John L. Flavin

John has over 20 years of experience in the life sciences field focused on entrepreneurial finance and operations. He has led two successful NASDAQ IPOs, and has raised over $220 million in private and public funding. Over his career, he has successfully built a series of companies and the requisite business and scientific teams focused on discovery and development of novel therapeutics. Flavin was co-founder, President, CFO and board member for Advanced Life Sciences where he led the Company's financings and operations to support the acquisition and development of a novel antibiotic through NDA submission and FDA advisory committee review. Before that, he was COO and board member of MediChem and CEO of its ThermoGen and Emerald Biostructures Divisions, where he was instrumental in building the Company from start-up to over 230 employees and led its sale to DeCODE genetics, Inc. John is also the Executive Director of the Chicago Innovation Exchange at the University of Chicago. The CIE is an innovation campus on 53rd Street in Hyde Park focused on entrepreneurship and commercializing innovation arising from all parts of the University of Chicago and its affiliates by providing co-working space, programming, connections to corporate partners and early start-up capital through the Innovation Fund. Prior to joining the CIE, John was the Executive Director of Chicago Innovation Mentors, a consortium of the University of Chicago, Northwestern University, University of Illinois, Argonne National Laboratory, and Propel focused on commercializing complex technology innovation and entrepreneurship. John is a board member at the Illinois Science and Technology Coalition and a member of the Lewis University Council of Regents. John was past awardee of the Marquette University College of Business Young Alumnus of the Year and KPMG Illinois High Tech Award. Flavin holds a B.S. in Business Administration from Marquette University and a M.B.A. in Finance from Lewis University.