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Katya Smirnyagina

Senior Partner, Life Sciences

Katya Smirnyagina

Katya joined Oxford Science Enterprises in September 2021, an experienced venture capitalist with over 20 years’ experience in the biotechnology industry.

At OSE, Katya leads the Life Sciences team, overseeing investments, the creation of new companies and the scale up of existing businesses, providing hands-on guidance and support to academic founders from early scientific-development to go-to-market strategies.

Katya started her VC career in 2002 with Alta Partners, a healthcare focused USA fund, followed by Capricorn Partners in Belgium. She has been a director of a number of public and private companies in Europe and is the past Vice-Chair of InvestEurope. She has a global network across the Life Sciences, finance, and healthcare industries.

Katya holds a PhD in Cellular & Molecular Biology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, followed by a post-doc in Microbiology & Immunology from the Stanford University School of Medicine.

Katya sits on the board of

  • Beacon Therapeutics
  • Oxford Nanoimaging
  • SpyBiotech

Meet everyone in the

Executive Team

Ed Bussey
Ed BusseyChief Executive Officer
Heather Roxborough
Heather RoxboroughSenior Partner, Health Tech
Jack Edmondson
Jack EdmondsonChief Investment Officer
Jim Wilkinson
Jim WilkinsonChief Financial Officer
Martin Fiennes
Martin FiennesPartner, Deep Tech
Sarah Shackelton
Sarah ShackeltonChief Talent Officer