Stephen Curtis

Stephen Curtis is a life-sciences investor and biotech operator who spent his venture career focused on oncology company creation. He holds a PhD in Biological and Biomedical Sciences from Harvard Medical School, where his research centered on the cellular biology and genetics of lung cancer, and a dual BS in Molecular Biology and Applied Economics & Management from Cornell University, where he graduated summa cum laude. He is a Kauffman Fellow (Class 20) and previously co-chaired that program's Life Sciences and Healthcare Special Interest Group, as well as co-leading its Boston chapter.

Curtis joined MPM Capital (now MPM BioImpact) in 2018, where he became Managing Director of the firm's Oncology Innovations Fund — a hybrid venture/philanthropy collaboration with Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. In that role (roughly 2018–2022) he led investment identification, due diligence, and business development for seed- and Series A-stage biotech companies, launched and helped build multiple portfolio companies, took interim operating positions, and supported MPM's partnerships with Dana-Farber and Gilead Sciences. He also worked across MPM's flagship BioVentures fund.

Before MPM, Curtis was Senior Director / Director of Business Development for Emerging Technology and Innovation at Eli Lilly and Company, overseeing venture partnerships and equity investments. Earlier he co-led the Bioscience Ventures group within 2M Companies, the Dallas-based family office of Morton H. Meyerson, focused on seed and Series A biotech, and ran the Technology Evaluation and In-Licensing program at Reata Pharmaceuticals, where he led the acquisition of a clinical-stage asset.

Today Curtis is Senior Director of New Ventures (Innovation and Investments) at BrightEdge, the innovation and impact-investing arm of the American Cancer Society, where he leads innovation-acceleration programs for oncology-focused founders and the group's impact-investing strategy through the ACS Impact Venture Fund. He also volunteers as an advisor with the Follicular Lymphoma Foundation, the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation's IBD Ventures, and the Milken Institute FasterCures TRAIN program.

• Invests at seed and Series A in early-stage life-sciences companies; typical range $100K–$5.0M, with a ~$1.5M sweet spot.
• Deep focus on oncology and biotech, extending to pharmaceuticals, diagnostics, devices, and cancer-focused technologies.
• Favors company creation around institutional science — his MPM mandate was explicitly built on translating Dana-Farber Cancer Institute research into new companies.
• Blends venture returns with mission/impact — the MPM Oncology Innovations Fund was a "hybrid venture/philanthropy" model, and at BrightEdge he backs "mission-aligned," for-profit, cancer-focused startups.
• Brings an operator + business-development lens (Lilly, Reata, interim operating roles), so values assets that can be de-risked and partnered, not just financed.