Primary Job Title Senior Entrepreneur in Residence Primary Organization 
BioGenerator
Gender Male
Dennis Schafer is an accomplished entrepreneur with more than 25 years' experience in organizing and managing new life science ventures, primarily in the Southeastern and Midwestern regions. In addition to his role as a Senior Entrepreneur in Residence at Biogenerator, he currently serves as President and CEO of Altheus Therapeutics, a
Midwestern-based company pursuing mid-stage clinical development of a novel combination therapy for ulcerative colitis.
Dennis has played leadership roles in twelve start-ups, serving as CEO in several of them, accessing technologies from multiple universities as well as corporate sources; raising start-up capital from more than a dozen institutional venture funds; and forming corporate partnerships with both major and mid-major pharmaceutical companies. Companies in his portfolio include BioCryst Pharmaceuticals, Zynaxis (acquired Secretech), Avant Immunotherapeutics (acquired Megan Health), Coley Pharmaceuticals, Aderis Pharmaceuticals, Somatacor, Curry Pharmaceuticals, FASgen, and Altheus Therapeutics. Collectively, these companies have launched a new drug for Parkinson’s Disease, advanced several other human products into clinical testing, and launched two animal vaccines. Four of the companies have become publicly traded, and four have been acquired by larger biotech or pharma companies.
Dennis received his BA with distinction from the University of Nebraska, and earned an MA in English and an MBA from the University of Virginia, where he also served for two years as a member of the research faculty in business strategy at the Darden Graduate School of Business.
