BioVenture VoiCes with Chris Garabedian Episode 26: venBio's Corey Goodman
Oct 6, 2025
Corey Goodman, co-founder and managing partner at VenBio and serial biotech founder, reflects on moving between academia, startups, pharma, and venture. He talks about translating basic science to medicines. He recalls founding Exelixis and Renovis, leading Pfizer’s biotherapeutics, and shaping VenBio’s disciplined investment and incubation approach.
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Joining Pfizer To Lead Biotherapeutics
- Jeff Kindler recruited Corey to Pfizer to build an independent biotherapeutics unit modeled after Genentech.
- Corey joined Pfizer's executive team to lead biologics, cell therapy, and nucleic acid efforts in 2007.
Ecosystem: Biotech Feeds Pharma Scale
- Big pharma excels at large-scale later-stage trials, marketing, and distribution but is weaker at early-stage, nimble innovation.
- The ecosystem works best when academia and biotech supply discoveries and pharma scales successful assets.
Starting VenBio In A Recession
- Corey co-founded VenBio with Paul Brooke, Kurt von Emster, and Rob Adelman during the 2008–11 period.
- Their first fund ($178M) closed in Sept 2011 with strategic LPs like Amgen, Baxter, PPD, and Alexandria.
