Stephen Thesing

Stephen Thesing serves as the Chief Executive Officer of Avenzoar Pharmaceuticals, bringing over a decade of leadership and business development experience in the life sciences industry. Before joining Avenzoar, Stephen was Chief Business Officer at Calidi Biotherapeutics, where he played a pivotal role in driving the company’s growth and strategic direction. Under his leadership, Calidi secured early-stage, Series A, and Series B financings, including public listing activities, while establishing critical biopharma collaborations and licensing agreements.

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Stephen joined Calidi in 2016 and held various senior leadership roles before his promotion to CBO in 2019, including Chief Operating Officer and Senior Vice President of Corporate Development and Operations. During this time, he successfully integrated Calidi’s European subsidiary, StemVac GmbH, into the company, serving as Managing Director for StemVac.

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With extensive expertise in strategic licensing, deal-making, and scaling high-growth organizations, Stephen has built a reputation for executing transformative initiatives across multiple industries. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Business from California Polytechnic University, San Luis Obispo.

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At Avenzoar Pharmaceuticals, Stephen is dedicated to advancing innovation and delivering impactful therapies to patients worldwide.