Founders at Work: Portal

Building the Infrastructure for Cell Engineering and Drug Discovery Armon has spent his career on one problem: how do you get things into cells without breaking them. That question started in his PhD lab at MIT, became SQZ Biotechnologies, and now continues at Portal Biotechnologies, where his team has built a mechanical delivery platform used by 100+ customer sites including the top 10 pharma companies. Portal's technology squeezes cells through a silicon microstructure to transiently open their membranes, enabling drug discovery teams to run screens with molecules that couldn't get into cells before, and giving cell therapy developers a way to build next-generation, multi-engineered therapies. A DARPA-backed portable manufacturing system is on the way in 2027. Armon will talk through the science, where he sees the field heading, and what two very different chapters as a founder have taught him. Armon Sharei, Ph.D., Founder & CEO Dr. Armon Sharei serves as Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Portal Biotechnologies, where he is building the next generation of cell engineering technology. He is a scientist turned entrepreneur whose career has centered on translating breakthroughs in cell engineering into platforms now used across the pharmaceutical industry. Previously, Armon founded and led SQZ Biotechnologies (NYSE: SQZ) as Chief Executive Officer for a decade, building the company from his doctoral research at MIT into a publicly traded, clinical-stage biotechnology company. Under his leadership, SQZ raised more than $300 million in equity financing, established a collaboration with Roche valued at over $1 billion, advanced three oncology clinical trials, and completed its IPO on the NYSE. SQZ's CellSqueeze® platform, developed from Armon's Ph.D. work in the laboratories of Klavs Jensen and Robert Langer at MIT, was named one of Scientific American's Top Ten World Changing Ideas, a Fierce Biotech Fierce 15 company, and a World Economic Forum Technology Pioneer. Armon has authored more than 20 peer-reviewed publications and is an inventor on over 20 patent familiesAbout Founders at Work:This monthly seminar series alternates between our San Francisco and San Carlos locations and showcases a distinguished current resident or alumnus from our community. These sessions are designed to provide early-stage founders with real-world advice, practical strategies, and inspiring stories from those who’ve navigated the entrepreneurial journey successfully.This event is open to the public. Please be sure to register to reserve your spot!