Intersouth Partners, a North Carolina-based venture capital firm, has announced that pharmaceutical industry veteran Richard Kent has joined the firm as a venture partner.
Intersouth Partners, a North Carolina-based venture capital firm, has announced that pharmaceutical industry veteran Richard Kent has joined the firm as a venture partner.
Kent was previously president and chief executive of Serenex, an Intersouth portfolio company acquired by Pfizer in April 2008.
At Serenex, he managed and grew the company from an early-stage drug discovery company, ultimately directing the company’s acquisition.
Prior to his work at Serenex, he served as chief executive of Ardent Pharmaceuticals, another venture-backed start-up company.
He served as senior vice president, global medical affairs and chief medical officer for GlaxoSmithKline, and held other senior positions within GlaxoWellcome and Burroughs Wellcome.
Dennis Dougherty, Intersouth partner, says: "We are pleased to add Rick’s industry experience, knowledge and contacts to the Intersouth team. Having worked with Rick over the last several years as the CEO of one of our portfolio companies, we knew he’d fit in with the Intersouth team – we’re excited to have him join us. His understanding of both the start-up world and the large pharmaceutical world that is a critical partner to so many of our companies will be invaluable both to our investment process and to helping our growing portfolio companies."
In his role as a venture partner, Kent will work with the existing Intersouth team to source investments, perform due diligence and manage portfolio companies.
He joins Intersouth’s life science team, currently comprised of Dr Bob Bell, Dennis Dougherty, Dr Garheng Kong, David Pierson, James Rosen and Phil Tracy.
With the addition of Kent, the total number of Intersouth investment professionals grows to 12.
