Denise Bevers

Co-founder, President & CEO, Board Member

Denise is an empowering, creative, and highly impactful entrepreneur who loves a challenge and building something new from the ground up. With over 30 years of drug development experience, Denise believes in investing deeply in the people she works with and demonstrates this by building hardworking, fearless teams and nurturing strategic business partnerships. As a biotech executive and advisor, Denise has led companies to explosive business growth and raised approximately $500 million in capital privately and publicly, in addition to bringing life-saving veterinary and human therapeutics to market.

Denise co-founded Kindred Biosciences (NASDAQ: KIN), a veterinary pharmaceutical company, which was acquired by Elanco. As a leader at KindredBio, she served as President & Chief Operating Officer and board member. Most recently, Denise was Chief Operating Officer of DTx Pharma, a biotechnology company creating novel RNA-based therapeutics, where she was integral in its successful $100 million Series B capital raise. Prior to Kindred Biosciences, Denise served as President and Founding Partner of SD Scientific, a full-service medical affairs and communications company, and has held management positions at Elan Pharmaceuticals, SkyePharma, Quintiles and Scripps Clinic and Research Foundation.

Denise serves on the board of several nonprofits and biotech companies, from CONNECT, which provides connections and resources to Southern California innovators and entrepreneurs, to Hilltop Bio which develops regenerative therapies for animals. She is a passionate trustee and executive committee member of La Jolla Playhouse where she co-hosts Innovation Night, bringing together biotech and tech thought leaders to celebrate theatre.

Denise earned her B.S. from University of California, San Diego in Ecology, Behavior, and Evolution. She also holds an M.B.A. from Keller Graduate School of Management.

Based in San Diego, California, Denise is an explorer who loves hiking, traveling, and a spending time in the ocean. When she is not spending time with her furry four-legged children, she and her husband are passionate supporters of theater, both locally and as Broadway investors.