Perry Karsen

Perry Karsen is a Venture Partner at Samsara BioCapital, focusing on biotechnology and medical device investments. Previously, he served as Chief Executive Officer of Celgene Cellular Therapeutics and Executive Vice President and Chief Operations Officer of Celgene Corporation. He also held the position of President and Chief Executive Officer at Pearl Therapeutics, leading the enterprise until its acquisition by Astra-Zeneca. Throughout his 35-year career, Karsen worked as a General Partner at Pequot Ventures and held senior executive roles at major pharmaceutical organizations, including Bristol-Myers Squibb and Genentech. He earned a Bachelor of Science from the University of Illinois Urbana, a Master of Arts from Duke University, and a Master of Business Administration from Northwestern University. Karsen now utilizes his extensive operational and investment background to guide early-stage biopharmaceutical companies through board leadership and venture capital initiatives.