Akash Bakshi Email & Phone Number

Berkeley, Ca, Us

YourChoice Therapeutics is revolutionizing the global contraceptive market. Our vision is to develop non-hormonal contraceptives to provide both women and men with birth control options that lack the associated risks of hormone-based options but are equally effective. Our goal is to develop the first ever non-surgical and highly effective non-hormonal contraceptive for men. Currently, male contraception is limited to two main options – vasectomy or condoms. Having such options available to both women and men will globally allow for much better family planning, reduced hormonal burden on women, decreased number of unintended pregnancies and ultimately fewer abortions.

Boston, Massachusetts, Us

Boston, Massachusetts, Us

San Mateo, Ca, Us

- Built a start-up to rapidly develop a treatment and prophylactic for SARS-CoV-2/ COVID-19- Raised $6,000,000 + USD from leading investors. - Quickly developed a team of infectious disease experts to support the development of covid-19 treatment. - Developed regulatory strategy to rapidly repurpose an FDA approved drug as a treatment. - Oversaw drafting and submission of pre-IND and IND filings, data monitoring committee ,and clinical trial design.- Identified and acted upon the opportunity to pivot the niclosamide project to COVID-19- Created new company, and built the team to drive the COVID-19 project (think back to early Slack days of the project, threw a ton of people at the question - but then weeded/filtered to essential team members).- Built vision for the project and obtained funding to drive the project- Adapted and adjusted direction as needed (supply chain away from UM, CRO selection/decision)- Ensured project momentum by regular follow-up with the team and holding team members accountable for deliverables- Fostered a team culture of open communication and an action oriented environment, one of the key components leading to an "approval to proceed" letter for the ANA-001 study within 6 months of the team formation- Led the team and the project through a successful acquisition by NeuroBo

Berkeley, Ca, Us

Built/oversaw public-private partnership between faculty members and R&D groups within external organizations to advance the development of early stage-research findings; partnered with faculty members to submit award-winning interdisciplinary proposals from State/Federal funding agencies, industry, foundations, and VCs.Served as a key collaborator on a $2.2M State grant from California to further research innovation and entrepreneurship.Developed a vast network of industry partners, federal program managers, development agencies, and foundations to engage in Berkeley's research enterprise, with a focus on research development and technology commercialization.Developed multiple partnerships to support Berkeley faculty through R&D funding and IP Licensing.Facilitated team formation of early stage start-ups by working with technical inventors to find skilled post-docs and phds.Fostered partnerships between UC Berkeley and foreign government agencies, to provide research and development funding for early stage- deep technologies that were not within scope of the federal funding agencies.Developed/supported an industry advisory and partnership board to support early-stage start-ups founded by UC Berkeley research encouraged early-stage conversations between research-based companies and industry, resulting in investment, joint development, mentorship, and letters of commitments.Developed a partnering event between 15 Federal funding and early-stage research based start-ups; the event, provided mentoring and access to capital. Further resulted in entrepreneurs successfully obtaining well over $2M in funding from federal agencies.Developed a pilot program in partnership with the National Science Foundation to support research-based startups to obtain SBIR funding.

Davis, California, Us

Worked on all aspects of licensing. My responsibilities specifically have been to spend 80% of my time marketing the intellectual property developed at the University of California, Davis, and the other 20% ensuring that licensees are compliant with the terms they have agreed to within the license.

• Connected and networked with senior members of research institutes, as well as pharmaceutical and biotech companies.• Improved presence, brand awareness, and market share of Bio Basic Products.• Established Bio Basic consumable contracts and licenses for commercialized instruments.• Marketed Bio Basic products through cold calling, e-mail marketing, and networking; developing the highest earning territory in the Company.

Santa Clara, Ca, Us

• Created an inside and outside sales strategy based on the needs of a small start-up.• Developed and analyzed three quantitative Market Research studies to guide R&D. This led to the improvement of two existent technologies and the creation of a third. • Performed patent, freedom to operate, and market research for biomarker assays. • Developed a social media, e-mail and journal marketing campaign to increase sales.• Acted as an account executive and technical application scientist for novel technologies.• Negotiated material transfer and data agreements with pharmaceuticals and research institutions.

Brisbane, Queensland, Au

• Collaborated with researchers, patent attorneys, and pharmaceuticals to “triage” research for: patentability, application, valuation, marketability, and commercialization strategy.• Prepared prior art searches, strategic market intelligence, deals comparable, PR brief, and market analysis to venture capitalists/ investors in fields including: Agriculture, Biofeuls, Cancer Therapies, Autoimmune/inflammatory diseases, and diagnostics.• Manipulated first to file, first to invent and grace periods in different jurisdictions. • Provided description and claim limitations for provisional, non-provisional, as well as Plant Varieties Certificate.•Sought commercial opportunities and garnered a potential licensee for a UQ generated life science technology.•Prepared documents relating to intellectual property management Confidential Disclosure Agreement (CDA) and Material Transfer Agreement (MTA). • Conceived, implemented and presented a pharmaco-economic model; large interdisciplinary study in collaboration with researchers, clinicians, economists and patent agents to develop a pricing guide for a cell based therapy for treatment of febrile nuetropenia; fast tracked drug’s FDA approval by finding it an orphan drug niche.

Brisbane, Queensland, Au

• Assisted professors and students in preparation of lab materials and chemical storage.• Developed and graded semester exams and reports for Organic and General Chemistry.• Fostered student’s lab techniques, and ability to decipher the principals behind experiments.

• Helped develop and implement the community networker program at Urbanest, based on my experience as a Resident Advisor in the United States• Interacted with international and Australian students coping with the unfamiliarity of University in Australia, coping with living independently, budgeting, making friends, and resolving conflicts. • Served as a customer service representative to settle any complaints residents had.

La Jolla, Ca, Us

• Tutored General and Organic Chemistry, Genetics, and Biochemistry to undergraduates of UCSD• Thought on my feet to answer some off the wall questions, and about innovative approaches to explain concepts to classes of about 30 students.

La Jolla, Ca, Us

• Worked with minimal supervision to complete and advertize over 50 events in 30 weeks, entrusted with responsibly managing $9,000+ budget, and engaging first year students. • Served on committees, advised students and organizations, and executed large-scale events.• Received training in student support and conflict management.• Served as a Sustainability Representative, for which I recognized by the Chancellor of UCSD for implementing the greatest number of sustainable initiatives to lower UCSD’s carbon footprint

La Jolla, Ca, Us

Programmed over 15 events with the supervision of the Chancellor of UC San Diego to make sustainability apart of students lives after graduation. I later received a certificate for my hard work by the Chancellor herself.

Santiago, Metropolitana, Cl

• Had the opportunity to travel, research, study, and better my Spanish in Chile and Argentina.• Screened molecules for inhibition of SrgA, a vital protein in bacteria for the formation of disulfide bonds in many bacteria, for use as a potential antibiotic.

Port St Lucie, Fl, Us

Worked with an interdisciplinary team to make a peptide library for screening as a potential therapeutic against known targets. Process used solid phase peptide synthesis using -N, -C, -R group protected amino acids. Determined a number of strategies for creating particularly difficult peptides.

Analyzed spectrums based on Hydrogen Exchange Mass Spectrophotometry to later extrapolate the potential Quaternary Structure of Proteins. This method produced a much clearer structure than crystallography by immersing a protein in Deuterium allowing the Hydrogens of protein to exchange with the Deuterium, giving a spectrum which showed the arrangement and interactions within the protein.

Education record

Masters, Biotechnology

Bachelors, Science Biochemistry, And Cell Biology