Research Bridge Partners Appoints Lydia McClure CEO

– Co-Founder and CEO Isaac Barchas now serves as a special advisor and board member to the company, as well as a founding partner of Arsenal Bridge Ventures –

AUSTIN, Texas, June 10, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Research Bridge Partners, which cultivates novel biomedical startup companies based on the breakthroughs of preeminent innovators at mid-continent research universities, announced the appointment of Lydia McClure, Ph.D. as the company's Chief Executive Officer. The move took immediate effect following a unanimous vote by the company's board of directors on October 4, 2023.

She succeeds Co-Founder and CEO Isaac Barchas who now serves as a special advisor and board member of the company, as well as a founding partner of Arsenal Bridge Ventures, which advances elite biotechnology innovations at mid-continent research universities where commercial and venture networks are underdeveloped.

A Ph.D. in molecular biology, McClure joined Research Bridge Partners in 2017 as a Vice President after serving in various leadership positions with both the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the Austin Technology Incubator. Prior to her appointment as Chief Executive Officer, she served as Senior Vice President overseeing the company's partnership with Lyda Hill Philanthropies to develop successful biomedical spinouts at UT Southwestern Medical Center, while advising the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR), Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR), Convergence Accelerator and I-Corps™ regarding the commercialization of biomedical research.

"Where Research Bridge Partners has excelled – and where we remain particularly focused – is better deal creation through better data," she said. "That begins with helping world-class innovators understand the distinction between academic data, regulatory-facing data and the data most valued by venture capitalists. We expect to expand our work into new geographies and partnerships in the new year, while serving as an official spoke of the Boston investor catalyst hub within the framework launched by the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H)."

McClure continued: "We enable innovators to become the scientific co-founders of successful spinouts, working with them to develop IP, regulatory, business development and product strategies. We also connect them with like-minded investors, scaling business talent and drug developers."

Co-founder and Board Chair Reid Hoffman remarked: "Lydia's ascension as CEO marks the next stage in the evolution of Research Bridge Partners. Her ability to use data to establish and scale successful biomedical spinouts, as evidenced by her collaborations with preeminent innovators in both the public and private sectors, is extraordinary."

About Research Bridge Partners

Research Bridge Partners cultivates novel biomedical startup companies based on the breakthroughs of preeminent innovators at mid-continent research universities—creating high quality investment opportunities that are sourced from geographies with thinner commercialization resources.

We work with preeminent academic researchers nationwide to develop IP, regulatory, business development and product strategies, while establishing effective corporate structures to create portfolio-ready opportunities for downstream investors. Just like their best peers on either coast, mid-continent innovators can now co-found scientific startups that contribute to society's greater good and create economic value, in addition to enhancing the resources of their labs and the opportunities for their colleagues.

SOURCE Research Bridge Partners