_Meet our team

Our team of professionals is well connected across continents and sectors, from the Brazilian financial market to the European biotech academic ecosystem. With our broad vision, experience and network we come together to help our portfolio companies thrive.

We partner early with entrepreneurs when they need the most and have strong ties with a vast network of high-net-worth individuals.

_Francisca Peixoto

_Leo Figueiredo

_Ricardo Salomao

_Thiago Figueiredo

_Ana Gallego

_Pablo Heredia

_Ana Duran

_Afonso Sá

_Francisca Peixoto

Francisca has more than 8 years of research experience in R&D in top institutions like Oxford University (UK), Utrecht Medical Centre (The Netherlands) and IRB Barcelona (Spain). She is a Fulbright fellow and holds a Masters from Utrecht University in The Netherlands and a PhD from the University of Barcelona in Spain, both in the fields of Biomedicine.

Her work has yielded her several publications, including 2 first-author publications in the renowned scientific journal CELL. Francisca has also completed an Executive MBA at ESADE Business School.

Prior to founding LifeLink, she worked as Chief Science Officer at WEcubed Partners where she led scientific due diligence of biotech investment opportunities.

“The best part of our job is the opportunity to learn from so many inspiring minds and back their world-changing ideas.”

_Leo Figueiredo

Leo is a Brazilian financial market entrepreneur. As an external advisor, he provides strategic guidance and mentorship to LifeLink’s team.

Leo has an Economics Bachelor degree from FEA/USP, a Law degree from Largo do São Francisco/USP and a post-grad in Business from FGV.

Leo started working in the financial markets in the 1980s and in 1987 he became managing partner of Hedging-Griffo in São Paulo, Brazil. He developed the company’s operational activities, participating in structuring the capital markets and fund management businesses and transforming Hedging-Griffo into a private banking and asset management business. In 2006 the company was sold to Credit Suisse.

Since then Leo has been an active angel investor, has founded the business accelerator Quintessa, has become one of the first social impact accelerators in Brazil, and is currently on the board of Provence Capital, his own investment holding firm.

“An entrepreneur’s company ought to be his/her life project, not simply a way to earn money. A true purpose is one of the main keys for success”

_Ricardo Salomao

Ricardo holds a medical degree (MD) from Centro Universitário Lusíada (UNILUS), Santos, Brazil and specialized in musculoskeletal radiology from Beneficência Portuguesa Hospital (BP) in São Paulo, Brazil.

He worked as a physician and executive at SalomãoZoppi Diagnostics and DASA, the second largest healthcare company in Brazil and since 2017, after finishing his Executive MBA at INSPER.

Ricardo is a General Partner at Green Rock, a family office specialised in healthcare investments in the venture capital, private equity and real estate sectors. Prior to becoming a Partner at LifeLink, he made over 25 investments in the health sector in Brazil and Mexico.

“We believe in building close relationships with entrepreneurs and companies that, through their resilience and spirit, hold the potential to transform our sector.”

_Thiago Figueiredo

Thiago Figueiredo started his career in wealth management, but quickly changed his focus to sustainability and societal impact before it became mainstream.

As a reflection of this passion, he founded an agribusiness investment boutique. Fast forwarding almost 10 years, this venture is now a B-corporation managing a sustainable forestry project certified by the FSC.

In 2015 Thiago shifted his focus towards biotech-focused Venture Capital, investing for five years on behalf of family offices, including his own family (Provence Capital). Alongside Dr. Francisca Peixoto, at WEcubed Partners, they have built an impactful life sciences portfolio for their clients. Thiago also spent four years as a deep-tech venture capitalist and is a UNICEF NextGen Global principle.

In March 2020 Thiago left his executive role to join as partner and Chief Commercial Officer of 1s1 Energy, a company addressing climate change with new and exciting technology.

To date, Thiago acts as a key advisor to LifeLink Ventures.

_Ana Gallego

Ana has more than 7 years of experience in R&D, carrying out her research in different countries. She holds a master’s in molecular biology from the University of Skövde (Sweden) and has worked as a research assistant at the neuropharmacology department at the central institute of mental health in Mannheim in collaboration with the University of Heidelberg (Germany).

She earned her PhD in biomedicine from the Universitat Pompeu Fabra (Spain) focusing her research on deciphering the molecular mechanisms involved in psychiatric disorders. During this period, Ana actively collaborated in different research projects resulting in several scientific articles.

While working as an Investment Analyst at LifeLink Ventures, Ana is also completing a master’s degree in monitoring clinical trials and pharmaceutical development to apply her knowledge in clinical R&D and the biotechnology industry.

_Pablo Heredia

Pablo holds a Master’s degree in Stem Cells and Regenerative Therapies from King’s College London, and a Bachelor’s degree in Biomedical Sciences from Royal Holloway University of London. His academic journey has equipped him with a thorough understanding of the scientific, commercial, and regulatory aspects of cell therapies.

Before joining LifeLink Ventures, Pablo gained practical experience in the venture capital sector through internships at Inveready and Invivo Capital, two reputable Spanish life sciences venture capital firms. As an analyst, he was instrumental in managing deal flow, performing preliminary analysis of investment opportunities at both the scientific and commercial levels, and preparing detailed scientific reviews in specific areas of interest.

In addition to his venture capital experience, Pablo has a strong background in Alzheimer’s research. At the ACE Research Center, he served as a data analyst, investigating the correlation between protein concentrations and the clinical stage and progression of Alzheimer’s patients using R Studio. His work at ACE contributed to a journal publication that providing valuable insights.

Now at LifeLink Ventures, Pablo leverages his background and experience to contribute to our ongoing projects.

_Ana Duran

Ana is a biotechnologist with more than 8 years of R&D experience across various biomedical research fields. She earned her Master’s degree in Biomedical Sciences from Utrecht University (the Netherlands) and a Ph.D. in Regenerative Therapies from Charité University (Germany). Her doctoral research was focused on developing stem cell strategies to regenerate human heart muscle after myocardial infarction, which has resulted in several peer-reviewed publications.

After completing her PhD, Ana transitioned into a role in the biotech industry. She joined a preclinical CRO as a Sales & Account Manager where she engaged with numerous leading pharma and biotech companies. In this capacity, she designed research proposals and assisted companies in obtaining critical data packages to advance their therapies into the clinic.

Driven by a deep interest in biology and a strong belief in its potential to foster healthcare innovation, Ana joined LifeLink Ventures where she leverages her industry experience and scientific knowledge to contribute to due diligence on ongoing projects.

_Afonso Sá

Afonso studied Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of Algarve.

Before joining LifeLink Ventures, Afonso gained practical experience in IT for macOS and iOS as a senior advisor on the AppleCare project. He has also been handling back office operations in a multimedia & services company since 2015 and in a Pharmacy since 2021. These include HR, Admin and Financial operations

In addition to his operations experience, Afonso remais an enthusiast about the biotech field and stays and up-to-date with the Pharma industry also through his ongoing work at a Pharmacy.

Now at LifeLink Ventures, Afonso can use his unique background and experience to contribute to the operational back-office needs of the company.