Jennifer Good of Trevi Therapeutics, Vlad Coric of Biohaven Named 2017 CURE Entrepreneurs of the Year

In a ceremony December 12 at the CURE Annual Holiday Party at Alexion in New Haven, the 2017 CURE Entrepreneur of the Year award was presented to Jennifer Good of Trevi Therapeutics and Dr. Vlad Coric of Biohaven Pharmaceuticals, two biotechnology executives whose work has positively affected bioscience in Connecticut and beyond.

Jennifer L. Good is the co-founder of Trevi Therapeutics and serves as a director as well as president and CEO of the company. Prior to founding Trevi, she led the growth of Penwest Pharmaceuticals, a NASDAQ-traded company, from development stage through to profitability, resulting in its acquisition in 2010. At Trevi, Ms. Good has successfully raised $100 million, hired a high-caliber team of biotech innovators, and overseen the development of Trevi’s drug candidate from preclinical through to Phase 3 for treatment of chronic severe pruritis in various medical conditions. Colleagues have described her as “inspiring, visionary, and a natural leader.”

Vlad Coric, MD, is the CEO and a director of Biohaven Pharmaceuticals. With a background of more than 15 years of drug discovery and clinical development experience at Yale School of Medicine and Bristol-Myers Squibb, Dr. Coric joined with first-tier biopharma investors in establishing Biohaven. Since then, he has assembled and led a team of industry veterans, advancing a broad portfolio of first-in-class and best-in-class drug candidates for patients with severe neurological conditions, and raising approximately $194 million in Biohaven’s IPO in May 2017. Dr. Coric was cited as “warm, personable, and generous with his time,” conveying an “optimism and positive approach [that is] energizing and productive.”

The Entrepreneur of the Year award was established by CURE and the law firm of Shipman & Goodwin to acknowledge the importance of showcasing unique accomplishments of entrepreneurs in the Connecticut community.

Dormer Stephen, a partner at Shipman & Goodwin, said, "Both Jennifer Good and Dr. Coric’s accomplishments and contributions within the Connecticut bioscience community are a great fit for the 2017 CURE Entrepreneur of the Year award, and we are proud to recognize each of them for their hard work and dedication."

“I am honored to receive this recognition from CURE,” Dr. Coric said. “By establishing Biohaven in New Haven, we are able to tap into the talent and other resources that are critical to bringing treatments to patients who currently suffer from illnesses with few therapeutic options. We thank CURE for its vital work in Connecticut, and we are proud to be one of the many organizations who have chosen this state for groundbreaking medical research and robust commercial operations.”

“I am pleased to receive this award on behalf of my colleagues at Trevi as well as our various stakeholders, who have all been very instrumental in the company’s progress and growth,” Ms. Good said. “New Haven has been a terrific community to found and grow a biotech company within due to its thriving talent pool, easy access to major cities on the east coast, and a culture of education and innovation.”

The award presentations were made at the annual CURE Holiday Party, an important networking event for the Connecticut bioscience community, held this year at the world headquarters of Alexion in New Haven. This year’s sponsors included Alexion; Winstanley Enterprises; Shipman & Goodwin; Aerotek; AON; Arvinas; Biohaven Pharmaceuticals; Cantor Colburn; Elm Street Ventures; Sema4; and Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati.

In her introductory remarks, Dawn Hocevar, President and CEO of CURE, said, “Jennifer and Vlad are outstanding examples of the leadership role Connecticut is taking in bioscience. We are proud to recognize them and their accomplishments.”

photo and biography of Jennifer Good
photo and biography of Dr. Vlad Coric

CURE (Connecticut United for Research Excellence) serves as the bioscience cluster of Connecticut, a diverse community of small and large life and healthcare sciences companies, ranging in scope from therapeutics, to healthcare technology, to medical devices. Universities, government agencies, scientists, educators, mentors, students, entrepreneurs, business experts, service providers, and investors join in to form the breadth of the network. Participants in CURE educate, cultivate entrepreneurship, support the build of bioscience companies, and collaborate to ensure a sustainable, high-value bioscience and healthcare community that improves quality of life and keeps the Connecticut community strong.

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