Tom Mathers

Tom Mathers

Tom joined Pappas Capital in 2018 and has more than 30 years of executive management experience in the life science and medical device industries. He is located in Boston and focuses primarily on company formation. Tom is the founder of Allievex Corp., and currently serves as its President and CEO, as well as a director. Allievex is developing novel therapies for the treatment of rare pediatric neurodegenerative diseases. Allievex’s lead product candidate is tralesinidase alfa, an investigational enzyme replacement therapy for the treatment of children with Sanfilippo syndrome type B or mucopolysaccharidosis IIIB (MPS IIIB).

Prior to Pappas Capital and Allievex, Tom was the President and CEO of CoLucid Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: CLCD), a Pappas Ventures III portfolio company founded by Pappas Capital, which focused on the development of lasmiditan for the acute treatment of migraine headaches. Eli Lilly & Company acquired CoLucid in 2017 in an all-cash transaction worth nearly $1 billion. Prior to CoLucid, Tom was President and CEO of Peptimmune, Inc.; President and CEO of Cell Based Delivery, Inc.; Vice President and General Manager of Cardion AG; and Vice President of Strategic Development at Genzyme Corporation.

Tom currently serves as a member of the Emerging Companies Section Governing Board of the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO), as a business advisor to the Progeria Research Foundation, and on the Department of Veteran’s Affairs Research Advisory Committee on Gulf War Veterans’ Illnesses (RACGWVI). He previously served for nine years as a member of the BIO board of directors, where he was active in the policy areas of capital formation, bioethics, intellectual property, and regulatory policy. He also served as a director for LifeSci Acquisition Corporation II (NASDAQ: LSAQ) and board observer for 4D Molecular Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: FDMT). From 1988 to 1991, Tom served as a captain in the United States Army and was awarded several medals for his services as an AH-64 Apache helicopter pilot in the Gulf War.

Education:

United States Military Academy at West Point (BS in Engineering)

Ford Worthy

Ford is a lawyer with an extensive background in finance and accounting, and currently serves as a Senior Advisor to Pappas Capital. Prior to his role as Senior Advisor, Ford served for more than 20 years as the firm's Chief Financial Officer. Before joining Pappas in 1997, he was a corporate and securities attorney with the Emerging Businesses practice group for Womble Carlyle Sandridge & Rice. Earlier in his career, Ford was a writer and associate editor for Fortune Magazine, serving as bureau chief in both Chicago and Hong Kong. His 1987 article, “The Coming Defaults in Junk Bonds,” was a finalist for a National Magazine Award. He previously served as a director for Healthgate Data Corp., acquirer of EBM Solutions. Ford also participated as a board observer for Lumena Pharmaceuticals, which was acquired in 2014 by Shire plc; TargeGen, which was acquired in 2010 by Sanofi-Aventis; and Novalon Pharmaceutical, which was acquired in 2000 by a publicly held Swedish company. Ford currently serves on the board of the UNC Hussman School of Journalism and Media Foundation.

Education:

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (BA in Interdisciplinary Studies)
University of Chicago (JD)

Art Pappas

Art is an experienced entrepreneur and venture capital investor, and former pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry executive. He founded Pappas Capital in 1994, and over the past twenty-nine years the firm has managed more than $800 million in capital and invested in 90 portfolio companies through its flagship Pappas Ventures business unit, as well as its Specialized Fund Management business unit.

Art currently serves as a director for Allievex and Sorriso Pharmaceuticals, and as an observer for Glycomine and CuraSen. Prior to founding Pappas Capital, Art held senior leadership positions at several multinational pharmaceutical companies where he was responsible for the development, licensing and launch of a number of global products. He was an executive member of the board of directors of Glaxo Holdings plc (NYSE: GLX, now GSK), and served as Glaxo’s Chief Executive for international operations including research, development and manufacturing. Prior to Glaxo, Art was Vice President of Commercial Operations for Abbott International, and he held various senior executive positions with Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals and the Dow Chemical Company, in the United States and internationally. He previously served as Chairman and founding CEO of CoLucid Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: CLCD) (acquired by Eli Lilly), and as a director for Aura Biosciences (NASDAQ: AURA), Reneo Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: RPHM), Afferent Pharmaceuticals (acquired by Merck), Arix Bioscience, Chimerix (NASDAQ: CMRX), TYRX (acquired by Medtronic), Quintiles Transnational Corp. (NASDAQ: QTRN, now NASDAQ: IQV), Syntonix Pharmaceuticals (acquired by Biogen IDEC), LEAD Therapeutics (acquired by BioMarin), and Embrex (NASDAQ: EMBX) (acquired by Pfizer). He also served as a board observer for Amplyx Pharmaceuticals (acquired by Pfizer), Balance Therapeutics, Kezar Life Sciences (NASDAQ: KZR), Milestone Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: MIST) and Plexxikon (acquired by Daiichi Sankyo).

Art is a member of the Board of Directors of the North Carolina Biotechnology Center, where he previously served as chair. He is also a member of the Investor Advisory Committee of the Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO), the Board of Trustees of The Wistar Institute (a National Cancer Institute center), the Board of Directors of the Ronald McDonald House of the Triangle, and the Board of Advisors of the Duke Cancer Institute (a National Cancer Institute center). He is also a lifetime member of BayHelix, a China-based organization of global life science community leaders. He previously served on the Boards of Directors of the National Venture Capital Association (NVCA) and the Medical University of South Carolina Foundation for Research Development, on the Advisory Board of the BioExec Institute, and as a member of the CEO Roundtable on Cancer. Art is a decorated Vietnam veteran, having served as an officer in the US Army 101st Airborne Division and 2nd PSYOP Airborne Group JFK Special Warfare Center.

Art has a clear passion for developing and mentoring entrepreneurs and helping them build great companies. His relationships are broad and deep and he nurtures them as he does his family and friends.

Education:

The Ohio State University (BS in Biology)
Xavier University (MBA in Finance)