BC Business
Founder and CEO
AGE: 29
COMPANY: Symvivo Inc.
The Story: “It took until graduate school to realize that I sucked at research,” says Alexander Graves. “But I needed to figure out another way to be involved in the science.” After finishing his biochemistry degree at Western University in London, Ontario, Graves decided to move west—first to pursue cancer research at the University of Manitoba and then on to Vancouver, where he launched Symvivo with a friend from undergrad, Mark Fox. Symvivo is an early-stage pharmaceutical company that researches, tests and patents cancer-fighting drug-delivering systems that can be licensed to large drug manufacturers. Drug development is a long and expensive process that typically takes place over decades, with most drugs taking well over $1 billion in investment to bring to market. Graves and Fox decided to start at the bottom: developing patents for aspects of the drug delivery process that can eventually be licensed to drug manufacturers.
Markers of Success: Symvivo has raised over $2 million from a local venture capital firm and has received grants of $100,000 from the National Research Council. In early 2015, the company began conducting tests on its delivery system for lung cancer drugs in animals—a significant milestone in the multi-year drug commercialization process. —Jacob Parry
Meet Alexander Graves and the rest of the 2015 30 Under 30 winners at this year’s celebration event!