SynBioBeta 2026 Speaker

Blair Willette

KdT Ventures

Investor

Blair Willette, PhD, is an investor at KdT Ventures, where she focuses on early-stage investments at the intersection of biology, chemistry, and deep tech. KdT partners with founders building transformative companies across therapeutics, materials, energy, and industrials, with a focus on science-first platforms capable of scaling into meaningful commercial outcomes.Blair brings a rigorous scientific lens to investing, with a PhD in Pharmacology from Duke University, where she focused on G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) signaling and built tools to interrogate the spatial and temporal dynamics of cellular signaling. She applies this training to deeply evaluate the molecular foundations of new technologies and assess their potential to translate into differentiated processes or products.At KdT, Blair works closely with founders from company formation through early clinical development or commercialization, performing technical diligence and supporting strategy, positioning, and fundraising. Her investment interests span next-generation therapeutics as well as non-healthcare applications of biology and chemistry, including bio-based materials, industrial platforms, and climate technologies.She is particularly passionate about helping scientific founders translate complex innovations into scalable businesses and compelling narratives for investors.

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Blue watercolor illustration of a folded protein structure
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Reagan

Jarvis

Anocca AB

CEO, Co-founder

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Alex

Rives

CZI Biohub

Head of Science

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Karenโ€ฏ

Akinsanya

Schrodinger

President, R&D โ€“ Therapeutics

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Christopher

Arendt

Takeda

CSO, Head of Research

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Stef

van Grieken

Cradle

CEO

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Michael

Koeris

DARPA

Director, BTO

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Jennifer

Dionne

Pumpkinseed

CEO

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Daniyal

Hussain

GSK

Exec. Dir., Tech BD

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Cynthia

Hong

Novartis

Dir., Search & Evaluation

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Sarah Lynn

Tao

CSL Behring

Sr. Dir., S&E; Ig TA & Tech Lead

Blue watercolor illustration of a folded protein structure
Blue watercolor illustration of a folded protein structure
Blue watercolor illustration of a folded protein structure
Blue watercolor illustration of a folded protein structure
Blue watercolor illustration of a folded protein structure

SynBioBeta 2027 May 3-6, San Jose, California