Houman Ashrafian

Since joining SV in 2016, Houman has founded six currently active SV companies. He co-leads SV’s Biotech franchise, which has a long history of building high value, successful new companies and bringing transformational drugs from discovery to market, having joined SV in 2016 as a Venture Partner, been promoted to Partner in 2017 and became a Managing Partner in 2018.

Houman has founded six companies; Sitryx, Enara Bio, TRexBio, Alchemab, Catamaran Bio and Mestag and serves on the board of four of these companies; Enara Bio, Alchemab, Catamaran Bio and Mestag. He also serves on the boards of Therini, Imbria, Prilenia and Quell.

Previously, Houman co-founded the services company Cardiac Report in 2003, as well as Heart Metabolics in 2008. Heart Metabolics successfully repositioned perhexiline, as a treatment for hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and heart failure. Perhexiline is now in advanced clinical trials and has orphan drug designation. He went on to become Vice President and head of the Clinical Science Group at UCB Pharma.

Outside of SV, following completion of his cardiology training, Houman was appointed as an Honorary Consultant Cardiologist in 2011 at the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford. He is Visiting Professor and Head of Experimental Therapeutics at the University of Oxford. Additionally, Houman is co-founder and Chairman of Weatherden, a boutique clinical development company.

Academic credentials

Undergraduate degree, University of Cambridge; BM BCh, DPhil, University of Oxford.