Carole Nuechterlein has headed the Roche Venture Fund since 2001, but even after a decade at the top of the Switzerland-based drugs company’s corporate venturing unit, she said her challenges remained “exits and finding the diamonds in the rough”.
Prior to her current position managing Roche’s Sfr500m ($530m) venture fund and its 30 portfolio companies spread across 10 countries, she worked in Roche as an attorney for 10 years. She joined Roche from SangStat in Fremont, California, where she was general counsel. She began her career working at law firm Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom in its mergers and acquisitions (M&A) group. From there, she worked at Syntex/Roche in Palo Alto, California, focusing on M&A, research collaborations and licensing deals.
Due to her background in M&A, Nuechterlein led the negotiation team for Roche’s acquisitions of GlycArt and Therapeutic Human Polyclonals. She currently serves as a board observer at Aileron, Alios, Ambit, Ambrx, Conatus, Envoy, Idaho Technology and Nereus. She has a bachelor of arts from Valparaiso University and a JD (juris doctor) from University of Michigan.