Enoch Kariuki is a Kenyan living in San Diego, California who has made a name for himself in the biopharmaceutical industry.
A native of Loitoktok, a small town in Kajiado County, he was inspired to venture in the field after experiencing HIV Aids ravaging families while growing up.
In his quest to bring change to the world, Kariuki has created companies that have earned billions of dollars in acquisitions.
Here is his story as told by WoK.
Growing up, Kariuki witnessed HIV Aids ravaging families including his own, as the disease claimed the life of his aunt.
This experience and many others inspired him to pursue a career in the medical field after realizing how proper healthcare could be a tool to help people.
Following the completion of his secondary school education, Kariuki moved to the United States and joined Texas Southern University (TSU).
Since he had interests in business, he also pursued pharmacy with intentions of merging the two, and in turn better the healthcare sector.
After intensive consultations, Kariuki pursued a postdoctoral fellowship at Bristol Myers Squibb (BMS), where he was exposed to strategic initiatives such as in/out licensing transactions, M&A and spin-offs.
Additionally, he also pursued an MBA at Tuck, leading to his entrance into Wall Street where he led various deals for healthcare companies.
Kariuki also majored in pharmacy practice, large pharma Research and Development, strategy and investment banking.
With this diverse background, he joined H.I.G. Capital, a private equity fund where he was tasked with evaluating investments.
Kariuki then joined Synthorx, a biotech startup, where he was instrumental in the company’s initial public offering (IPO), and its acquisition by Sanofi for $2.5 billion (approximately Ksh 323.5 billion) in December 2019.
Following the acquisition of Synthorx, he moved to VelosBio, another biotech startup, where he worked as the Chief Financial Officer (CFO).
In November 2020, VelosBio was acquired by Merck for $2.8 billion (approximately Ksh 362.3 trillion).
After VelosBio, Kariuki joined Lengo Therapeutics where he was responsible for the strategic vision and execution of the company.
Similarly, Lengo was acquired by Blueprint Medicine in a structured deal, involving $250 million (approximately Ksh 33.2 billion) upfront and up to $215 million (approximately 27.8 billion) in additional potential payments.
In an interview with Mukurima, Kariuki attributed his success to the resourcefulness of his mother who had a remarkable talent for business despite having left school after the first grade.
His mother ran a wholesaling company and a beer distributorship which enabled her to afford her children’s education.
Currently, Kariuki is on the board of Zentalis Pharmaceuticals, and he has also sat on the board of Imago BioSciences which was sold to Merc for $1.4 billion (approximately Ksh 181.2 trillion) in 2024.
