COMPANY INFO
Element Biosciences, Inc. is a biotechnology research company founded in 2017 by three scientists: Molly He, PhD (CEO & Co-Founder), Michael Previte, PhD (CTO & Co-Founder), and Matthew Kellinger, PhD (VP of Biochemistry & Co-Founder). The company, headquartered in San Diego, California, has approximately 400 employees and focuses on developing innovative genetic analysis tools, including the AVITI sequencing system, to provide affordable, high-quality sequencing for research and diagnostic markets. Their mission is to empower the scientific community with more freedom and flexibility to accelerate biological research and impact humanity. The official website is https://www.elementbiosciences.com, and the company operates in the biotechnology and healthcare technology industry.
Element Biosciences is an innovative biotechnology company founded in 2017, dedicated to advancing genetic analysis through affordable, high-quality sequencing technology. Utilizing its AVITI sequencing system, Element Biosciences empowers researchers with flexible and powerful tools to accelerate biological discovery and impact global health.
The Element Biosciences leadership team brings together deep expertise in genomics, protein engineering, artificial intelligence, business strategy, and organizational development. This accomplished group of executives combines extensive experience from leading biotech and tech companies, robust scientific backgrounds, and a commitment to democratizing sequencing technology. Their collaborative approach and track record of innovation have been foundational to the company's growth, financial success, and ability to attract top industry talent.
As CEO and one of the original founders, Molly He shapes the vision, strategy, and values core to Element Biosciences. Molly has driven critical initiatives including the development and commercialization of the AVITI system, successful fundraising of $277M in Series D round, and the expansion of the company’s platform and partnerships, positioning Element Biosciences as a transformative force in sequencing technology.
Molly holds a PhD in Protein Biophysics and Biochemistry from UCLA. She previously served as Senior Director of Protein Engineering and Enzymology at Illumina and led protein sciences efforts at Pacific Biosciences, earning multiple innovation awards. Before founding Element Biosciences, Molly was a Venture Partner at Foresite Capital, advising on cutting-edge healthcare investments. Her depth of expertise in enzyme biochemistry, sequencing chemistry, and executive leadership fuels Element Biosciences’ pioneering spirit.
As CTO and SVP of R&D, Michael Previte heads technology architecture and leads research and development initiatives at Element Biosciences. He is the driving force behind the company’s advances in sequencing chemistry and instrumentation, playing a pivotal role in building the AVITI platform and enabling multi-omics solutions that accelerate scientific discovery.
With a PhD in Physical Chemistry from Boston College and postdoctoral work at MIT, Michael previously served as Associate Principal Scientist at Illumina, innovating in sequencing and high-throughput assay platforms. He has worked at Life Technologies on single-molecule sequencing, holds multiple patents, and has authored over 35 scientific publications. Michael’s background in enzyme engineering, surface chemistry, optics, and high-throughput development underpins his leadership in technology strategy.
As VP of Biochemistry, Matthew Kellinger leads chemistry R&D and directs the company’s enzyme engineering and sequencing reaction optimization. His work significantly improves the throughput, accuracy, and affordability of Element Biosciences’ sequencing platforms, ensuring scientific rigor and impactful results.
Matthew earned his PhD in Biochemistry from the University of Texas at Austin, focusing on reverse transcriptase kinetics and HIV drug resistance, followed by postdoctoral research at UCSD. He was previously a Staff Scientist at Illumina working on protein engineering for sequencing reagents and collaborated with Pacific Biosciences. His deep experience in enzymology and sequencing chemistry is foundational to Element Biosciences’ breakthrough innovations.
As Chief Financial Officer, Logan Zinser leads all finance functions including FP&A, treasury, IT, and operations. He played a pivotal role in raising over half a billion dollars in venture funding, managed budgeting, M&A diligence, and operational scaling—all vital for the company’s rapid expansion and market growth.
Logan is an inactive California CPA with a BS in Economics from UC Santa Cruz. He spent over ten years at Illumina in senior finance roles, supporting global product launches and strategic initiatives, and was previously with PwC advising technology and life science clients. His expertise covers financial planning, reporting, acquisitions, and compliance for high-growth companies.
Brian Stolz leads Element Biosciences’ people operations, driving significant organizational transformation including overhauls in compensation, performance management, and benefits. Under his guidance, employee engagement scores and NPS have soared, reinforcing a high-performance culture that supports company growth.
Brian holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and a BS in Finance from Georgetown. He served as COO at BridgeBio, Chief People Officer at Activision Blizzard, and held senior roles at Bausch + Lomb, McKinsey & Co., and ghSMART. Brian’s leadership in HR and organizational design is grounded in both biotech and technology sectors.
Dr. AmirAli Kia leads AI and data science initiatives at Element Biosciences, architecting deep learning pipelines that enable base calling and quality scoring for sequencing data. His introduction of AI-driven workflows has dramatically improved the accuracy and speed of the AVITI platform’s data processing.
AmirAli holds a PhD in Computational Biology from Stanford and an MSc in Mechanical Engineering from Sharif University. His previous roles include VP of AI and Computational Biology at Illumina, Harbinger Health, and Deepcell, where he developed machine learning and AI-based frameworks for genomics applications, bringing extensive expertise in computational biology and high-performance data solutions.
Edwin Hauw is responsible for global marketing and product management, shaping go-to-market strategy and the lifecycle of AVITI and Cloudbreak/Trinity product lines. He has led successful launches driving wide adoption of Element Biosciences solutions within research markets.
Edwin earned an MBA in Finance and Marketing from USC Marshall and holds dual BS degrees in Biology and Psychology from UCSD. His prior experience includes senior marketing roles at 10x Genomics, Pacific Biosciences, Applied Biosystems, and Affymetrix, providing deep knowledge in genomics product strategy and customer engagement.
Yaron Hakak heads Element Biosciences’ corporate and business development, forging strategic partnerships, licensing deals, and co-development initiatives that expand the company’s market ecosystem and collaborative reach with top research entities.
Dr. Hakak received his PhD in Molecular and Cell Biology from UC Berkeley and a BS in Biophysics from UCSD. He previously served as Corporate Development Director at Illumina, CEO at Jumpcode Genomics, and Director at eBioscience, with a proven record in deal-making, technology licensing, and alliance-building within the life sciences field.
Element Biosciences’ management team is comprised of visionary executives and scientific innovators with complementary strengths spanning R&D, finance, AI, HR, marketing, and business development. Each leader adds value through deep domain expertise and a shared mission to empower scientific discovery with next-generation sequencing technologies. The company structure, with co-founders still in core leadership roles, ensures continuity, agility, and a pioneering culture driving ongoing growth and industry impact.
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