Co-Founder & CEO

Kayj holds a degree in Molecular Biology from Princeton University and a MBA from Stanford Graduate School of Business. Kayj has held positions spanning the biotech ecosystem including start-ups, big pharma, venture capital, and consulting. As part of Corporate Strategy at Amgen, he worked with Amgen’s C-Suite to shape long-term strategy, built partnerships in novel therapeutic modalities, and led investments in emerging categories including cell & gene therapy, antibody engineering, single cell analysis, and quantum computing. Kayj has also consulted for multiple VC funds where he developed investment theses and performed diligence in emerging technologies. Most recently, Kayj co-founded and led business development for Zafrens, raising >$20M and securing two pharma company partnerships. 

Kayj was first introduced to Melanie and the Prellis bioprinting technology when she brought him on as a consultant to evaluate initial applications for the company’s technology. Because of their strong working relationship and the remarkable nature of the technology, Kayj is excited to reunite with Melanie and join Lyric as CEO.