David J. Whelan

David J. Whelan serves as Chief Executive Officer of BioscienceLA. Having spent 20 years in Los Angeles, he is passionate about leading the growth of a vibrant ecosystem that will create new opportunities for all stakeholders.

Dave is a seasoned strategy, business development, and general management executive, building businesses and inspiring entrepreneurs at the intersection of technology, health, and wellness. His experience spans genomics, wearables, digital health, consumer health services, wellness and nutrition, enterprise health services, and healthcare providers, among other areas.

He was an integral part of the creation of New York Genome Center, a unique not-for-profit scientific research institute, where he served as Senior Vice President, Business Development & Chief Strategy Officer. Recent engagements include incubating a digital health and media start-up, steering a multi-year strategic and financial plan for a leading synthetic biology organization, launching a cancer diagnostic spinoff from a leading hospital, and developing a market assessment and strategic plan for an innovative integrative healthcare research institute.

Dave has spent many years as a start-up advisor, mentor, and judge with organizations like Larta Institute, Cedars-Sinai Accelerator, and Women Founders Network. His experience also includes product management and channel strategy for a division of 24 Hour Fitness, where he helped to launch one of the first fitness wearables. Earlier in his career, he spent over six years as a retained executive search consultant. Dave began his career with a biotechnology incubator in San Francisco.

He holds an MBA with Honors from the UCLA Anderson School and a BS in Symbolic Systems from Stanford University, and he remains very involved in alumni activities with both schools. He also studied at London Business School and Carnegie Mellon University. He has held a Top Secret Security Clearance.