Ying Yang, associate director of the Center for Life Science Ventures and the Praxis Center for Venture Development, has become interim director of the Center for Life Science Ventures, effective July 1. In this role, Ying will continue to support the Praxis Center, led by Bob Scharf ’77.
“Ying Yang has earned a reputation as a skilled business strategist, administrator, and mentor who commands a remarkable breadth of knowledge about the life sciences sector,” said Gary Koretzky ’78, interim vice provost for research. “As associate director of both CLSV and the Praxis Center, Ying has guided deep-technology startups in diverse fields through early-stage development, fundraising, and commercialization.”
Yang joined Research & Innovation in 2019 with years of global consulting experience at McKinsey & Company, where she advised pharmaceutical and other life sciences businesses. She was promoted from assistant to associate director of CLSV and the Praxis Center in 2022. She holds an MBA in Health Care Management from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
Yang steps into the interim director role as CLSV’s founding director, Lou Walcer ’74, retires and commences a new phase of his career as a startup expert, mentor, and passionately dedicated Cornell alum. A life-long entrepreneur, Walcer launched Cornell’s first on-campus incubator in 2011. He developed a unique approach to business incubation built on intensive mentorship, accountability for meeting incubation milestones, and access to affordable lab space. Companies incubated at CLSV have created more than 525 jobs and raised nearly $600 million in private equity investment.
As interim director of CLSV, Yang will continue to work closely with Scharf, director of the Praxis Center.
“All of us who support Cornell’s culture of innovation owe Bob Scharf our immense gratitude for his continued service to Cornell’s innovation community,” Koretzky said.
Since the Praxis Center launched in 2019, Scharf has led a rapid expansion of specialized resources and support for high tech digital, engineering, and physical sciences startups at Cornell. Companies incubated at the Praxis Center have created 451 jobs and raised $421 million in private equity investment.
“The successes of CLSV and the Praxis Center are critical parts of a larger picture that includes all the ways that Research & Innovation teams contribute to turning Cornell discoveries into real-world technologies that create jobs, grow the economy, and benefit society,” Koretzky said. “I have the utmost confidence that the leadership of Ying and Bob will bring continued success for our two Ithaca campus-based business incubators, and I look forward to working with them to continue efforts for innovation and collaboration.”