Star Metro - Lumira Ventures Announces Promotion of Suman Rao to Principal

Dr. Rao joined Lumira Ventures in 2021 as an Associate and was promoted to Senior Associate in 2024, as she built out her skills and experience in all dimensions of the venture capital value chain. Her deep understanding of industry sectors like oncology and neuroscience coupled with her ability to foster strong relationships with entrepreneurs, co-investors, and industry stakeholders has made her a sought-after team member. Dr. Rao has been deeply involved with the firm's investments in Arclight Therapeutics, Congruence Therapeutics, and Damona Pharmaceuticals (as a board observer). Her contributions extend to being actively engaged in a number of the firm's strategic initiatives, including the Angelini Lumira Biosciences Fund and currently co-leading the Cancer Breakthrough Fund, a first-of-its-kind collaboration in Canada between a philanthropic organization (Terry Fox Foundation) and a VC firm with the goal to bring more capital to the mission of finding cures for cancers.

"We are delighted to elevate Suman to the role of Principal," said Peter van der Velden, Managing General Partner at Lumira Ventures. "Her growth at the firm and ability to take on more responsibility reflects our commitment to growing talent in-house and her dedication to developing the skills, expertise, and relationships that are the foundation of being a great VC."

"I am thrilled to be stepping into the role of Principal and grateful for the trust and support of my partners and colleagues," said Dr. Rao. "Together with an incredibly talented team, I look forward to supporting passionate entrepreneurs tackling some of medicine's biggest challenges today and building transformative companies."

Dr. Rao earned her Ph.D. in Experimental Medicine and her Bachelor's degree in Biochemistry from McGill University. Before joining Lumira Ventures, she completed a prestigious postdoctoral fellowship at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical School. Dr. Rao also brings valuable experience from her time as a management consultant at L.E.K Consulting, where she provided strategic advice to biotech and pharma clients, further honing her expertise in the life sciences sector.

About Lumira Ventures
Lumira Ventures is a leading multi-stage life sciences investment firm operating across Toronto, Montréal, Vancouver, and Boston. As Canada's largest and most active dedicated life sciences venture capital investor, Lumira invests in first-in-class innovations in "secondary" geographies, partnering with mission-driven entrepreneurs to develop transformative therapeutics products and medical devices while generating strong financial returns and societal impact.

With a proven track record, Lumira Ventures has consistently delivered both financial success and transformative medical advancements. With portfolio companies having introduced over 50 biomedical innovations, improving the lives of over 1 billion patients worldwide and generating more than $70B in cumulative revenue.

For more information, please contact: [email protected]
www.lumiraventures.com

SOURCE: Lumira Ventures

M.Anderson--SMC