Meet Bill Whelan

bill-whelan-headshot.jpg

Contact Bill:
1.617.348.1869
WWhelan@mintz.com
Full Bio on Mintz.com
Connect with Bill on LinkedIn

Fun facts:
I am an explorer at heart – places, ideas, cultures…. My second home is in Tokyo. I love everything about the place…people, culture, food, the energy of the world’s largest city.

If I weren’t a lawyer, I would be …
piloting jumbo jets from New York to Asian capitals.

Favorite Quote to Share with Entrepreneurs:
“Continuous effort, not strength or intelligence, is the key to unlocking our potential.” – Winston Churchill

Android or iPhone?
Blackberry Classic. Not kidding.

Here are some of the companies I’ve helped to grow and thrive:

  • Allegro Diagnostics

  • Autophagy

  • Caribou Bioscences

  • Checkmate Pharmaceuticals

  • Curelator

  • ERX Pharmaceuticals

  • Focus Technologies

  • Intercept Pharmaceuticals

  • NuCana

  • Quanterix Corporation

  • Triton Algae Innovations

  • Vedanta Biosciences

For years, I have had the good fortune to help establish, find funding for, or grow innovative businesses for some incredibly smart people with potentially life-changing ideas or products. In today’s climate of innovation, life sciences and tech companies of all kinds continue to be well positioned to achieve extraordinary and robust growth, and with that comes a spectrum of legal and business issues. These might include acquisition of technology, private financing, preparing for an IPO, forming a strategic alliance, or entering a business combination transaction, all while navigating multiple regulatory schemes, and often in several jurisdictions. When it comes to working with start-ups and emerging companies, informed, creative, practical, and timely legal advice is our starting point. From there my colleagues and I partner with clients, leveraging our experience, industry know-how, and global network to take their ideas from concept to commercialization — and beyond. 

Professional details

  • Co-chair, Mintz Life Sciences Practice

  • Member, Launchpad Venture Group

  • Past member, MIT Innovations Committee

  • Chambers USA: Massachusetts – Corporate/Mergers & Acquisitions (2014 – 2015)

  • Best Lawyers in America: Biotechnology Law (2013 – 2016)

  • Martindale-Hubbell AV Preeminent

  • Member, 8th Annual International Bar Association (IBA) World Life Sciences Conference Supporting Committee (2020)

  • Former Editor-in-Chief, Boston University Law Review

  • Former Clerk to the Chief Judge of the US Court of Appeals, District of Columbia Circuit

Education

  • JD, Boston University School of Law

  • BA, Middlebury College