Early Life and Education
Wayne P. Rothbaum was born and raised in the United States. He graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Binghamton University in 1990 with a dual major in political science and psychology. He furthered his education by earning a Master's degree in international economics from The George Washington University.
Career and Rise to Success
Rothbaum began his career at The Carson Group, a strategic consulting firm, where he managed its life sciences practice and boutique investment bank Evolution Capital. Following The Carson Group's sale to Thomson Reuters in 2001, Rothbaum founded Quogue Capital, a life sciences investment fund. Through Quogue Capital, he has invested in numerous private and public life sciences companies.
In 2012, Rothbaum co-founded and became the largest investor in Acerta Pharma, a cancer drug developer, which developed Calquence, a drug approved to treat forms of lymphoma and leukemia. AstraZeneca acquired 55% of Acerta Pharma in 2016 for $4 billion and agreed to acquire the remainder for nearly $2.5 billion. Rothbaum is currently the executive chair of Kartos Therapeutics, which he co-founded in 2016, and Telios Pharma, co-founded in 2019. Rothbaum also led a restructuring of Iovance Biotherapeutics, where he is a board member and the largest shareholder.
Key Business Strategies
Rothbaum's success is attributed to his strategic investment approach in the biotech sector. He invests his own funds, and his strategy involves identifying promising companies and technologies, focusing on innovative cancer therapies.
Philanthropy
Wayne Rothbaum has been recognized for his philanthropic efforts. He donated $300 million to SUNY Binghamton for a sports complex and scholarships, as well as to Ohio State University to build housing for cancer patients.