Rick Ryan has over 40 years of experience in business management and new technology development in the life sciences industry. He has held executive leadership positions in multinational corporations as well as early-stage ventures. Currently Rick serves as Operating Partner of Cultivation Capital Life Sciences Fund I and II, and as Chairman of the Board of Apertus Pharmaceuticals, which he co-founded. Apertus is a CDMO and also has a 503b compounding pharmacy.
Rick’s career in biotechnology started at Monsanto Corporation, where he held several leadership roles in technology/product development, commercial development, and strategic planning. He moved into vaccine commercial development at Embrex Inc, followed by Linco Research where he was President. He led this immunodiagnostic company to a successful acquisition by Millipore Corporation. He continued to serve there as Vice President of the Drug Discovery and Development business unit, until Millipore was acquired by Merck KGAa. Rick was a co-founder of the Life Sciences group at Cultivation Capital.
Rick received a B.S. in chemistry from Central College, Pella IA (1970) and his PhD in BioChemistry from the University of Illinois (1976). He was a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Wisconsin, Madison (1976-1978). While at Monsanto he obtained an Executive MBA from Washington University in St. Louis (1994) . Rick was honored to be named a Distinguished Alumni of the Olin School of Business at Wash U in 2017.
Rick has a love baseball, playing throughout his college years and semi-pro thereafter; leading to his avid following of St. Louis Cardinal baseball, and many years of season tickets. He and his wife Sarah have two children and have been married fifty five years.
The background described above reflects this individual’s professional experience, including prior roles, outside activities, and involvement with Cultivation Capital portfolio companies. It does not represent the investment performance of any Cultivation Capital fund and should not be relied upon as an indication of future results.
