Bill Yelle

Bill Yelle, M.S., M.B.A., has over 30 years in the biopharmaceutical industry, with experience ranging from large pharma to early-stage, venture-backed companies across a wide range of therapeutic areas.

Bill is an independent director at Violet.  He also serves as CEO of FireCyte Therapeutics.  Prior engagements include Entrepreneur in Residence at MGH-Brigham Ventures, Executive Chair at Envisia Therapeutics, and CEO of Aldea Pharmaceuticals. Bill was Senior Vice President of Corporate Development and Licensing for Sunovion Pharmaceuticals Inc. (formerly Sepracor Inc.) and responsible for the consummation of 30+ material transactions, including the company’s sale to Dainippon Sumitomo Pharma for $2.6 billion. He was also instrumental in Sepracor’s transition from an early-stage clinical organization into a fully integrated pharmaceutical company. Prior to Sepracor, he served in various positions in Pfizer’s U.S. Pharmaceuticals Group.

Bill has an M.B.A. in Management/Marketing from Columbia University, an M.S. in Organic Chemistry from the University of California at Berkeley, and a B.S. cum laude from the University of Massachusetts Lowell.