What’s unique about working at Viking?
Definitely the people. Everyone is so talented but also humble and happy to help. It’s evident across the board – in the investment team, legal, tech support, and all other functions. It’s very rare to find that. We work on small teams, so there’s a lot of runway to pursue your own ideas and feel a sense of ownership. When things go well, you feel part of the success and when things don’t, you know exactly what you can learn for the next time.
What do you do as a principal on the private equity team?
I think about my job in two parts: the first is sourcing and evaluating new ideas. My sector is biotech, so I spend a lot of my time evaluating the likelihood of new drugs being effective and forming a view of what the return could look like for a potential investment.
The second part of my role focuses on our portfolio companies. We’re board observers for most of our new private investments and we place a high value on building strong relationships with their management teams. I have the opportunity to collaborate with those teams on things like development strategy for their pipeline and potential financing paths.
What’s the best part of your job?
No two days are alike. There’s always a new question to think through, which makes every day exciting. I can spend one day thinking about the probability of success for a Phase 3 trial in the neurological disease space and the next day assessing an early-stage preclinical autoimmune program. The companies we invest in have the potential to shift the paradigm for many severe diseases. It’s invigorating to be a part of that.