Kylee Marks: Inno Under 25

As a former college athlete playing soccer and basketball, Kylee Marks experienced her share of losses. Now working in the drug discovery industry, her sports background helps her deal with the inevitable failures that come with pharmaceutical development.

"One loss doesn't dictate the future," Marks said. "Developing a drug is hard, so I think there's a lot of adversity that you have to overcome within the field."

With degrees in business and science — including master's degrees in pharmaceutical product development as well as business administration from Concordia University Wisconsin — Marks is uniquely equipped to succeed in the drug discovery world.

"I'll be able to communicate both to the scientists and then to potential investors as well," she said.

Marks got her first taste of entrepreneurship while working as a graduate student researcher in the lab and on the business side for Milwaukee's Estrigenix Therapeutics Inc., a pharmaceutical company aiming to develop and commercialize a drug to treat hot flashes and dementia in post-menopausal women.

As part of her graduate thesis, Marks conducted market research to determine the need for a menopausal treatment drug. Also serving as the company's director of marketing, Marks led the company's business plan and investor pitch refinement and was a finalist in the 2021 Wisconsin Governor's Business Plan Competition.

Estrigenix, which was formed in 2018 by professors from Marquette University, the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and Concordia, has proof of concept on its patented lead molecule in pre-clinical studies. The company's next step is to raise investment funding to fund clinical trials and then to eventually get acquired by a large pharmaceutical company, Marks said.

Marks said she's been inspired by Dr. Daniel Sem, the dean of Concordia's business school and Estrigenix's vice president of business development.

"Seeing him be so passionate about what he does kind of sparked that passion (for drug discovery) within myself," Marks said.

After graduating from Concordia in spring 2021, Marks accepted a job with Boston-based drug discovery software company Optibrium Ltd. She plans to move to Boston in October.

"I did envision myself staying in Wisconsin — I've lived here my whole life," Marks said. "But an opportunity presented itself and I felt like it was a good opportunity with a really good company."

Kylee Marks