Sheila Mikhail, AskBio CEO and Cofounder, Named Springboard Enterprises’ 2019 Northstar Honoree
National award recognizes outstanding entrepreneurial women who lead high-growth companies that are transforming their industries
Research Triangle Park, N.C. (Oct. 23, 2019) – Springboard Enterprises has named Sheila Mikhail, JD, MBA, CEO and cofounder of Asklepios BioPharmaceutical, Inc. (AskBio), as its 2019 Northstar Honoree. Ms. Mikhail received the award on Oct. 23 at Springboard Enterprises’ 13th Annual Winners’ Circle Dinner, held at The Boathouse in Central Park, New York City.
“Throughout her remarkable career, Sheila Mikhail has epitomized the heart and soul of what we at Springboard Enterprises strive to highlight with the Northstar Honoree program,” said Amy Millman, president and co-founder of Springboard Enterprises. “The women we select are high-performing entrepreneurs who are transforming their industries through the discovery, investment in and commercialization of breakthrough innovations in technology, science and products that make our lives healthier, wealthier and more informed.”
“Sheila is an extraordinary example of what happens when passion, drive and skills meet opportunity,” she continued. “Like all past Northstar Honorees, Sheila is an industry-leading businesswoman and innovator who is making the impossible possible.”
An experienced life science attorney, Ms. Mikhail cofounded AskBio in 2001 with Jude Samulski, Ph.D., the first scientist to clone Adeno-Associated Virus (AAV), and Xiao Xiao, Ph.D., who was the first to develop a miniaturized dystrophin gene enabling the advancement of gene therapy for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. Since then, the company has raised hundreds of millions of dollars in capital, acquired and sold an array of leading gene therapy companies, and built a gene therapy platform with foundational AAV technology discovered by AskBio founders that is used by more than two-thirds of gene therapy companies worldwide.
“This is a tremendous honor for which I am and will always be eternally grateful,” said Ms. Mikhail. “One of my personal goals is to help inspire other women to push past whatever obstacles may be in front of them and stay focused on what they want to—and can—achieve.
“In accepting this award, I also want to recognize and thank my colleagues at AskBio and past employers for the support, guidance and confidence they’ve given me,” she continued. “No one earns something like this solely on her own. It takes trust, teamwork and a shared vision of the future to build a company like AskBio that is changing lives, and I feel truly blessed to be a part of this organization.”
Ms. Mikhail received a JD, with honors, from Northwestern University; a finance MBA, with honors, from the University of Chicago; and a BS, with highest honors, from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Headquartered in Research Triangle Park, N.C., AskBio is a fully integrated AAV gene therapy platform company focused on providing curative therapeutics for genetic disorders. AskBio’s integrated gene therapy platform includes an expansive capsid library, scaled Pro10™ manufacturing and new delivery methods to accelerate and lower the cost of end-to-end gene therapy processes and support its portfolio of curative therapeutics.
Springboard’s mission is to accelerate the growth of entrepreneurial companies led by women through access to essential resources and a global community of experts. Since 2000, more than 750 Springboard portfolio companies seeking investment of financial and human capital for product development and expansion have raised $9.5 billion, created tens of thousands of new jobs, and generated billions in annual revenues. With 190 exits to strategic acquirers and 19 IPOs, Springboard entrepreneurs are transforming industries.
About AskBio
Asklepios BioPharmaceutical, Inc. (AskBio) is a privately held, clinical stage gene therapy platform company dedicated to improving the lives of children and adults with rare genetic disorders. AskBio’s gene therapy platform includes an industry-leading proprietary cell line manufacturing process known as Pro10™ and an extensive AAV capsid library. The company has generated hundreds of proprietary third-generation gene vectors, several of which have entered clinical testing. AskBio maintains a portfolio of clinical programs across a range of indications, including Pompe, Limb Girdle Muscular Dystrophy, Myotonic Muscular Dystrophy, Huntington’s, Hemophilia (Chatham Therapeutic/Takeda) and Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (Bamboo Therapeutics/Pfizer). For more information, visit www.askbio.com.
About Springboard Enterprises
Springboard Enterprises is the leading network of influencers, investors and innovators dedicated to building high-growth companies led by women who are transforming industries in technology and life science. The measure of our success is in the results. $10.3B Capital Raised, 777 Companies, 787 Alumnae, 86% Raised Capital, 81% Operational, 197 M&A transactions, 20 IPOs. Learn more at https://sb.co.
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