Michael Fairbanks

Founder, Chairman March/2018, Part-time Founder, Chairman, January/2021 Full-time AKAGERA Medicines' moral purpose is "Health Equity for the Majority World". We have a validated delivery system. Many believe it is the best mRNA delivery system in the world. It may also have applications in oncology and immunology. Founding board members include German Ambassador Albrecht Conze, African Development Bank President and Global Fund Chair Dr. Donald Kaberuka, Harvard Medical School professor Dr. Paul Farmer, UN Ambassador Valentine Rugwabiza. The company has 144 Intellectual property (IP) filings on six continents, and 14 issued patents in the United States and Africa. It had three rounds of financing at improved valuations, is a clinical company, and has six vaccine candidates and three therapeutic candidates. Pipeline includes therapeutics for tuberculosis, MRSA, and NTMs; and vaccines for RSV, avian flu, HIV, Lassa fever, malaria, and mumps. The company also has a proprietary technology for a new adjuvant, and multivalent delivery (9) of mRNA formulations. CEPI, the Gates foundation, the European Union/European Investment Bank and the National Institute of Health/ Vaccine Research Council provide funds, talent, and advice. The company is Delaware registered and majority-owned by the people of Rwanda through a sovereign investment by the Rwanda Social Security Board. There are nine impact investors from North America, Europe, and Africa.

Invested and raised money, assumed board positions and interim advisory and part time executive positions for biotech companies focused on cancer, acute injuries of the heart, brain and kidney; and infectious diseases. Invested in early stage projects, some of which led to approved drugs, commercial status, and an IPO.

Developed awards, scholarships, film projects with Academy and Peabody, award-winning Directors, book publishing, major conferences in Africa, South America, and Central America: Pioneers of Prosperity https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pioneers_of_Prosperity#Africa_Awards https://www.povertycure.org

Developed the Competitive Advantage of Nations practice inspired by Professor Michael Porter at Harvard Business School, focused on improving standards of living through private sector development and export competitiveness in the emerging markets of the Majority World. He and his teams worked on monetary, fiscal, direct foreign investment, trade, sectoral, and wage policies; and firm-level strategies for the gorilla treks in Rwanda, nature adventure tourism in Machu Picchu in Peru, coffee and leather exports from Colombia, flower exports from Bolivia, sun and sand tourism in Bermuda, Jamaica and Haiti; and marble and raisin exports from Afghanistan – – for representative examples. Learned from Michael Jensen, Tom Copeland, Mark Fuller, Roger Martin, Chris Argyris, Diana Smith, Michael Porter, Bernie Avishai, and Alan Kantrow. Worked directly with three presidents of Colombia, the presidents of Peru, Bolivia, Venezuela, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Rwanda; two premiers of Bermuda, three prime ministers of Jamaica; and the presidents of the World Bank, Inter-American Development Bank, and African Development Bank. Presented work at the highest levels of government in Afghanistan, Cuba, and South Africa.

Taught classes on business solutions to poverty.

Lectured with Professor Brian Atwood, former head of USAID, in a course on economic development at the Kennedy School of Government.

Taught a course on doing business strategy in the Majority World.

Led the political risk analyses for Africa, created credit risk analyses of companies in Francophone, Anglophone and Lusophone Africa; supported project finance teams for hospitals, food, and roads in Angola, copper mines in Zambia, and banking and consulting relationships in Kenya.

Started as an intern while at Columbia University. Trained in 18 month credit and finance program. Worked on political analysis, economic analysis, credit reviews at the firm level, debt repayments, and work out situations.

Congo Brazzaville was a communist nation. The American Embassy had nine official Americans with USAID, CIA, Department of Defense, etc. Analyzed and modeled monetary, fiscal, foreign investment, sectoral, and wage policies. Played on the Embassy basketball team called "The Running Dogs" with DoD, CIA and US Marines against Congolese Army, and diplomats from China, France, and UK.

Inspired by Agnes Binagwaho and Paul Farmer to focus on Global Health Equity, “Vaccine Apartheid”, Business Solutions to Healthcare Injustice, and Biotech Ethics. My colleagues are from Venezuela, Haiti, Iran, and Yemen and do fetal surgery, journalism for Al Jazeera, psychiatry for addicted street kids, venture capital in Med Tech, and midwifery.

Invited by Professor Sam Huntington to join the Center. Worked with the chief economist of the African Development Bank in Tunis and Abidjan to research Chinese political, military, and economic strategies in Africa. The other fellows included a US Air Force fighter pilot, submarine commander, professor at West Point, Guatemalan diplomat, German ambassador to Africa, Venezuelan human rights activist, a Korean Army General, UN refugee worker, and a rabbi.

Worked with Larry Harrison and Professor Sam Huntington of Harvard to organize a conference at the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and edit the global best seller, Culture Matters.

Integrated program with Columbia law school and Columbia business school: Studied with Zbigniew Brzezinski, Henry Graff, Louis Henkin, Sharifah Zawawi, Phillip Cagan, Graham Irwin, and Frederick Mishkin. Took American diplomatic history, national security, finance/accounting, Swahili literature, economics, international law, African politics, and statistics. Did internships with the State Department, CARE, and Chase Manhattan/AFRICA division. Graduated a semester early.

Jesuit university where his father taught ethics and the history and philosophy of science for 47 years. He was a Wall of Fame student athlete, trustee, and honored with a doctorate in humane letters in 2006 for his “accomplishments and devotion to social justice”. Studied with Father Jarvis, Ed Garrett, Steve Ryan, Len Gougeon, Michael Cahn, Paul Fahy, and Matthew Fairbanks.