Brian Atwood is a seasoned venture capitalist with extensive experience in biotechnology investing. Brian co-founded Versant Ventures after spending four years at Brentwood Venture Capital where as a general partner he led investments in biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, and bioinformatics. He launched his career in venture capital after amassing more than 15 years of operating experience in the biotechnology industry, with emphasis on therapeutic products, devices, diagnostics, and research instrumentation. During those years, Brian was founder, president, and CEO of Glycomed, a publicly traded biotechnology company, where he concentrated on business development and strategic alliances, closing deals with Eli Lilly & Company, Genentech, Millipore and Sankyo, before leading the sale of Glycomed to Ligand Pharmaceuticals. In addition, he co-founded and served as director of Perkin Elmer/Cetus Instruments, a joint venture for robotics automation and genomics research instruments and products, where under Brian's management, the venture developed and launched the GeneAmp® Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) system, the fundamental DNA amplification innovation responsible for fueling the explosive growth of genomics research. Brian also serves as a Board member for a number of companies in addition to Synosia, including private companies Calderome Inc, FivePrime Therapeutics, ForteBio Inc., and OpGen, Inc., as well as public companies Cadence, Helicos BioSciences and Pharmion Corporation. Brian received a bachelor's degree in biological sciences from the University of California, Irvine; a master's degree from the University of California, Davis, and a master’s of business administration from Harvard Business School.