CEO Monthly Sept

10 CEO MONTHLY / AUGUST 2017 , The mission of Evolve BioSystems, Inc. is to bring tomarket the next generation of science- driven, microbiome-modifying products to establish, restore, andmaintain a healthy gut microbiome and to improve life-long health trajectory. As part of our Global CEO Top 100 series, we enjoyed an interviewwith former CEO, and nowChairman David Kyle to learn more about the company andman behind it. Improving Life-Long Health Trajectory The initial focus of Evolve BioSystems is on products to establish and maintain the healthy gut microbiome - in new-born infants. They have an e-commerce platform, with a consumer-directed home use product for newborns and a hospital-based neonatal ICU product. CEO, David Kyle took us through his previous roles and how he came to achieve his current position. He also revealed his passionate approach, when it comes to working with his staff. “In 1985, I founded Martek Biosciences, another company in the infant nutrition area. At Martek, we conceived of adding DHA and ARA to all infant formulas and developed a unique process to produce designer oils highly enriched in DHA and ARA. Before Martek was acquired in 2011 by DSM for a value of $1.2 billion, we provided these oils to every major infant formula company in the world and Martek’s DHA and ARA has improved the quality of life for hundreds of millions of new babies worldwide. Because of this ground-breaking early work, I was inducted into the US Space Technology Hall of Fame in 2009.” “I have always been passionate about the work I do and I try to infuse that passion to everyone in the company. First and foremost, I surround myself with top talent and then simply allow them to do what they do best, while I concentrate on focus, motivation, and removing obstacles. A primary goal for me is to find that highly talented and experienced person that I can nurture, teach, and motivate to the point that I can turn over the CEO position to them and be confident that I have left the company in good hands.” David then reveals to us the company’s ongoing strategy in some detail. “The gut microbiome of most babies born today in developed nations around the world is different from what it was just 50 years ago, due to the unintended consequences of C-section births, replacement of breast milk with infant formula and the extensive, generational use of antibiotics. Our business model is simply to give mothers a product that will return their baby’s gut microflora (the infant gut microbiome) to its natural and historical status, as opposed to the present day dysbiosis expressed in over 90% of babies born today in the Europe and the USA.” On the challenges and opportunities he has faced during his time at Evolve Biosystems, David is keen to explain these in more detail including how they have affected his current job role. “I have been in leadership roles with two companies bringing disruptive products or technology into an established industry. The first one, Martek Biosciences, successfully passed the $1 billion valuation hurdle before being acquired by a global major. The second one, Evolve Biosystems, is on the same path, but at a much more rapid trajectory.” “Although success is greatly rewarded in disruptive approaches, the existing infrastructure of most industries is not very accepting of deviations from the status quo. Consequently, you must work harder, smarter, and with the understanding that changing the minds of established career scientists and business leaders is not easy.” “For the first few years, you will be bombarded with negativity by the established norms and the enhanced hurdles seem unfair. But I have learned that perseverance and gentle persuasion to change, are essential to succeeding in 1709CE04 bringing a disruptive technology to the market.” The fascinating insights so far, conclude as David explains his future aspirations regarding Evolve BioSystems, Inc. “Presently, I am fully engaged in bringing a new concept of nutrition and disease prevention to the world. I believe that the maldevelopment of the immune system and metabolic set points, due to a disruption in the microbiome in the first few months of life, may be the primary cause for the global pandemic of autoimmune disorders and obesity. It is a bold speculation, based mostly on correlational evidence and a belief that nature does not make many mistakes.” “But if we are right in this speculation that the reestablishment of the natural infant gut microbiome early in life returns the prevalence of food allergies, asthma, Type I Diabetes, Celiac Disease and obesity to levels found 50-60 years ago, this could have one of the greatest impacts on worldwide public health since the development of vaccines. My future aspiration is to determine if this is true and to make it happen both quickly and safely, and thereby start to improve the