Geoffrey von Maltzahn


Geoffrey von Maltzahn, Ph.D. is an American biological engineer and entrepreneur in biotechnology and life sciences industry who has founded a number of companies including Indigo Agriculture, Kaleido Biosciences, Seres Therapeutics, Axcella Health and Sienna Biopharmaceuticals. He is an inventor with 200 bioengineering and biotechnology patents and applications while has co-authored more than 20 peer-reviewed publications. He is a partner at Flagship Pioneering, a Massachusetts-based firm that funds start-ups in the healthcare and agriculture industries.

Early life and education

Geoffrey von Maltzahn was born in Arlington, Texas, and subsequently moved to Alexandria, Virginia where he graduated from Thomas Jefferson H.S. for Science and Technology. He was awarded his B.S. in Chemical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2003, his Master of Science degree in Bioengineering from the University of California, San Diego in 2005, and his PhD from the Harvard–MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2010.

Career

In 2009, Geoffrey von Maltzahn joined Flagship Pioneering, where he focuses on inventing and building new life science companies. In the same year, he co-founded Axcella Health, a company focused on developing amino acid therapeutics. In 2010, he co-founded Seres Therapeutics and served as the Chief Technology Officer. In 2013, he co-founded Indigo Agriculture, a company focused on improving the microbiome of modern crops and is currently Chief Innovation Officer. In 2015, he founded Kaleido Biosciences, is a clinical-stage biotechnology company engaged in the development of the microbiome. Until 2017, he served as the CEO of the company.

Awards and recognitions