BOSTON– Third Rock Ventures announced that Jigar Raythatha has joined the company as a venture partner after holding several senior strategic roles at some of the firm’s portfolio companies.
Most recently, Mr. Raythatha was CEO of Constellation Pharmaceuticals, where he led the company through an IPO and its recent acquisition by MorphoSys AG. Under Mr. Raythatha’s leadership, Constellation made important advancements with its pipeline of epigenetic programs in hematology-oncology, which were seen as a value driver for MorphoSys AG.
Mr. Raythatha had originally joined Constellation shortly after its founding as head of corporate development. He then joined Jounce Therapeutics as its chief business officer, and one of its first employees, before returning to Constellation as CEO.
“The role of venture partner is an incredibly important and valued one at Third Rock,” saidAbbie Celniker, Ph.D., partner at Third Rock. “We are constantly looking to identify key individuals with profiles in critical areas of expertise – strategic, scientific, financial andoperational. These individuals are integral in the discovery and creation of our portfolio companies, often taking on interim leadership roles in the early days.”
Mr. Raythatha has spent nearly 25 years in the biotechnology industry in a variety of business functions. Most recently he served as president and CEO of Constellation Pharmaceuticals from March 2017 until its acquisition by MorphoSys AG in July 2021 for $1.7 billion.
In this role, Mr. Raythatha transformed the company from an early-stage discovery company to an integrated discovery, development, and commercial company. Prior to Constellation, he worked with Red Abbey Venture Partners, initially, as a Kauffman Fellow and later as a principal and venture partner. Earlier in his career, Mr. Raythatha held roles of increasing responsibility at Biogen and A.T. Kearney.
He earned an MBA from Columbia University and a B.A. in biochemistry and economics from Rutgers University. Mr. Raythatha is currently a member of the board of directors at Jounce Therapeutics and the American Cancer Society New England Area.
Third Rock Ventures is a leading healthcare venture firm focused on advancing disruptive areas of science and medicine to deliver breakthroughs to patients.
