St. Louis-based clinical-stage biotechnology startup Wugen, which has raised more than $200 million in venture funding as it develops cancer-fighting drugs, has added to its C-suite.
Wugen said Wednesday it hired Keith Vendola as its chief financial officer. He began in the newly created role in October, Wugen said Wednesday.
“We are delighted to welcome Keith as Wugen’s CFO. Keith’s demonstrated success in cultivating longstanding relationships and executing strategic financing transactions with an array of investors will be an asset to Wugen as we pursue our goals to deliver groundbreaking clinical data and bring innovative cancer therapies to market,” said Kumar Srinivasan, president and CEO of Wugen, in a news release.
Founded in 2018, Wugen is developing “off the shelf” cell therapies to treat various cancers, including hematological and solid tumor malignancies. The startup was created via technology licensed from Washington University and is developing so-called natural killer (NK) and T-cell therapies. Wugen has a drug candidate, WU-CART-007, currently in clinical trials, and another treatment, WU-NK-101, being developed to treat acute myelogenous leukemia.
Vendola will be based in the San Francisco region, where he lives, a Wugen spokesperson said. He has traveled regularly to Wugen's office in St. Louis and San Diego.since beginning as CFO, the company said.
“I’m thrilled to join Wugen and contribute to this team of recognized scientific pioneers and business leaders focused on this important mission to bring innovative therapeutics forward to advance cancer treatment,” Vendola said in a statement. “Making a meaningful difference in the lives of patients, that’s what it’s all about.”
Wugen said in a news release Vendola has been a part of more than 50 financial deals, totaling more than $2 billion in transaction value, during his career. Prior to joining Wugen, Vendola most recently was CFO at Danish biotechnology firm IO Biotech, leading its financial operations during its initial public offering in November 2021. He also held the CFO and chief strategy officer roles at Redwood City, California-based biopharmaceutical company Rezolute, with his tenure there overlapping with the company’s listing on the Nasdaq exchange. Asked if Wugen plans to go public in the future, a spokesperson said the company currently is focused on its drug development effort, adding the "outcomes of these efforts will shape the company’s longer term business strategies."
Vendola has a MBA in finance from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management, a medical degree from Dartmouth Medical School and a bachelor’s degree in psychology from College of the Holy Cross.
Wugen, which raised $172 million from investors in 2021 as part of a Series B financing, counts St. Louis-based investors as financial supporters, including RiverVest Venture Partners, BioGenerator and Lightchain Capital. Wugen, which has its headquarters in the Cortex innovation district in the Central West End, has 82 employees with 57 based locally, as of November.
