In the latest episode of the NextGen VC Podcast, Dr. Anna French, managing partner at Qiming Venture Partners USA, joins hosts and Wilson Sonsini partners Michael Hostetler and Jennifer Fang to trace her non-linear path from an Oxford D.Phil. and Boston Consulting Group boardrooms to becoming employee No. 1 at one of biotech’s most globally connected venture firms.
Anna shares what it’s really like to build a fund from the ground up, why she championed Umoja Biopharma’s bold bet on in vivo CAR-T and in-house manufacturing, and how a global perspective—forged in UK labs, Korean hospitals, and Parisian roundtables—shapes the way she looks for innovation. She also discusses LP fundraising, the U.S.-China biotech opportunity, and what work-life balance actually looks like when both you and your spouse are running full speed.
Anna joined Qiming US in 2017 and currently serves on the boards of Umoja Biopharma, Empirico Inc., Renasant Bio, Auron Therapeutics, Entact Bio, and several stealth company incubations. She led Qiming’s investment in Cadent Therapeutics (acquired by Novartis) and Jasper Therapeutics.
Prior to joining Qiming, Anna worked at Boston Consulting Group, where she was a healthcare management consultant advising leading pharmaceutical and biotech companies on their strategy and operations, with a focus on advanced therapies. Previously, she led a global industry-academic consortium centered on cell therapy commercialization, the Centre for the Advancement of Sustainable Medical Innovation (CASMI)’s Translational Stem Cell Consortium, a partnership between Oxford University and University College London.
Anna earned a D.Phil. from the University of Oxford, where her research focused on the hematological differentiation of human-induced pluripotent stem cells. She has authored over 20 publications in the field of stem cell research. Anna received her BSc in biochemistry with first class honors from the University of Bristol.
The NextGen VC Podcast unpacks the opportunities, challenges, and breakthroughs shaping life sciences investing. It is curated by Wilson Sonsini and LaunchBio with hosts Michael Hostetler and Jennifer Fang. The podcast episodes feature interviews with successful venture capitalists, allowing listeners to gain wisdom from their experiences and learn how the pros have navigated challenges, made strategic decisions, and achieved remarkable success.
The NextGen VC Podcast is available on all major streaming platforms. Subscribe and never miss an episode: https://launchbio.org/nextgen-vc-podcast/.
Now Available on:
YouTube | Amazon Music | Apple Podcasts | iHeart Radio | Spotify
This episode may feature current or former clients of Wilson Sonsini. This podcast is for general informational purposes and is not intended to provide and should not be relied on as legal advice. The information in this podcast is not tailored to a particularized situation or jurisdiction, may not reflect the current state of the law, and should not be considered a substitute for the advice of your own legal counsel. You should not consider this podcast an invitation to form an attorney-client relationship, and no attorney-client relationship is created by your use of this podcast. Wilson Sonsini disclaims all liability in respect to any actions taken or not taken based on the content of this podcast and notes that prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. This podcast may be considered attorney advertising in certain jurisdictions.
