I am a Scientist-Banker at Outcome Capital

I am a Scientist-Banker at Outcome Capital

By: John Armstong, PhD, Managing Director

I haven’t always been a banker; I’ve been an immunologist for most of my career.  In the first phase, some roles were independent, while others were more collaborative. I conducted research at UT Southwestern, the US NIH, and abroad; taught undergraduate and graduate students at the University of Maryland; and stepped out onto the ledge multiple times as an entrepreneur (with all the highs, lows, and deadly risks inherent in those journeys.)  In the second phase, my career transitioned to Big Pharma, and no matter which role I held, my success depended heavily on collaboration between multiple departments: from Medical Affairs I helped physicians interpret clinical trial data and identify appropriate treatments for different kinds of patients; from Global Marketing I developed landscape analyses and forecast the uptake of innovative drugs in different countries around the world; from Global Strategy I helped devise routes to growth and transformation for the prescription drug business; and from Discovery I drove the translation of early research into treatments – both as Head of Business Development and Head of Research.  I have lived a full and fulfilling career as an immunologist – transitioning from the conduct and teaching of science to the applied science of product development.  At this stage of my life and career,  I could have retired, but I decided not to. As Richard Bach’s Jonathan Livingston Seagull said, “We choose our next world through what we learn in this one”, and so thanks to the Founding Partners at Outcome Capital, I have made yet another transition – more of a transformation, really – to the business of science.  I now apply my life’s experiences to helping others in ways I never could before. I facilitate the business of science and the success of biotech entrepreneurs. I can do this because I am an investment banker, but I can do it well because I am a banker at Outcome Capital.  My colleagues and I represent well more than a century of experience in life science discovery, big pharma operations, capital raising, partnerships, and M&A. I could have chosen to do anything with the experience I have, but I chose to help others succeed in biotech entrepreneurship, and I can help you, too.  I am a banker at Outcome Capital.