Biography
Dr. Mona Jhaveri is a visionary leader at the intersection of biomedical innovation and sustainable funding models, dedicated to transforming how promising cancer treatments bridge the critical funding gap between laboratory discovery and patient impact.
As Founder, Executive Director, and Board Chair of Music Beats Cancer, Dr. Jhaveri is revolutionizing the approach to funding early-stage biomedical innovations. Her organization has created a groundbreaking platform that empowers the public to directly support promising cancer-fighting technologies that would otherwise struggle to secure traditional investment—addressing a systemic funding challenge that prevents approximately 90% of promising biomedical innovations from reaching patients.
Dr. Jhaveri's thought leadership in bioscience funding stems from her unique journey as both scientist and entrepreneur. After discovering a novel DNA-based therapeutic compound at the National Cancer Institute, she founded Foligo Therapeutics to develop this promising ovarian cancer treatment. Despite initial success securing state venture funding and winning the prestigious Cartier Women's Initiative Award, Dr. Jhaveri experienced firsthand the devastating impact of the early-stage funding drought that plagues biomedical innovation—where brilliant discoveries with demonstrated potential fail to advance not due to scientific merit, but due to systemic funding limitations.
This experience catalyzed her mission to create sustainable funding pathways for biomedical entrepreneurs. Dr. Jhaveri's expertise bridges scientific innovation, intellectual property strategy, and alternative funding mechanisms—informed by her doctoral training in Biochemistry from Wake Forest University, postdoctoral fellowship at the National Cancer Institute, SPORE Fellowship Award research at Georgetown University's Lombardi Cancer Center, and specialized work in technology transfer at the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research.
Dr. Jhaveri is reshaping the conversation around biomedical innovation funding, advocating for new models that can accelerate the translation of scientific discoveries into life-saving treatments. Her work illuminates the critical importance of addressing early-stage funding challenges as a public health imperative and offers practical solutions to ensure promising cancer innovations have the opportunity to demonstrate their potential.
