Helen S. Kim
Vida Ventures, LLC
As one of the most accomplished women business leaders in biotechnology, Helen S. Kim has nearly three decades of leadership experience and an inimitable track record of outstanding accomplishments. She is currently a managing director of Vida Ventures, a venture capital firm in LA with a mission to expand life sciences in LA and beyond by advancing transformative biomedical innovations.
Kim joined Vida in 2019 and played a central role in raising over $600 million for the firm’s latest fund, which now has approximately $1 billion in assets under management. In addition to leading the LA office, she serves on the Management Committee and is co-chair of the Investment Committee. Kim was previously the executive vice president of business development at Kite Pharma in Santa Monica, where she led all corporate development initiatives including Kite’s acquisition by Gilead in 2017 for $11.9 billion dollars, the largest pre-commercial acquisition in the history of biopharma.
Aside from Kim’s extensive professional commitments and board obligations, she is personally invested in developing the next generation of life-science leaders. Despite her demanding schedule, she always makes time to mentor younger generations. These individuals, both Vida and non-Vida employees, come from a variety of academic backgrounds (including MDs, MBAs, PhDs) and local institutions (UCLA, USC, Cal Tech, etc.). Kim’s experience, unparalleled track record, and professional network provide incredible opportunities for invaluable learning, education and exposure to biomedical innovation happening in LA and beyond.
