Pharma Alliance Manager, Guardant Health
Class of 2011
Shantanu Mittal is a Pharma Alliance Manager with Guardant Health at Redwood City, California. Guardant Health is a molecular diagnostics start-up that is revolutionizing liquid biopsy technology. This technology greatly limits the negative effects of current invasive diagnostics techniques and has the potential to allow for early detection of cancer. As the Alliance Manager, Mittal develops and manages partnerships between Guardant and pharma companies looking to use liquid biopsy technology as companion diagnostics for their drugs. He has also recently completed his MBA from University of California at Berkeley and had an opportunity to intern at a San Francisco based Venture Capital firm and support the commercialization of an early stage biotech company.
Prior to his MBA, Mittal worked as a business development manager at the Ontario Centers of Excellence where he supported the commercialization of academic technologies and managed funding programs for investment into new start-ups.
Mittal has also worked as the Program and Communications Officer at the Research Innovation Commercialization (RIC) Centre in Mississauga. This internship, which he secured through the MBiotech program, introduced him to the world of entrepreneurship and innovation. He was able to work with entrepreneurs and assist them in developing business plans and investor presentations. By being part of a small team, he was also able to contribute significantly to the growth of the organization, which is now the third largest commercialization centre in the province.
His advice to MBiotech students is to have the confidence to try something different and new. Mittal’s M.Biotech internship was very different from a lot of his peers in the pharma industry. However, that opportunity allowed him to venture into a world of entrepreneurship and start-ups. This unique experience allowed the exploration of many different career opportunities.
“MBiotech gives you a great foundation for not just the pharma industry, but also to start your own venture or enter a completely new field. So, use this foundation and the networks and do something you are passionate about. This is the best time in your life to take a risk.”