Closely held Strand Therapeutics has announced the appointment of Kunal Bhatia as chief financial officer (CFO).
Mr. Bhatia brings 15 years of investment banking experience leading fundraising, business development, and M&A for more than 100 public and private biopharmaceutical companies. Prior to joining Strand, he served as interim CFO and CBO for a portfolio of private life sciences companies. Previously, he was a managing director in the Healthcare Investment Banking Group at Cowen, contributing to the growth of its life sciences franchise. Earlier, he held investment banking roles at Jefferies and Credit Suisse.
In a statement, Jake Becraft, PhD, co-founder and CEO of Strand, commented, “With early validation of our platform in the clinic, we have built a pipeline from solid tumor immuno-oncology to systemic delivery to in vivo cell therapy. As we enter the next chapter, we’ve identified a financial leader who matches Strand’s ambition and momentum. Having worked alongside some of the most ambitious biotech builders through capital raises and transactions, Kunal knows what it takes to scale innovative platform companies through their critical growth stages.”
Mr. Bhatia remarked, “Strand is at an inflection point, with clinical momentum, a growing pipeline, and the kind of investor syndicate that reflects real conviction in the platform. I’m looking forward to working with the team to build on that foundation as the company enters its next phase.”
