Special recognitions

Javier García Cogorro holds a degree in Mathematics from the Universidad Complutense de Madrid and an MBA from the Universidad Pontificia Comillas (ICADE).

President and founder of Columbus Venture Partners, he has developed his career on both sides of the Atlantic in biotechnology and life sciences, with a clear objective: to turn excellent science into companies that improve people’s lives.

After 25 years at Eli Lilly, where he led key areas and business development, he decided to make the leap into entrepreneurship to dedicate his experience to investing in, building, and scaling deep tech healthcare companies.

At Columbus Venture Partners, he drives a way of working that unites scientific rigor, operational discipline, and purpose, accelerating the transition from research to clinical and industrial application.

His leadership is characterized by strategic vision, high-performance team management, and the ability to mobilize alliances among investors, research centers, and entrepreneurial talent.

Among his milestones, he played a leading role in the Viralgen/Askbio project, a company specialized in gene therapy that in record time became a global benchmark and was acquired by Bayer in a transaction notable for its scale and strategic relevance to the industry. This case symbolizes his contribution to creating innovation hubs that generate high-skilled employment, attract investment, and pave the way for new therapies.

Furthermore, his career has positioned him among the most influential leaders in the sector internationally, recognized for his ability to redefine standards and provide strategic vision in the field of healthcare.

Beyond financial returns, Javier advocates for an impact-driven model that brings innovation closer to patients. For this reason, he is the co-founder, trustee, and secretary of the Columbus Foundation, which promotes programs to facilitate access to advanced therapies, especially in ultra-rare diseases and pediatrics.

His career has been highlighted by international media, placing him among the pioneering leaders who are redefining the healthcare sector globally. This firm commitment to science, innovation, and society has also been recognized with significant awards, such as the Tambor de Oro (Golden Drum) of the city of San Sebastián in 2023.

César de la Fuente is a cutting-edge scientist and innovator leading the convergence between artificial intelligence and biology to solve critical global health problems. He currently serves as Presidential Associate Professor at the University of Pennsylvania, where he directs the Machine Biology Group, being one of the youngest professors in the history of the medical school of that institution.

His pioneering work focuses on using the computing power of machines to accelerate drug discovery, having been the architect of the first antibiotic designed entirely by computer with proven efficacy in animal models. This research seeks to respond to antibiotic resistance, one of the greatest current health threats, through algorithms that allow molecules with antimicrobial properties to be identified and synthesized in record time.

With a PhD from the University of British Columbia and a postdoctoral stay at MIT, her career has been awarded with awards such as the MIT Technology Review Innovator Under 35 and the Princess of Girona Award. In addition to his prolific academic output, his impact extends to the editorial direction of top-tier scientific journals, representing a new generation of researchers who combine a passion for fundamental knowledge with a technological vision to save lives.