SynBioBeta Speaker
Kristina Kitko
Director of Venture
Eli Lilly
May 2026, SynBioBeta
Speaker
Kristina E. Kitko, PhD, is currently a Director of Venture at Eli Lilly and Company. She is based in San Francisco as part of larger Corporate Business Development efforts, primarily targeting early-stage external innovation across Lilly’s core therapeutic, functional, and business units. Her role supports Lilly’s multiple external venture investments in both funds and companies globally (>$2bill), as well as due diligence and search and evaluation initiatives. She focuses primarily on investment across AI tools and technologies broadly, spanning early-stage R&D, clinical, and commercial applications. Kristina comes from an operational background within biotech. Prior to Lilly, she worked in Corporate Strategy at Crinetics Pharmaceuticals, and in venture creation at Flagship Pioneering and as an independent consultant. Kristina completed her PhD in Pharmacology and Electrical Engineering from Vanderbilt University as an NSF IGERT fellow, and her postdoctoral training in Brain and Cognitive Sciences across MIT and Harvard.
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