Cell therapy company Allogene Therapeutics Inc. (South San Francisco, Calif.) hired Eric Schmidt as CFO.
Schmidt will remain a senior adviser at Cowen, where he was managing director and senior research analyst. A 20-year veteran of the firm, Schmidt covered over 20 small-, mid- and large-cap biotechs.
In April, Allogene raised $300 million in its series A round. Led by former executives from Kite Therapeutics Inc., Allogene is developing a pipeline of CAR T products originally discovered by Cellectis S.A. (Euronext:ALCLS; NASDAQ:CLLS). The start-up assumed rights to the CAR T portfolio from Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE), which had held their rights under a 2014 deal; the pharma participated in Allogene's series A round (see "Self-Driving Cars").
Gilead Sciences Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD) acquired Kite last year.