ARYA
ABOUT US
We are a newly organized blank check company incorporated in June 2018 as a Cayman Islands exempted company formed for the purpose of effecting a merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, share purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses, which we refer to throughout this prospectus as our initial business combination.
Our sponsor is an affiliate of Perceptive Advisors, a leading life sciences-focused investment firm with over $5 billion of regulatory assets under management as of July 2018. Since its launch in 1999, Perceptive Advisors has focused exclusively on the healthcare industry. Our founders are the founder and management of Perceptive Advisors. Joseph Edelman, our Chairman, founded Perceptive Advisors in 1999. Adam Stone, our Chief Executive Officer, is the Chief Investment Officer of Perceptive Advisors, and Michael Altman, our Chief Financial Officer, is a senior analyst at Perceptive Advisors. Perceptive Advisors’ investment activity is focused on identifying both private and public companies in the life sciences and medical technology sectors and currently has investments in over 150 companies. The team at Perceptive Advisors consists of trained scientists, physicians and financial analysts who are passionately committed to identifying innovation that can drive critical change to current treatment paradigms. Perceptive Advisors invests across the capital structure and throughout a company’s growth cycle which provides access to a broad universe of management teams and companies seeking flexible capital solutions. Perceptive Advisors is also an active investor in pre-IPO financing rounds known as “crossovers.” Perceptive Advisors has invested in over 40 private companies since 2013 and in 2017 met with over 200 private companies in evaluation of private growth financing rounds, crossovers, and pre-IPO analysis.
MANAGEMENT & BOARD OF DIRECTORS
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Joseph Edelman, our Chairman, has more than 20 years of experience in healthcare investing, and is the Founder, Chief Executive Officer and Portfolio Manager of Perceptive Advisors. Prior to founding Perceptive Advisors, Mr. Edelman was a Senior Analyst at Aries Fund, a Paramount Capital Asset Management biotechnology hedge fund, from 1994 through 1998. Prior to that position, Mr. Edelman was a Senior Biotechnology Analyst at Prudential Securities from 1990 to 1994. Mr. Edelman started his career in the healthcare sector of the securities industry as a Biotechnology Analyst at Labe, Simpson from 1987 to 1990. Mr. Edelman earned an MBA from New York University and BA, magna cum laude, in psychology from the University of California San Diego.
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Adam Stone, our Chief Executive Officer, joined Perceptive Advisors in 2006 and has acted as Chief Investment Officer since 2012 and is a member of the internal investment committees of Perceptive Advisors’ credit opportunities and venture funds. Mr. Stone currently also serves on the boards of directors of Solid Biosciences (Nasdaq: SLDB), Renovia, and Xontogeny, which are portfolio companies of Perceptive Advisors. Prior to joining Perceptive Advisors, Mr. Stone was a Senior Analyst at Ursus Capital from 2001 to 2006 where he focused on biotechnology and specialty pharmaceuticals. Mr. Stone graduated, with honors, from Princeton University with a BA in molecular biology.
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Michael Altman, CFA, our Chief Financial Officer, joined Perceptive Advisors in 2007, is a Senior Analyst on the investment team and is a member of the internal investment committee of Perceptive Advisors’ credit opportunities fund. Mr. Altman’s focus is on medical devices, diagnostics, digital health and specialty pharmaceuticals. Mr. Altman also serves on the boards of directors of Vensun Pharmaceuticals, Vitruvius Therapeutics and Lyra Therapeutics, which are portfolio companies of Perceptive Advisors. Prior to joining Perceptive Advisors, Mr. Altman was a trader and analyst at First New York Securities from 2005 to 2007. Mr. Altman graduated from the University of Vermont with a BS in Business Administration.
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Kevin Conroy has agreed to serve on our board of directors. Mr. Conroy has served as Chief Executive Officer since 2009, and Chairman since 2014 of Exact Sciences Corporation (Nasdaq: EXAS), which focuses on the early detection and prevention of cancer. Mr. Conroy also currently serves on the board of directors of Epizyme, Inc. (Nasdaq: EPZM), a biopharmaceutical company, and of the Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce. Prior to joining Exact Sciences Corporation, Mr. Conroy served from 2005 as the President and Chief Executive Officer of Third Wave Technologies (formerly, Nasdaq: TWTI), a molecular diagnostics company, until its acquisition by Hologic, Inc. in 2008. Mr. Conroy joined Third Wave in July 2004 and served as general counsel until December 2005. Prior to joining Third Wave Technologies, Mr. Conroy was an intellectual property counsel at GE Healthcare. Before joining GE Healthcare, Mr. Conroy was chief operating officer of two early-stage venture-backed companies. Prior to those positions, Mr. Conroy was an intellectual property litigator at McDermott Will & Emery and Pattishall, McAuliffe, Newbury, Hilliard and Geraldson, where he was a partner. Mr. Conroy has also served as the Chairman of United Way of Dane County and on the boards of directors of Wisconsin Technology Council, BioForward Wisconsin, and Overture Center Foundation. Mr. Conroy graduated from the University of Michigan Law School with a JD and from Michigan State University with a BA in electrical engineering.
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Dr. Todd Wider, MD, has agreed to serve on our board of directors. Dr. Wider is a plastic and reconstructive surgeon, focusing on cancer surgery, with a hospital appointment with Mt. Sinai Hospital/St. Luke’s/Roosevelt Hospital in New York City. Dr. Wider also currently serves on the board of directors of Abeona Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: ABEO). Dr. Wider previously consulted with a number of entities in the biotechnology space. Dr. Wider is also a principal in Wider Film Projects, a documentary film company focusing on producing films with sociopolitical resonance. Dr. Wider graduated from Columbia College of Physicians and Surgeons with an MD and from Princeton University with a BA in history of art and architecture.
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Dr. David Hung, MD, has agreed to serve on our board of directors. Dr. Hung recently served as Chief Executive Officer of Axovant Biosciences Inc. from April 2017 until his resignation in February 2018. Prior to that, Dr. Hung was a co-founder of Medivation, Inc. (“Medivation”) and served as President, Chief Executive Officer and director of its subsidiary, Medivation Neurology, Inc., from its inception in September 2003 until its acquisition by Medivation in December 2004, at which time he became President, Chief Executive Officer and director of Medivation. Dr. Hung served in those roles until Medivation was acquired by Pfizer, Inc. in September 2016. From 1998 to 2001, Dr. Hung served as Chief Scientific Officer (1998–1999) and as President, Chief Executive Officer and director (1999–2001) of Pro-Duct Health, Inc., a privately-held medical device company focused on breast cancer cytological diagnostics and therapeutics. From 1996 to 1998, Dr. Hung served in various senior positions at Chiron Corporation, including as Vice President of Lead Discovery and Development and Vice President of New Projects. Dr. Hung currently serves as a director of Establishment Labs Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ: ESTA), NovoCure (NASDAQ: NVCR) and Auransa Inc., and as founder, President and CEO and director of RePharmation Inc., a private biopharmaceutical company. He previously served as a director of Opexa Therapeutics, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company, from May 2006 to October 2011. Dr. Hung received an MD from the University of California, San Francisco, School of Medicine, and an AB in Biology from Harvard College.
SECURITIES & EXCHANGE COMMISSION FILINGS
A comprehensive list of SEC filings, along with downloadable documents for ARYA Sciences Acquitsition Corp., is available here:
CORPORATE GOVERNANCE & REQUIRED DISCLOSURES
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ARYA Compensation Committee Charter
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ARYA Audit Committee Charter
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ARYA Nominating Committee Charter
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ARYA Code of Business Ethics and Conduct
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Tax Notice to US Shareholders
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Tax Notice to US Shareholders – 2020
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