounded Draper Associates Mike Maples JrMBAFounded Pattern Breakers Hristo BorisovOPM Class 64Founded Payhawk Noubar AfeyanVisiting LecturerFounded ProFound Therapeutics +16 Wade MyersMBAFounded RealManage +6

+ 1,214 more →

UC Santa Barbara mafia217

Also came through, then founded or led a company.

Logan GreenBAFounded Lyft Nils ReggeBAFounded Developx +2 Michael WitzbaFounded Mob Science +2 Brett GibsonBAFounded Slinkset +1 Zheng XuPh.D.Founded SolarCity +1 Anita KhamvongsaBachelor of Arts (B.A.)Founded Venbrook +1

+ 210 more →

Háskóli Íslands mafia15

Also came through, then founded or led a company.

David SimonarsonBachelor of scienceFounded Watchbox +1 Stefania OlafsdottirBachelor of Science (B.Sc.)Founded Avo Johann HaraldssonCand ScientFounded Lucinity Guðmundur KristjánssonBachelor's DegreeFounded Lucinity Ymir VigfussonB.ScFounded KeyStrike Johannes GudmundssonB. Sc.Founded inecta

+ 8 more →

Moderna mafia9

Also came through, then founded or led a company.

Dave JohnsonDirector, InformaticsFounded Dash Bio Noubar AfeyanDirectorFounded ProFound Therapeutics +15 Andrew FraleyHead of ChemistryFounded Korro Bio +1 Axel BouchonSerial CEO for Moderna Ventures and SVP Moderna Therapeutics, IncFounded Matter Neuroscience Roi RazSr. Director - Investor RelationsFounded ReBio Tatiana NovobrantsevaChief Scientific Officer, Immuno-Oncology ResearchFounded Verseau Therapeutics

+ 2 more →

Same school

Also attended UC Santa Barbara478

Logan GreenCo-founder of Lyft Jen WangDeal Operations Manager at Felicis Ventures Arturo LitvinHead of Global Portfolio Development at Intel Capital Kevin ThauInvestor at Spark Capital Erica DelamareInvestor at Daphni Stephanie DuranInvestor at True Ventures

+ 472 more

Also attended Harvard Business School2,000

Aileen LeeFounder & Managing Partner of Cowboy Ventures Jim BreyerFounder & CEO of Breyer Capital Mike Maples JrCo-founding Partner at Floodgate Neeraj AgrawalGeneral Partner at Battery Ventures Hristo BorisovCo-founder & CEO of Payhawk Victoria TreygerGeneral Partner at Felicis Ventures

+ 1,994 more

Also attended Massachusetts Institute of Technology2,000

Hemant TanejaCEO & Managing Director of General Catalyst Nat FriedmanCo-lead of Meta Superintelligence Labs; co-founder of NFDG Brad FeldCo-founder of Foundry and Techstars Matt HuangCo-founder and Managing Partner at Paradigm Delian AsparouhovPartner at Founders Fund and co-founder of Varda Drew HoustonCo-founder & CEO of Dropbox

+ 1,994 more

Also attended Háskóli Íslands33

Hrönn GreipsdóttirCEO at New Business Venture Fund Árni BlöndalFounding Partner at Brunnur Ventures GP Sigurdur ArnljotssonFounding Partner at Brunnur Ventures GP Ásthildur OtharsdóttirGeneral Partner at Frumtak Ventures Andri Heiðar KristinssonGeneral Partner at Frumtak Ventures Hekla ArnardottirFounding Partner at Crowberry Capital

+ 27 more

Shared employers

Also worked at UNSW83

Mike Cannon-BrookesCo-founder & CEO of Atlassian Kate MasonVenture Partner at AirTree Ventures Daphne ShenChief of Staff at AirTree Ventures Josh CondousIT & Security Manager at AirTree Ventures Kylie FrazerCo-Founder at Flying Fox Ventures Victor HaPartner at Quadrant Private Equity Pty Ltd.

+ 77 more

Also worked at Moderna Therapeutics31

Dave JohnsonCo-founder & CEO of Dash Bio Noubar AfeyanInvestor at Flagship Pioneering Gisella de la RochaVice President of Legal at MPM BioImpact Axel BouchonVenture Partner at ARCH Venture Partners Jordan SilvaCampus Lead at The MBA Fund Lee CooperManaging Director at Delos Capital

+ 25 more

Also worked at Alkermes11

Haley LeversedgeInvestor at Silversmith Capital Partners Maria V Lopez-BresnahanInvestment Advisory Committee at 3CC | Third Culture Capital Mark RosenblumExecutive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer at Salarius Pharmaceuticals Magali HickeySVP, Technical Operations and CMC at Beren Ethan CashSenior Vice President, Head of Portfolio Management and Program Development at Strandtx Lloyd JohnstonExecutive Officer at Cartesian Therapeutics (NASDAQ: RNAC)

+ 5 more

Also worked at Transform Pharmaceuticals4

Erin MooreInvestor at Third Rock Ventures Jeb KeiperInvestor at Third Rock Ventures Rami DaoudExecutive Officer at Affinia Therapeutics Eric GornsteinExecutive Officer, Director at Pearl Diagnostics