Description:

Polymer, Platform, Partner: Lessons from Two Biotech Startups

Sean Kevlahan’s entrepreneurial journey began with the cofounding of Quad Technologies, a startup focused on cell separation and activation technologies to enable scalable cell
therapy manufacturing. As CEO, Sean guided Quad from concept to commercialization, ultimately leading to its acquisition by Bio-Techne. At Bio-Techne, he transitioned into a leadership role where he launched and scaled the Cell and Gene Therapy business unit, spearheading strategic initiatives that expanded the company’s footprint in advanced therapeutics. Driven by a continued passion for genetic medicine and delivery innovation,
Sean went on to co-found Nanite—a next-generation non-viral gene delivery company. At Nanite, Sean is now leading the development of programmable polymer nanoparticles designed to unlock targeted, durable expression of therapeutic proteins and peptides via DNA delivery. His journey reflects a deep commitment to building platform technologies at the intersection of chemistry, engineering, and medicine, with the goal of transforming how genetic medicines are delivered and developed.

Sean Kevlahan is the CEO and co-founder of Nanite, a biotechnology company pioneering the design of programmable polymer nanoparticles for non-viral gene delivery. He holds a
B.S. in Biochemistry from Hofstra University and a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from Northeastern University. Throughout his career, Sean has worked at the intersection of materials science and genetic medicine. Prior to founding Nanite, he cofounded Quad Technologies, which was acquired by Bio-Techne. Following the acquisition, Sean went on to nucleate Bio-Techne’s Cell and Gene Therapy business unit, where he led all strategic initiatives in the CGT space.