Founders at Work: Therna Biosciences

​Speaking two languages: AI and RNA Biology

​During this talk, we will discuss the origins of Therna Biosciences at Hani Goodarzi's lab where he studied RNA Biology and utilized AI/ML to write new codes for RNA language. We will explore Therna Bio's RNA Intelligence Platform and its applications for designing novel RNA medicines. 

Nazli Azimi PhD, Co-Founder and CEO
Nazli is the co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Therna Biosciences, a company that is leveraging its proprietary AI-models for RNA design to develop transformative RNA medicines for a variety of diseases. Prior to Therna Biosciences, she was the founder and CEO Chief Executive Officer of Bioniz Therapeutics and Dermaheal, two biotech companies focused on immunological diseases. Dr. AzimiNazli started her journey at the NIH as a post-doctoral fellow in immunology, contributing to the discovery of a cytokine that is one of the key modulators of the immune system.  Dr. Azimi has served on the board for several biotech and life sciences companies. She Nazli is passionate about turning bold, transformative ideas into real-world impact, especially in therapeutics, but across the life sciences more broadly.

​Nazli received her PharmD, Ph.D. at the University of Tehran and completed a post-doctoral training at the NIH, NCI. 

Hani Goodarzi, PhD, Scientific Co-Founder
Hani Goodarzi is the scientific founder of Therna Biosciences. He is a Core Investigator and AI research lead at the Arc Institute, where he is a key member of the team leading the Virtual Cell initiative, a monumental effort to build predictive, AI-driven models of cellular behavior. A pioneer at the intersection of machine learning and RNA biology, he also serves as an Associate Professor at UCSF in the Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics and is a member of the Bakar Computational Health Sciences Institute. Since establishing his lab in 2016, Hani has focused on decoding the complex "RNA code", developing foundational computational models for single-cell sequencing and multimodal data integration.

​He is the founder of two other biotech companies, Exai Bio and Tahoe Therapeutics. A recipient of the Vilcek Prize for Creative Promise, the AACR-MPM Transformative Cancer Research Award, and the Martin and Rose Wachtel Award, Hani is dedicated to bridging computational theory and experimental biology to drive the next generation of human health breakthroughs.

​Hani got his Ph.D. from Princeton and completed his post-doctoral training at Rockefeller University. 

Kevin R. Kipp, PhD, Senior Director of Preclinical Development at Therna Biosciences

​Kevin is Senior Director of Preclinical Development at Therna Biosciences, where he leads translational preclinical strategy to advance AI-optimized mRNA therapeutics toward the clinic.

​He brings over 25 years of experience in molecular biology research, including extensive industry experience spanning discovery, design, screening, in vitro validation, and preclinical pharmacology. His work bridges internal teams with external partners, including KOLs and CROs, to define critical-path experiments that enable informed go/no-go decisions across diverse therapeutic modalities and disease areas.

​Kevin earned his Ph.D. in Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology from the University of California, Santa Barbara, where his research focused on targeted therapeutic approaches for autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease.

About Founders at Work:
This monthly seminar series alternates between our San Francisco and San Carlos locations and showcases a distinguished current resident or alumnus from our community. These sessions are designed to provide early-stage founders with real-world advice, practical strategies, and inspiring stories from those who’ve navigated the entrepreneurial journey successfully.

This event is open to the public. Please be sure to register to reserve your spot!