10 Things You Didn’t Know About Noubar Afeyan

Noubar Afeyan is a businessman and entrepreneur. He is the chief executive officer of Flagship Pioneering. His curriculum vitae is long and intense with so many accomplishments to his credit it’s difficult to list them all without writing volumes. We’re highlighting some of the most interesting things about this multifaceted professional with 10 things you probably didn’t know about him.

1. He is an American Canadian

According to the official Flagship Pioneering website, Noubar Afeyan is of American-Canadian citizenship, but he wasn’t born in either of these countries. He was born in Beirut, Lebanon to parents of Armenian descent. He has lived in various countries throughout the world, gaining American Citizenship after spending years living in Canada.

2. Noubar is the founder of Flagship Pioneering

Mr. Afeyan is not only the CEO of Flagship Pioneering, but he is also the founder of the organization. Flagship Pioneering is a venture capital enterprise that helps to fund ventures that are based in the biotechnology industry. More than 100 scientific ventures have been funded because of Afeyan and this organization. Thanks to his efforts over 50 drugs are in the clinical development pipeline that offers hope for improving the health and well-being of millions of people across the globe.

3. Noubar Afeyan has received numerous accolades for his work

Afeyan has made significant contributions to help people in various areas of life including biotechnology with useful treatments, and economic improvements for immigrants. He was honored with the International Institute of New England’s Golden Door Award in 2017, for his work. He also received a 2008 Ellis Island Medal of Honor, and a World Economic Forum Technology Pioneer Award in 2012. In 2016, he received the Great Immigrant honor from the Carnegie Corporation and numerous other awards and recognitions.

4. Noubar Afeyan is a serial entrepreneur

Afeyan has made a career out of being a co-founder. He is credited with helping to build more than 50 new startups in the science and technology industries. Flagship Pioneer is not the only company that he has launched. He is also the founder of a company called PerSeptive Biosystems. The company developed bio-instrumentation. He also helped in the development of Celera Genomics. Nubar is one of those unique individuals who knows what it takes to make a successful launch and to follow through with best practices to firmly establish new startups and turn them into successful companies. He has proven this over and over again.

5. He is an investor

Noubar Afeyan is a prominent investor in biotech and related startups. Some of them include Color Kinetics, Chemgenics Pharmaceuticals, Adnexus Therapeutics, Affinnova, and several others. Many of these startups grew, prospered, and were acquired by larger pharmaceutical companies. In addition to investing, he has also helped in the co-founding process for many of these companies, according to Wikipedia. It is because of his financial support and advisement that many of these organizations grew to become successful.

6. Noubar serves on numerous boards

Noubar Afeyan’s expertise and advisement are in high demand in the pharmaceutical and biotech industries. He serves on multiple boards of directors for some of the largest and most successful companies. He is on the board of Moderna, serving as chairman. He is also on the board of Seventh Sense Biosciences, Tessera Therapeutics, Omega Therapeutics, Rubius Therapeutics, and many others. Noubar gives much of his time to helping advise these organizations using the experience and knowledge he has gained through his own entrepreneurial and life experiences. He is educated, skilled, and knowledgeable with remarkable visions and insights that help guide them forward in fulfilling their respective missions.

7. He is a philanthropist

Afeyan supports charities and organizations that help to improve the lives of people through business, science, and social programs. He established various philanthropic organizations to help people in need. Some of these programs include the UWC Dilijan School, the IDeA Foundation, Aurora Humanitarian Initiative, and 100 Lives. He and his partners are heavily and consistently involved with projects that help people to improve their lives through treatments, economic, and social programs.

8. Noubar Afeyan earned his doctorate

According to his LinkedIn profile, Nubar began his academic career in 1980, when he started classes at McGill University. He spent three years at the institution studying in the field of chemical engineering. He graduated with his bachelor of science degree from McGill in 1983. The four-year program took him just three years to complete. He continued his education without taking a break. He was accepted at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the biochemical engineering doctoral program. He spent four years in the program earning his Ph.D. degree in 1987.

9. He is on the Harvard lecture circuit

Noubar Afeyan is a welcome speaker at the Harvard Business School. He has been making the rounds at the prestigious institution as a visiting lecturer from January 2018 to the present. This is just one more activity that shows his active involvement in helping to educate people about economics, biopharmaceuticals, and science. His scope of expertise covers a broad expanse of topics and he freely shares the information with others to help encourage more people to become involved with scientific and other types of investigation that will ultimately result in the betterment of mankind.

10. Noubar Afeyan is helping the people of Armenia

Noubar’s work takes him around the globe. His endeavors reach many countries throughout the world. In 2014, he co-founded the Aurora Prize in Yerevan, Armenia. The Aurora Prize is an international award that is distributed annually. It shows gratitude for humanitarian efforts. This monetary award acknowledges the accomplishments of organizations or individuals contributing to the preservation of human life. They chose other recipients for advancing humanitarian causes. They dedicate this prize to the survivors of the Armenian Genocide. It also serves to recognize those involved in helping to save the survivors. The cash amounts for the award ranges from $100,000 to $1,000,000.