Dr. Yari Fontebasso

Biotech Connection Los Angeles was founded in 2014 by Dr. Katrina Choe and Dr. Stefanie Volland. Today, a decade later, it has grown into an impactful organization of 20-30 graduate students and postdocs that continues to promote and foster the growth of Los Angeles as a biotech hub. BCLA now includes a network of over 8000 students and professionals, aConsulting team, and produces the podcast Inside Biotech. To celebrate a decade of educating, connecting, and inspiring, we are checking in with previous Presidents of BCLA to ask them about their time in leadership and their perspective on BCLA’s impact in Los Angeles.

This week, we interviewed Dr. Yari Fontebasso, BCLA President from 2016 – 2017. Yari received his PhD from the University of Sussex in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology studying DNA damage response pathways in yeast, and performed postdoctoral research at the Institute of Cancer Research in London and UCLA. Today, he serves as the Director of Research and Development Systems Applications at Bavarian Nordic.

When asked what inspired him to join the BCLA team upon arriving in Los Angeles, he shared his immediate interest in the mission of co-founders Stefanie Volland and Katrina Choe upon meeting them. “I had been involved in a similar initiative in London (UK), and I came to appreciate how useful those initiatives are in fostering connections between academia and industry that ultimately spark collaborations and allow talent to bloom...I didn’t take long to join their effort and help as much as I could,” Yari recounted.

The event Yari remembers most fondly during his time with BCLA was also the biggest event

the team had organized to date – the BCLA and Lab Launch Entrepreneurship Summit. This event, attracting over 100 attendees, aimed to give researchers a day to connect with mentors to learn about their potential to become a biotech entrepreneur. The full-day event included topics such as building a team, finding wet lab space in Los Angeles, or navigating intellectual property. He described this Summit as “one of those events that made me realize that the future for [BCLA] would be bright.”

Yari also explained that as he volunteered to help foster the booming evolution of the Los

Angeles biotech space and talent, BCLA gave equal back to him. Yari said that BCLA allowed the development of skills that supported his professional move to industry from academia. Additionally, BCLA provided Yari with a robust and long-lasting professional network to support him through different stages of his career. He explained his network that initially eased his move to industry continues to provide support.

Yari believes BCLA’s continually growing number of event attendees and the energy amongst team members highlights just how deeply BCLA’s mission resonates throughout Los Angeles’s budding biotech scene – from the business-minded professionals to the data-driven scientists, and students aspiring to enter the space to support its dynamic growth. He leaves us with his excitement “to see BCLA continue along its path of success!”