Primary Job Title Co-Founder & Investment Principal Primary Organization 
Starfish Ventures
Location Melbourne, Victoria, Australia Regions Asia-Pacific (APAC), Australasia Gender Male
Investor Type
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Michael Panaccio is one of the founders of Starfish Ventures and has played a crucial role in the establishment of the company. Michael was formerly Investment Manager with JAFCO Investment (Asia Pacific) and was the first Investment Professional to join JAFCO's Australian operations after the office was established. Together with John Dyson,
Michael established JAFCO as a leading venture capital manager in Australia.
Prior to joining JAFCO, Michael was Head of the Department of Molecular Biology at the Victorian Institute of Animal Sciences where he used his mix of commercial and scientific skills to build a large scientific department (over 20 staff) and raised over $5M from multinational drug companies. Michael is the inventor on numerous patent applications, has authored or co-authored over thirty scientific publications and contributed to five books. Michael maintains active contact with members of the scientific community in Australia in a number of diverse fields.
Michael holds a Bachelor of Science (Hons) from The University of Melbourne, a Ph.D (Medicine) from The University of Melbourne and a MBA from RMIT University. Michael is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and a former Chairman of the Australian Biotechnology Advisory Council.
Michael has been a Director of numerous technology businesses in Australia and the USA including SIRTeX Medical, Technico, EOS and Colloidal Dynamics Group. He is currently a director of ImpediMed, MuriGen, NeuProtect, Ofidium and Protagonist.
