Alex Tkachenko
Executive in Residence
Alex Tkachenko has over twenty years of experience in research, drug development, and venture creation. Before joining EcoR1 Capital as an Executive-In-Residence, Alex served as CEO of BlackThorn Therapeutics, a biotech company developing targeted medicines for neurobehavioral disorders, leading BlackThorn through incubation, portfolio creation and Series A Financing. In 2023, BlackThorn went public as Neumora Therapeutics (NASDAQ: NMRA) with BlackThorn's lead compound in a global registrational Phase 3 program. He began his industry career at Genentech. Alex has an MBA from Harvard Business School and a Ph.D. from Rutgers University, where his graduate work led to the identification of one of the first transcription factors disrupted by chromosomal translocations in cancer.
Rocky Tkachenko
Permabear
Rocky is a native of Arkansas but does a great job disguising his hillbilly roots with San Francisco hauteur. Half Cavalier King Charles spaniel, half poodle, he is occasionally confused but never given to self doubt. Rocky describes himself as "lovable, compact and companionable", while the rest of the family refers to him as "that spoiled hound". When not napping in the sun, he can be found chasing baby deer and digging for moles. His true passion is squeaky tennis balls, although he is not quite on board with the "bring it back" part of playing fetch.
