Lessons Learned: My Two Start-Ups Cedric Francois, CEO of Apellis Pharmaceuticals
Join the Venture Connectors as we hear from Cedric Francois, CEO of Apellis Pharmaceuticals. Francois will discuss his experiences founding two companies and the lessons learned from his first company. In 2003 he founded Potentia Pharmaceuticals, which went on to become the first group to test complement-inhibiting drug candidates for age-related macular degeneration and was sold to Alcon, the world's largest ophthalmology company, in 2009. In May 2010, he founded Apellis Pharmaceuticals and became its Chief Executive Officer. Apellis is hoping to develop groundbreaking new therapies for a range of chronic inflammatory diseases. Dr. Francois is an inventor on many biotechnology patent applications, including all of Potentia's and Apellis' proprietary patent applications.
Francois' primary areas of expertise are immunology and immune system mediated disease. Cedric Francois received his medical degree from the University of Leuven in Belgium and his Ph.D. in Physiology from the University of Louisville. Following postgraduate training in pediatric and transplant surgery, Dr. Francois was a member of the research team that performed the first successful hand transplantation and of the Louisville Face Transplant Team, whose work supported the first human face transplantation in Lyon, France in 2005. He has published numerous publications and is the principal author on the clinical report of the first four human hand transplantations.
Five Minute Presenters
Presenting your business at the Venture Connectors’s monthly meeting is an excellent way to get in front of the area's top financiers and service providers in one organized venue. While there is never a guarantee that you will get funding from the meeting, you may find yourself contacted by another interested party by a referral from the club!
The Venture Connectors was originally formed in1995 as the Venture Club of Louisville;to bring entrepreneurs and investors together in a professional but relaxed forum. The monthly meetings offer both groups the opportunity to make valuable contacts, exchange information, and pursue mutual business opportunities.
The Winner of the 3rd Annual Venture Sharks Competition
