Vivo Capital Appoints New Managing Partners and Partners

PALO ALTO, Calif., Jan. 11, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — Vivo Capital, LLC, a leading global healthcare investment firm, is pleased to announce the appointments of Dr. Hongbo Lu, Mr. Jack Bech Nielsen, and Mr. Michael Chang to Managing Partners.  The Firm is also promoting Ms. Cinthia Sheu, Chief Operating Officer, and Ms. Zhanping Wu, General Counsel, to Partners within the management company.

Dr. Frank Kung, Co-Founder, Managing Partner, and Chairman of Vivo, said: “Hongbo is a remarkably talented investor whom we have known and collaborated with for more than ten years, and we couldn’t be more thrilled to welcome her to Vivo.  We look forward to her playing a critical role in the Firm’s investments in innovation and public equity globally.  She will also serve as the Chief Investment Officer for Vivo in China.  Jack and Michael have contributed tremendously to both the growth of the Firm and to the success of our investment portfolios.  They embody the Firm’s core values of integrity, entrepreneurship, and teamwork.  We look forward to their continued leadership and contributions to the Firm as we continue to grow.”

Dr. Edgar Engleman, Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Vivo, said: “The diverse talents Hongbo, Jack, and Michael bring to Vivo’s leadership team will fortify the Firm’s capabilities as a specialist healthcare investor, and will continue to build upon the foundation for Vivo’s organizational development, global strategy, and future growth.”

Hongbo Lu has close to 20 years of healthcare investment experience in both public securities and private companies.  Before joining Vivo, she served as a Managing Partner at Lilly Asia Ventures (LAV).  Prior to that, she served as a Managing Director at OrbiMed Advisors.  Dr. Lu started her Wall Street career as a biotech analyst at Piper Jaffray & Co. and was involved in biotech start-ups in the Bay Area previously.  Over her investment career, Dr. Lu has invested extensively in both China and the U.S.  She served on the boards of Turning Point Therapeutics (TPTX), CrownBio (6554.TT, acquired by JSR), Avedro (AVDR, acquired by Glaukos), Passage (PASG, observer), MedCaptain (observer), Echosens, Terns, and Perfuse.  She was also extensively involved in the company incubations of ADARx, Elpiscience, Geneception, and Ronovo since inception as a founding investor and director.  Hongbo earned a Ph.D. in Bioengineering from the University of Washington, an M.B.A. from the Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley, and graduated with honors from Tsinghua University.

Jack Bech Nielsen joined Vivo in 2017 as a Managing Director and has demonstrated a strong leadership role in the Firm’s investment activities.  Jack currently serves on the boards of ALX Oncology (ALXO), Aligos Therapeutics (ALGS), Harmony Biosciences (HRMY), Instil Bio, Maculogix, and Reata Pharmaceuticals (RETA).  He also previously served on the boards of Crinetics Pharmaceuticals (CRNX) and several other companies.  Prior to joining Vivo, Jack served as a Senior Partner within the Novo A/S organization, where he established Novo Ventures’ U.S. office.  Previously, he also served various positions in Novo Nordisk A/S, ranging from R&D projects to marketing and technical service roles.  Jack earned a M.Sc. in Chemical Engineering from the Technical University in Denmark and a Masters in Management of Technology from Center for Technology, Economics and Management; Technical University of Denmark.

Michael Chang joined Vivo in 2012 as an Associate and has developed his investment career within Vivo.  He currently leads the post-investment management, risk and investment management, and investor relations functions within the Firm.  Michael is also a key member of Vivo’s investment team, focused primarily on private investments.  Prior to joining Vivo, he assumed several roles in strategy and operations within the healthcare industry, most recently at Johnson & Johnson where he worked in strategy and commercial planning.  Michael earned a bachelor’s degree in Economics from Harvard College and an M.B.A from Harvard Business School.

About Vivo Capital

Founded in 1996, Vivo Capital is a leading global healthcare investment firm with a diverse, multi-fund investment platform in venture capital, growth equity, buyout, and public equities.  The Firm has approximately $4.3 billion in assets under management and has invested in over 280 public and private companies worldwide.  Headquartered in Palo Alto, California, the Vivo team consists of more than 50 multi-disciplinary professionals.  Vivo invests broadly in healthcare across all fund strategies, including biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, and healthcare services, with a focus on the largest healthcare markets globally.