- Michael Heltzen appointed as CEO bringing 20 years of global commercial leadership experience and a track record of successful launches and exits
- Additional industry veterans join in key roles including business development, finance, and communications
MONROVIA, Calif., May 07, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Invizyne Technologies, Inc., a leading designer of cell-free, enzyme-based biomanufacturing systems to produce commercially important molecules and chemicals for everyday life, today announced the appointment of Michael Heltzen as CEO, and the recent hirings of additional seasoned industry executives for its leadership team.
“Michael Heltzen is a highly experienced technology entrepreneur with a track record of commercializing breakthrough companies with promising science and IP, making him a valuable addition to the Invizyne leadership team as the company prepares its launch as an independent public company,” said Christopher Marlett, CEO of MDB Capital Holdings, LLC, (NASDAQ:MDBH) (“MDB”), the primary investor in the company since inception.
Prior to joining Invizyne, Mr. Heltzen served as the Executive Vice President for Strategy at Paragraf Ltd, Chief Executive Officer of Cardea Bio Inc., as well as Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of Nanosens Innovations Inc., prior to its merger with Cardea Bio, Inc. He also currently serves as Chairman of the Board for EXO Incubator Inc. (private) and BlueSEQ Innovations Inc. (private).
“Invizyne’s SimplePath™ platform represents the first biomanufacturing technology that I have come across that overcomes the issues of other cell-based synthetic biology approaches,” said Michael Helzten, CEO of Invizyne. “By using cell-free enzyme systems to produce biochemicals, we believe Invizyne can also significantly create new useful drugs and chemicals that can be commercially produced at competitive prices. I believe that Invizyne can become a leading biomanufacturing company by becoming the leading developer of cell-free enzymatic pathway solutions.”
Leadership Team Expansion
Mr. Heltzen joins an experienced leadership team that includes co-founders Tyler Korman, Ph.D, and Paul Opgenorth, Ph.D, who were both recently promoted to Vice President of Research and Vice President of Development, respectively.
In recent months, the following experienced industry leaders also joined Invizyne’s leadership team:
- Michael Burns, Vice President of Energy Transition: As previously announced, Mr. Burns brings two decades worth of business strategy and development, global licensing, project development, and project finance expertise in the sustainable energy and synthetic biology industries to Invizyne, including roles at Novozymes, BP’s Advanced Bio-Products unit, and Verenium Corporation, which was acquired by BASF.
- Fouad Nawaz, Vice President of Finance: With a background and expertise in corporate finance, Mr. Nawaz has pursued his career in the electronics industry and worked to shape corporate strategy and operational efficiency across global organizations, most recently at Fulham Co Inc.
- Zachary Karl, Ph.D, Vice President of Business Development: With a robust expertise in synthetic biology and business development, Dr. Karl has spent the last decade shaping the strategic and operational landscapes in biotech, including pivotal roles at Ginkgo Bioworks Holdings, Inc. (DNA), POET Technologies Inc. (POET), and SAB Biotherapeutics, Inc. (SABS).
- Lasse H. Görlitz, Vice President of Communications: With a background as a European pioneer in data-driven marketing, Mr. Görlitz has spent the past 20 years developing and executing branding, positioning, and communications in life sciences, biotech, and AI, including successful projects with CLC bio, Corti.ai, wusaa, Cardea Bio, Limmi, as well as heading a global rebranding of QIAGEN (QGEN).
Proposed Offering and Listing on Nasdaq
In February 2024, Invizyne filed its IPO registration statement on Form S-1 with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) for the sale of its common stock in a firm commitment public offering. The offering will be for 4,300,000 shares of common stock at a price per share of $4.00, for gross proceeds of $17.2 million. Invizyne has applied to list its common shares on The Nasdaq Stock Market under the ticker symbol “IZTC.”
As a MDB “Big Idea” Company, the broker dealer subsidiary of MDB intends to give preference to holders of MDB Class A Shares, after which it will give preference to the other beneficial shareholders of MDB. To the extent these foregoing groups do not purchase all the offered shares, then shares will be sold to other persons giving an indication for purchase of shares through their respective brokers or dealers.
A registration statement relating to these securities has been filed with the SEC but has not yet become effective. These securities may not be sold, nor may offers to buy be accepted, prior to the time the registration statement becomes effective. This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities herein, nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any state or jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state or jurisdiction.
A copy of the prospectus related to the offering and included in the registration statement, when available, may be obtained by visiting the SEC website or by emailing Invizyne’s Investor Relations department at IR@invizyne.com.
About Invizyne Technologies, Inc.
Invizyne Technologies, Inc. is a cell-free enzyme-based biomanufacturing technology company headquartered in Monrovia, California. Invizyne is redefining biomanufacturing by leveraging cell-free, multi-step, enzyme-based systems to efficiently transform natural or renewable resources into highly sought after biochemicals, such as Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs), biofuels, food flavors, fragrances, cosmetics, etc. The management of Invizyne believes that the Invizyne biomanufacturing platform, known as SimplePath™, will be a significant alternative to the current methods of chemical compound production, which are generally chemical synthesis, natural extraction, and synthetic biology. The objective for SimplePath™ platform is to enable the efficient production of a diverse range of chemicals, some of which are otherwise impossible to make or very expensive to make. The SimplePath™ platform not only can maximize the value of these resources but also can contribute to the development of novel and renewable chemical compounds that hold the potential to open new markets and business opportunities.
For more information, please visit www.invizyne.com
Media contacts:
Lasse Görlitz, VP of Communications
(858) 319-7135
press@invizyne.com
Investor Relations Contact: IR@invizyne.com
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains “forward-looking statements.” These forward-looking statements are made as of the date they were first issued and were based on current expectations, estimates, forecasts and projections as well as the beliefs and assumptions of management. Words such as “expect,” “anticipate,” “should,” “believe,” “hope,” “target,” “project,” “goals,” “estimate,” “potential,” “predict,” “may,” “will,” “might,” “could,” “intend,” “shall” and variations of these terms or the negative of these terms and similar expressions are intended to identify these forward-looking statements.
Forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, many of which involve factors or circumstances that are beyond Invizyne’s control. Invizyne’s actual results could differ materially from those stated or implied in forward-looking statements due to a number of factors. The forward-looking statements included in this press release represent Invizyne’s views as of the date of this press release. Invizyne anticipates that subsequent events and developments will cause its views to change. Invizyne undertakes no intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. These forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as representing Invizyne’s views as of any date subsequent to the date of this press release.
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