Dietrich Stephan

CEO, Chairman of the Board, and Co-Founder @ Seyltx

About

I am a geneticist, entrepreneur, and company builder who has spent my career pursuing one central question: how can we stop people from suffering and dying needlessly from disease? My work has moved across basic science, translational medicine, company formation, public markets, and biocluster building. But the goal has always been to turn exceptional science into solutions that change lives at scale.Over the years, I have worked across dozens of companies, academic institutions, and national initiatives, and the experience has given me a clear perspective on what it takes to move transformative ideas forward. The life sciences ecosystem is filled with people who are deeply committed to patients and meaningful impact. I have learned that real progress depends on aligning science, leadership, capital, and execution around the opportunities that matter most.What I do best is see the next wave early, recognize where the field is headed, and bring together the right scientists, entrepreneurs, investors, and institutions to build what comes next in high-trust environments where bold ideas and exceptional people can thrive. That has meant helping architect major genomic and translational platforms, founding and leading companies that helped shape personalized medicine, microbiome innovation, and genetic medicine, and working alongside exceptional leaders at pivotal moments in their journeys. It has also meant investing in people. Mentoring and elevating high-potential CEOs, founders, and teams, helping them unlock their full capacity through strategic clarity, resilience, and access to the networks and capital that scale impact.I have had the privilege of building in both science and business, and I understand how rare it is to bring rigor, imagination, and operational discipline into the same room. My career has taught me that durable change comes from bold ideas paired with the right structure, the right people, and being tenacious even when the path is difficult.At this stage, I care about driving audacious, scalable impact. I focus on fostering enlightened leadership in biotech and healthcare transformation, building ambitious platforms that integrate cutting-edge science with human-centered outcomes, and supporting the leaders who will redefine what's possible. Whatever the setting, my mission remains unchanged. The north star is and will always be centered on building solutions that reduce human suffering.

Country

City

United States

Industry

Biotechnology

Skill

Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG), Public Companies, Corporate Governance, Institutional Investments, Founder, Chairman, International Business, Mentoring, Venture Capital, Strategic Leadership, Policy Development, Global Health, Capital Markets, New Venture Development, Diagnostics, Drug Discovery, Bioinformatics, Sequence Analysis, Population Genetics, Microarray Analysis

Experience

CEO, Chairman of the Board, and Co-Founder

Seyltx

2024-1 - Present · 2 yrs 9 mos

Cambridge, MA

Leading a clinical-stage precision neuroscience‑focused therapeutics company using advances in genomics and circuit biology to tackle refractory chronic cough. Responsible for company creation, scientific and business strategy, team and board formation, and capital raising.

Managing General Partner

Cyto Ventures

2018 - Present · 8 yrs

Founder and managing general partner of a formation‑stage life sciences invest-and-operate venture firm focused on genomics‑enabled therapeutics, diagnostics, and life sciences tools. Lead company creation, syndicate development, board formation, and executive recruitment; have catalyzed substantial equity into a growing portfolio of platform companies.

Dean's Council, Mellon College of Science - Philanthropic Board

Carnegie Mellon University

2019-3 - Present · 7 yrs 7 mos

Advisory council for the Mellon College of Science at Carnegie Mellon University. Assisting with the capital campaign for the new facilities and strategic initiatives.

Chairman | Founder | Co‑Founder | Investor | Advisor

Venture-Backed Life Sciences Companies

2005 - Present · 21 yrs

Peptilogics | Navigenics | Guardant Health | Pendulum | Genia | Sharp Therapeutics | Jumpcode Genomics | Amnestix | Lifecode | iGenomX | KaliVir | FarmaceuticalRx | Aueon | Enhanced Genomics | Wobble Genomics | Teryx Built multiple venture‑backed companies advancing new modalities and platforms, including dark‑genome target discovery, cfDNA and RNA liquid biopsy, AI‑enabled digital health, peptide therapeutics, cognitive enhancers, microbiome therapies, small molecules to supplant enzyme-replacement therapies, endocannabinoid therapies, NGS sequencers and library prep technologies, etc. Trusted partner for management and investors on strategy, CEO and executive hiring, financing, and governance as companies move from concept through clinical development, commercialization, and strategic exits. Milestone achievements include including: - Pioneered direct‑to‑consumer genomics and pre‑symptomatic risk stratification - Invented next‑generation sequencing technologies and approaches now used globally in oncology - Early developer of AI‑enabled platforms addressing chronic disease, infection, and longevity - Helped launch and invested in the premier microbiome therapeutics company

Department Chairman, Institute Founder and Scientific Leader

Academic and Ecosystem Leadership (earlier career – summarized)

1996 - Present · 30 yrs

Held leadership roles including founding Chair, Neurogenomics Division and Deputy Director for Discovery Research at TGen (oversaw the entire research portfolio across therapuetic areas); Chair and Professor of Human Genetics at the University of Pittsburgh; and faculty appointments associated with Harvard Medical School, Johns Hopkins, and the NIH’s National Human Genome Research Institute. Helped architect the Arizona life sciences cluster and the original vision for the New York Genome Center, and authored 150+ peer‑reviewed papers in leading journals (Science, New England Journal of Medicine, Cell, etc.), Identified the genetic basis of many rare and common diseases such as autism spectrum disorder, ALS, memory performance, and Alzheimer's. Impact was highlighted extensively in the lay press including multiple times on the front page of the Wall Street Journal, in Time Magazine, Wired Magazine, MIT Media Review, NPR, and others.

Founder, Chairman and CEO

Neubase therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: NBSE)

2018 - 2023 · 5 yrs

Pittsburgh, PA

Founded and led a genetic medicines company built on a proprietary peptide nucleic acid antisense platform (PATrOL) for precision modulation of disease‑causing genes.