Anja König became the global head of Novartis Venture Fund (NVF), the corporate venturing unit of Switzerland-based pharmaceutical company Novartis, following the retirement of Reinhard Ambros in June 2017.
As managing director of NVF for the decade beginning June 2007, König had been investing in Europe and Asia-Pacific, and had been named as part of GCV’s 2017 Rising Stars list before stepping into the top role.
The unit’s primary focus is on the development of novel therapeutics and platforms. According to NVF: “In our investments we look for unmet need and clinical impact, novel proprietary science and understanding of mechanism, management and board experience and capital efficiency in the program.”
NVF’s latest investments include leading the series B round for immuno-oncology company Epsilogen, based in the UK, as well as a role in the $55m series A round for Splice Bio, a biotech company based on intein technologies spun out of Princeton University’s Muir Lab.
The unit has also recently invested in ImmPact Bio, a developer of cancer therapies, and Ikas Industrial Automation, a provider of intelligent manufacturing solutions.
Before joining NVF in 2006, König was a US-based associate partner at management consultancy firm McKinsey, where she worked with healthcare, pharmaceutical and biotech firms on both sides of the Atlantic.
König studied physics throughout her academic career – she holds a bachelor’s degree from University of Oxford, a master’s degree from Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich and a PhD from Cornell University.
König is a member of the board of trustees of the Swiss National Science Foundation, and an independent board director of Sensirion, a Switzerland-based developer of sensors for manufacturing companies.
