
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.



Reagan
Jarvis
Anocca AB
CEO, Co-founder

Alex
Rives
CZI Biohub
Head of Science

Karenโฏ
Akinsanya
Schrodinger
President, R&D โ Therapeutics

Christopher
Arendt
Takeda
CSO, Head of Research

Stef
van Grieken
Cradle
CEO

Michael
Koeris
DARPA
Director, BTO

Jennifer
Dionne
Pumpkinseed
CEO

Daniyal
Hussain
GSK
Exec. Dir., Tech BD

Cynthia
Hong
Novartis
Dir., Search & Evaluation
SynBioBeta 2027 May 3-6, San Jose, California


