• Hershel Berry, Managing Partner
  • has spent the past 15 years working with emerging private and public companies to secure key financial and business relationships. Prior experience includes serving as a Director of The Trout Group, an investor relations firm serving the life science sector and Idealab, a venture capital firm that incubates technology based companies. Through the years Hershel has remained active in No Mayo, an organization he founded in 1990 that supports music education in public schools. While at No Mayo, he secured corporate partnerships, and oversaw the organization's donations to public high schools in San Francisco, Los Angeles and New York City. Partnership highlights included: Sony Music Alliance Capital & Booz Allen Hamilton. Hershel has a B.S. in Business and English from Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, NY.
    hberry@bplifescience.com
  • Michelle Melka, Managing Partner
  • joined Blueprint Life Science Group from Needham and Company, LLC, an investment bank focused on emerging growth industries. Prior to entering Wall Street she worked with Eli Lilly and Company as a sales representative where she partnered with thought leaders and brand teams to launch three best in class medications. This experience has enabled Michelle to see first-hand the practical realities of health care ecosystems; consisting of for-profit private companies, managed care organizations, private practice physicians, government regulation and the patient. She has a solid understanding of FDA regulations, the intricacies of new drug development and the market place for medical products. Michelle has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics and English from Georgetown University.
    mmelka@bplifescience.com
  • Sabrina Antoniou, Director Blueprint Australia
  • has worked in Australia and overseas for international organizations such as MasterCard, McCann Erickson and Euro RSCG, and was also a founding member of several start-up companies, working to establish a presence in the financial and business markets. Through her advertising and marketing roles, she has developed a skill set that spans multiple communications disciplines and vehicles, including corporate collateral, public and investor relations, event and roadshow management. Sabrina's interest in the life sciences industry was piqued during her time in the healthcare division of McCann Erickson where she worked on advertising campaigns for Roche, Janssen Cilag, Aventis, Schering Plough and also on the Australian launch of Campral – then a revolutionary and controversial drug for the treatment of alcohol dependence. Holding a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications from Macquarie University, Sabrina has also completed her Advertising Practitioner's Diploma through the University of Technology Sydney and her Diploma of Investor Relations through the Australian Investor Relations Association.
    santoniou@bplifescience.com
  • Zisi Fotev, PhD, Director Blueprint Europe
  • manages the European practice from Blueprint's Berlin office. He brings extensive business development expertise to the firm having served in senior management posts at big pharma and emerging biotech companies. His previous roles extend from Head of Worldwide Licensing and Alliances at Merck KGaA to VP of Business Development for ATUGEN AG. Achievements range from acquisitions to partnerships and include agreements with AstraZeneca, Bayer, Merck, Novo Nordisk, Sankyo and Schering AG/Berlex. Interaction with key departments such as Research, Clinical Development, Patent, Legal, Marketing and Product Management have provided a framework for his role in supporting Blueprint projects. Zisi received his PhD in Medical Physiology from the University of Tubingen, Germany, an honors Degree in Pathology from the University of Western Australia, Perth and graduated from the University of Western Australia with a BS having majored in Pathology and Microbiology.
    zfotev@bplifescience.com