Biotechnology entrepreneur and executive, Dr. Shawn Iadonato has a distinguished career as a founder and C-level executive (CEO, COO, CSO) for both public and private biotech companies. He has extensive experience in founding, funding, and building innovative businesses with groundbreaking technologies.

Throughout his career, Dr. Iadonato has demonstrated a proven track record in private and public financing, including successfully taking a company public in the US. His expertise spans building and empowering teams, strategic planning, licensing and acquisitions, and product development from discovery through Phase 2 in oncology, inflammation, and infectious diseases.

Notable achievements include his tenure as CEO of Kineta Inc. (2016 – 2024), where he took the company public via a reverse merger and raised approximately $100 million in private and public equity financing. He secured significant partnerships, including a $525 million agreement with Pfizer for immuno-oncology products, a $360 million option and license agreement with Genentech/Roche for neuropathic pain products, and a clinical collaboration with Merck. Additionally, he established a strategic partnership with the Wellcome Trust to develop novel antiviral products for West Africa.

As a founder and CSO at Kineta Inc. from 2008 to 2016, Dr. Iadonato was responsible for all aspects of pipeline development. He successfully completed regulatory submissions in multiple regions and secured $30 million in non-dilutive funding from the NIH and other federal agencies. He is an inventor on more than 35 issued US patents related to drug candidates and platform technologies.

Prior to Kineta, Dr. Iadonato co-founded Illumigen Biosciences Inc., where he raised approximately $20 million in private equity financing and secured a $347 million acquisition by Cubist Pharmaceuticals. He began his career as a Group Leader at the University of Washington Genome Center, leading the high-throughput genome sequencing group. Dr. Iadonato has a PhD in genetics from the University of Washington and a BA in biology from the University of Pennsylvania.