Strand Therapeutics Appoints Kunal Bhatia as Chief Financial Officer

Strand Therapeutics, a clinical-stage biotechnology company pioneering programmable mRNA medicines, has appointed Kunal Bhatia as Chief Financial Officer (CFO).

Bhatia brings 15 years of investment banking experience, driving fundraising, business development, and M&A for over 100 public and private biopharmaceutical companies.

“With early validation of our platform in the clinic, we have built a pipeline from solid tumor immuno-oncology to systemic delivery to in vivo cell therapy. As we enter the next chapter, we’ve identified a financial leader who matches Strand’s ambition and momentum,” said Jake Becraft, PhD, Co-founder and CEO of Strand Therapeutics. “Having worked alongside some of the most ambitious biotech builders through capital raises and transactions, Kunal knows what it takes to scale innovative platform companies through their critical growth stages.”

Experience

Prior to joining Strand, Bhatia served as interim Chief Financial Officer and Chief Business Officer to a portfolio of private life sciences companies. Previously, he was a Managing Director in the Healthcare Investment Banking Group at Cowen, where he was integral to the growth of the firm’s life sciences franchise, and before that, held investment banking roles at Jefferies and Credit Suisse.

“Strand is at an inflection point, with clinical momentum, a growing pipeline, and the kind of investor syndicate that reflects real conviction in the platform,” said Bhatia. “I’m looking forward to working with the team to build on that foundation as the company enters its next phase.”