Venture capital investment for information technology, biotechnology, and physical sciences.

ARCH Managing Directors have all managed entrepreneurial operations during their careers and have played key roles in the formation and initial funding round of a wide range of companies.

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Clinton W. Bybee, Co-founder and Managing Director
Austin

Chemicals/Specialty Materials • Electronics/Instrumentation • Semiconductors • Telecommunications • Optics • Nanotechnology

Clinton Bybee, Managing Director - photo Clinton Bybee is a co-founder and Managing Director of ARCH Venture Partners. Mr. Bybee concentrates primarily on advanced materials, electronics, semiconductors, photonics, and infrastructure businesses.

Mr. Bybee has helped organize and finance numerous companies including MicroOptical Devices (acquired by EMCORE), Cambrios Technologies, Aveso, Innovalight, Intelligent Reasoning Systems (acquired by Photon Dynamics), Semprius, Nanosys, and Xtera Communications.

He is a board member of Impinj, Innovalight, Cambrios Technologies, Xtera Communications, Nitronex and Aveso. Mr. Bybee is an organizing member of the Texas Venture Capital Association and currently serves as its first President.

Previously, Mr. Bybee worked with ARCH Development Corporation. He also managed a venture investment fund for the State of Illinois and was a production engineer with Amoco Corporation. Mr. Bybee holds an M.B.A. from the University of Chicago and a B.S. in Engineering from Texas A&M University.

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Keith L. Crandell, Co-founder and Managing Director
Chicago

Chemicals/Specialty Materials • Software • Electronics/Instrumentation • Semiconductors • Telecommunications • Optics • Nanotechnology

Keith Crandell, Managing Director - photo Keith Crandell is a co-founder and a Managing Director of ARCH Venture Partners. He focuses on chemical and specialty materials companies, electronics and instrumentation, optics and photonics, telecommunications, and enterprise infrastructure businesses. He previously served as Senior Manager at ARCH Development Corporation, where he was responsible for ARCH Venture Fund I activities at Argonne National Laboratory.

Mr. Crandell has played a key role in the formation and initial funding round of Quanterix, AlfaLight, ALIS Corp. (acquired by Carl Zeiss SMT), Eichrom Industries (acquired by Gary Comer, Inc.), Nanophase Technologies (NANX), and Illinois Superconductor (ISO). He was also responsible for ARCH's investment in New Era of Networks (NEON, acquired by Sybase-SY), Apropos Technology (APRS, acquired by Syntellect-ESL), Teach.com (acquired by Intellinex), CelebrateExpress (BDAY), Ahura Scientific, Adesto Technologies, and Crystal IS, among others.

He is a director of Quanterix, Nanosys, AlfaLight, Adesto Technologies, CelebrateExpress, and Crystal IS. Mr. Crandell also serves as a director of the Illinois Venture Capital Association and the National Venture Capital Association.

Prior to the founding of ARCH, Mr. Crandell was with the specialty chemical and polymer company, Hercules, Inc. He holds an M.B.A. from The University of Chicago, an M.S. in Chemistry from the University of Texas at Arlington, and a B.S. in Chemistry and Mathematics from St. Lawrence University.

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Steven Lazarus, Co-founder and Managing Director, Emeritus
Chicago

Steven Lazarus, Managing Director, Emeritus - photoSteven Lazarus is a co-founder and Managing Director, Emeritus of ARCH Venture Partners. He also is a director of the National Association of Corporate Directors and Rand Corporation, and a former director of the National Venture Capital Association and chairman of its research committee.

Prior to the founding of ARCH Venture Partners, Mr. Lazarus served as CEO of ARCH Development Corporation and as Associate Dean of the Graduate School of Business of The University of Chicago. He previously spent 13 years with Baxter Laboratories in various senior roles, most recently as Group Vice President of the Health Care Services Group of Baxter Travenol Laboratories. Mr. Lazarus also served in Washington D.C. as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Commerce for East-West Trade for the U.S., a government bureau he both founded and directed. Mr. Lazarus is a 21-year veteran of the U.S. Navy, retiring with the rank of Captain in 1973.

Mr. Lazarus received an M.B.A. with high distinction from the Harvard Graduate School of Business and holds an A.B. with Honors from Dartmouth College.

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Robert T. Nelsen, Co-founder and Managing Director
Seattle

Biotechnology • Pharmaceuticals • Nanotechnology

Robert Nelsen, Managing Director - photo Robert Nelsen is a co-founder and a Managing Director of ARCH Venture Partners. He focuses on biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, and micro- and nanotechnology.

Mr. Nelsen joined ARCH at its founding and has played a significant role in the early sourcing, financing and development of more than fifty companies including Ikaria, Adolor (ADLR), Aviron (AVIR, acquired by Medimmune-MEDI), Caliper Life Sciences (CALP), Illumina (ILMN), Trubion Pharmaceuticals (TRBN), Array BioPharma (ARRY), NetBot, deCODE Genetics (DCGN), Nanosys, Alnylam Pharmaceuticals (ALNY), XenoPort (XNPT), GenVec (GNVC), R2 Technology (acquired by Hologic-HOLX), IDUN Pharmaceuticals (acquired by Pfizer-PFE), Genomica (GNOM, acquired by Exelixis-EXEL), Surface Logix, NeurogesX (NGSX), Classmates.com (acquired by United Online-UNTD), Nura (acquired by Omeros), Kythera Biopharmaceuticals, Elixir Pharmaceuticals, Spaltudaq, VLST, Ensemble Discovery, Accelerator, Apoptos, Fate Therapeutics, Cancer Metabolism Therapeutics, and Everyday Learning.

Mr. Nelsen is a director of Ikaria, Adolor, Elixir Pharmaceuticals, NeurogesX, and Kythera Biopharmaceuticals. He previously served on the boards of Trubion Pharmaceuticals, Surface Logix, NetBot, Everyday Learning, Spaltudaq, Array BioPharma, Caliper Life Sciences, Illumina, R2 Technology, and Classmates.com, among others. He also served as a director of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Institute. Mr. Nelsen holds an M.B.A. from The University of Chicago and a B.S. in Economics and Biology from the University of Puget Sound.

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Steven Gillis, Managing Director
Seattle

Biotechnology • Pharmaceuticals

Steven Gillis, Managing Director - photoSteven Gillis, Ph.D. is a Managing Director with ARCH, joining the firm as a Venture Partner in 2005. Dr. Gillis is focused on the evaluation of new life science technologies and also on the development and growth of ARCH's biotechnology portfolio companies. He is a director of Trubion Pharmaceuticals (TRBN), Allozyne, Variation Biotechnologies, Limerick NeuroSciences, Magen BioSciences, Accelerator, and Surface Logix. He serves as director and Chairman of VentiRx Pharmaceuticals, Spaltudaq and VLST.

Dr. Gillis was a founder and director of Corixa Corp. and served as the company's CEO from its inception and as its Chairman from 1999 until its acquisition in 2005 by GlaxoSmithKline. Prior to Corixa, Dr. Gillis was a founder and director of Immunex Corp. From 1981 until his departure in 1994, he served as Immunex's Director of Research and Development, Chief Scientific Officer, and as CEO of Immunex's R&D subsidiary. Dr. Gillis was interim CEO of Immunex Corp. following its majority purchase by American Cyanamid Co. and remained a member of the board until 1997. Amgen, Inc. acquired Immunex in 2002.

Dr. Gillis is an immunologist by training with over 300 peer-reviewed publications in the areas of molecular and tumor immunology. He is credited as being a pioneer in the field of cytokines and cytokine receptors, directing the development of multiple marketed products including Leukine, (GM-CSF), Prokine (IL-2) and Enbrel (soluble TNF receptor-Fc fusion protein) as well as the regulatory approval of Bexxar (radiolabeled anti-CD20). Dr. Gillis received a B.A. from Williams College and a Ph.D. from Dartmouth College.

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Scott Minick, Managing Director
San Francisco

Biotechnology • Informatics • Medical Instrumentation • Pharmaceuticals

Scott Minick, Managing Director - photo

Scott Minick is a Managing Director with ARCH, joining the firm as a Venture Partner in 1998.

Mr. Minick has been instrumental in the startup, development and financing of numerous portfolio companies including XenoPort (XNPT), FastTrack Systems, MedVantx, Achaogen, BIND Biosciences Amphora Discovery, Celula, Ensemble Discovery, and Sorbent Therapeutics. He serves as a board director for Achaogen, Amphora Discovery, Celula, FastTrack Systems, Bind Biosciences, and Sorbent Therapeutics. Mr. Minick currently serves as Chairman of the Board for MedVantx and formerly served as Chairman of Xcyte Therapies (XCYT) through its IPO in 2004 and subsequent acquisition of Cyclacel Pharmaceuticals (CYCL). He also previously served as Executive Chairman of Amphora Discovery.

From 1995 until 1998, Mr. Minick was director, President and COO of SEQUUS Pharmaceuticals, a public biopharmaceutical company that was acquired by GlaxoSmithKline. From 1994 to 1995, he served as a director, President and CEO of OncoTherapeutics, a private biotechnology company. Prior to that, Mr. Minick co-founded and was a director, President and CEO of LXR Biotechnology from startup through its IPO. From 1981 to 1993, he was an executive of Baxter Healthcare, holding leadership positions in the device, service and diagnostics businesses.

He received his postgraduate training in neurobiology at the Salk Institute, an M.B.A. from Northwestern University and a B.A. with Honors from the University of California at San Diego.

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