Burrill & Company Continues Global Expansion With Opening of Moscow Office
November 14 2012 - 8:45AM
Marketwired
Burrill & Company, a global financial services firm focused
exclusively on the life sciences, today announced the opening of
its Moscow office to facilitate cross-border financing and
dealmaking between life sciences companies.
"The Russian Federation represents an emerging economy with
strong scientific talent and a significant commitment to invest
capital to build an innovation-driven life sciences industry and
modernize its healthcare system," says G. Steven Burrill, CEO of
Burrill & Company.
The Moscow office further extends San Francisco-based Burrill
& Company's global reach. The company already maintains a
presence in Boston, Beijing, Kuala Lumpur, New York, Philadelphia,
Rio de Janeiro, Taipei, and Zurich. Through its venture capital and
investment banking teams, Burrill & Company is helping life
sciences companies exploit opportunities around the world that may
reward them with greater value than potential investors or partners
in their home countries because of differences in markets,
available capital, resources, and needs.
This can be seen in work Burrill & Company has performed for
its clients, ranging from advising Samsung on its $300 million
biosimilars joint venture with Biogen Idec to helping U.S.-based
life sciences companies find partners in Brazil, Russia, India,
China, and elsewhere.
"Regardless of their size, life sciences companies need to think
globally from day one. They can gain access to financing,
partnerships, and resources on more attractive terms once they are
willing to look beyond their own backyard," says Burrill. "We are
working hard in both our venture capital and investment banking
businesses to bring a highly experienced and talented team of
professionals from around the world who can leverage their
extensive networks to help life sciences companies take advantage
of opportunities wherever they may exist."
Irena Melnikova, Ph.D., managing director, Russia, heads the
Burrill & Company office in Moscow. Prior to joining Burrill,
Melnikova served as director of strategy and external innovation at
Sanofi. Prior to that, she was a principal in the life sciences
team of TVM Capital, a global venture capital firm. Before joining
TVM, Melnikova was part of the biopharma investment banking team at
Leerink Swann. Her past experience also includes working as
research manager at the IDC subsidiary Life Sciences Insight, as
well as being a project leader at TransForm Pharmaceuticals (now
part of Johnson & Johnson). She holds an M.S. in chemical
engineering from the Mendeleev University of Chemical Technology of
Russia, and a Ph.D. in molecular medicine/molecular biology from
the University of Texas Health Sciences Center at San Antonio.
Melnikova notes that the Russian pharmaceutical market is
underdeveloped, but attractive. It is growing rapidly with some
analysts predicting a 20 percent annual growth rate for the next
five years. The Russian government has pledged $4 billion in
investment through its Pharma 2020 initiative to stimulate its
domestic biopharma industry. That has created an opportunity, in
some cases, for life sciences companies to potentially obtain
non-dilutive funding.
"It's critical to have a local presence and significant
understanding of the market, as well as the political dynamics of
Russia in order to get access to capital and innovation and be
successful there," says Melnikova. "Our presence in Russia puts us
in a unique position to assist companies seeking financing and
partners in Russia."
About Burrill & Company Founded in 1994, Burrill &
Company is a diversified global financial services firm focused on
the life sciences industry. With $1.5 billion in assets under
management, the firm's businesses include venture capital/private
equity, merchant banking, and media. By leveraging the scientific
and business networks of its team, Burrill & Company has
established unrivaled access and visibility in the life sciences
industry. This unique combination of resources and capabilities
enables the company to provide life sciences companies with
capital, transactional support, management expertise, insight,
market intelligence, and analysis through its investments,
conferences, and publications. Headquartered in San Francisco, the
company oversees a global network of offices throughout the United
States, Latin America, Europe, and Asia. For more information
visit: www.burrillandco.com.
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Contact: Daniel Levine Managing Director Burrill & Company
Email Contact (415) 591-5449