Tomas Aparicio, PhD · Early-stage investor · New York
Hi, I'm Tomas.
I am an early-stage investor in deep tech and biotech. I came to it from science: more than fifteen years studying how cells protect and repair their DNA, first in Madrid and then in New York, and years advising biotech companies and founders. I invest where I can judge the science firsthand, and I evaluate early-stage companies the way a scientist would.
01 / About
What I'm working on
1
Investing
I invest in early-stage deep tech and biotech companies where the science is the core of the business. My years at the bench let me judge whether a discovery is real and whether it can become a product.
2
Advising
Through my practice, BMD Tech Insights, I work with biotech companies, CROs and founders on scientific strategy, non-dilutive funding and commercialization.
bmdtechinsights.com3
Building the ecosystem
I am based in New York and work with scientists, founders and investors worldwide. I am exploring how new venture creation models can help more research become companies.
02 / Path
How I got here
Madrid
Degree in chemistry, a master's in molecular biology and a PhD in molecular oncology. Six years at the bench studying how cells keep their genomes stable.
New York, the lab
I moved to New York in 2011 as a postdoctoral fellow and stayed more than a decade, advancing to Principal Scientist. As principal investigator I led an NIH/NCI-funded program on the DNA damage response. Twelve publications, including Nature and The Journal of Cell Biology, and talks at Gordon and FASEB conferences.
First steps into entrepreneurship
In 2014 I co-founded a biotech company through a New York entrepreneurship program and took courses in innovation, intellectual property and technology transfer. The company did not go forward, and it taught me to look hard at IP before anything else.
The business of science
Since 2020 I have advised more than 30 biotech companies, CROs and founders on commercialization, SBIR/STTR funding, IP assessment and market research.
Now
Investing in early-stage deep tech and biotech, advising founders, and helping more good science become companies.
Selected publications
- Schrank B, Aparicio T, et al. Nuclear Arp2/3 drives DNA break clustering for homology-directed repair. Nature, 2018.
- Aparicio T, Peterson S, Gottesman M, Gautier J. MRN, CtIP and BRCA1 mediate repair of topoisomerase II-DNA adducts. Journal of Cell Biology, 2016.
- Aparicio T, Baer R, Gautier J. DNA double-strand break repair pathway choice and cancer. DNA Repair, 2014.
03 / Community
Giving back to the scientific community
Much of what I learned outside the lab came from volunteer work alongside other scientists.
Spanish Scientists in the USA (ECUSA)
Co-founder and board secretary of this nonprofit network of Spanish scientists in the US. Co-directed its mentoring program for early-career researchers.
Scientific editing
Associate editor at Bio-protocol, an open-access protocols journal, and at the National Postdoctoral Association newsletter.
Open science
ASAPbio fellow, promoting the productive use of preprints in the life sciences.
Pro bono consulting
Two Net Impact Service Corps projects for New York nonprofits, on financial planning and program evaluation.
04 / Outside work
Outside the lab
Born and raised in Spain, I have called New York home for about fifteen years. Spanish is my first language. I cook most days, do yoga and indoor cycling whenever I can, and I am slowly learning Asian languages through conversation and cultural exchanges.
05 / Interests
What I think about
I care about how good science becomes companies, and how capital can do that work responsibly.
Venture creation
Many strong discoveries never leave the lab because no one builds the company around them. I am interested in models that close that gap: venture studios, incubate-and-back approaches, and partnerships between investors, universities and experienced operators that form companies from the science up.
Ethical venture capital
Founders deserve straight answers, fair terms and investors who are honest about what they bring. I believe the way capital is deployed matters as much as where it goes, and that transparency with founders is a competitive advantage, not a cost.
Innovation and economic development
Venture capital, used well, is a tool for turning public research investment into companies, jobs and regional growth. New York has world-class science and a growing biotech ecosystem, and I want to help it build more of its own companies.
06 / Contact
Say hello
I am always glad to hear from scientists thinking about starting a company, founders, investors, university innovation teams, and anyone interested in venture creation or making the move from the bench to the business side. The easiest way to reach me is a short call or a message on LinkedIn.