Laura Strong

Background

About Laura Strong

I am a strategic leader and investor with 25+ years of entrepreneurial and operational experience across biotech, health tech, and venture capital.As Founder and CEO of Valency Fund, I'm dedicated to filling in the funding landscape for growth-stage businesses in Wisconsin through innovative capital solutions that help companies scale sustainably.My background spans multiple leadership roles in venture-backed and entrepreneurial companies. I've served as a strategic advisor for radiopharmaceutical and health technology firms and previously led clinical evidence and validation strategies at Exact Sciences, advancing IVD product development. At Quintessence Biosciences, I played a pivotal role in early-stage drug discovery and clinical trials for novel oncology treatments.Beyond my executive work, I'm a committed advocate for Wisconsin's entrepreneurial ecosystem. I mentor founders through MERLIN (Madison Entrepreneurs Resource Learning and Innovation Network) and Creative Destruction Labs and have served as President of the Board for both BioForward Wisconsin and StartingBlock Madison. I currently serve on the board of Total Water, a high-purity industrial water systems provider operating across 11 states.As adjunct faculty in the Masters in Biotechnology program at UW-Madison, I guide students in integrating scientific and business principles into their thesis projects.A National Institutes of Health predoctoral fellow, I earned my Ph.D. in organic chemistry from the University of Wisconsin–Madison and am co-author of 19 publications and co-inventor on 10 issued U.S. patents.