Jay Shepard

Jay P. Shepard currently serves as a Venture Partner with Catalys Pacific, a venture group focused on licensing drug programs and creating new companies in the United States and Japan. In this role, he is a co-founder and board member of two of its portfolio companies, Pathalys Pharma, Inc. and Aculys Pharma, Inc. Mr. Shepard previously was President and Chief Executive Officer of Aravive, Inc. (formerly Versartis, Inc.), a clinical-stage oncology company, from 2015 to January 2020, when he retired. He served as Executive Chairman of Versartis, Inc., from December 2013 to 2015. From 2008 to 2015, Mr. Shepard was an Executive Partner at Sofinnova Ventures. Previously, he was the President and Chief Executive Officer of NextWave Pharmaceuticals (acquired by Pfizer), President and Chief Executive Officer of Ilypsa (acquired by Amgen), interim President and Chief Executive Officer of Relypsa (Ilypsa’s spin-out company, which was acquired by Galencia), and Vice President of Commercial Operations at Telik and Oncology Business Unit Head of Alza Pharmaceuticals (Alza was acquired by Johnson & Johnson). Mr. Shepard currently serves as the Chairman of the Board of the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation and is a board member of Ironwood Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Esperion. He holds a B.S. in business administration from the University of Arizona.