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Each year, LabCentral awards Ignite Golden Tickets to women founders and founders of color, providing crucial support and access to early-stage entrepreneurs. Recipients participate in a year-long fellowship where LabCentral works to supercharge their networks and provide mentorship opportunities as they build their biotech businesses. In this new series, Ignite the Future, we highlight professionals who generously offer their time and expertise to mentor Ignite Fellows. Carolina Alarco serves as an Ignite Mentor.  

Carolina is a senior biotech executive with over two decades of experience in the biopharmaceutical industry in Massachusetts. As the Founder and Principal at Bio Strategy Advisors, she leads a strategic business consulting firm specializing in start-up builds and geographical expansion. Carolina’s extensive career includes pivotal roles such as Vice President at Genzyme Corporation, President at Aegerion Pharmaceuticals, and President at Novelion Therapeutics, guiding these organizations through significant growth and shepherding them through their respective exits. 

Carolina's leadership extends to serving on the boards of three private biotech companies: Syte.bio, Bonds Biosystems, Dione Antibiotics, and the Board of Advisors of Eastern Bank, a publicly traded bank in Boston. Carolina is also a Member of the Board of MassBio, the Massachusetts Biotechnology Council, a not-for-profit organization with the mission to advance Massachusetts’ leadership in the life sciences, a Trustee in the Mass General Hospital Board of Trustees (MGPO) and an Advisory Board Member for Cell and Gene Therapy at Informa Connect Life Sciences and a Strategic Consultant at Interlink Markets, a boutique investment bank specializing in early-round fundraising. In addition, she invests her expertise and resources as an Investor/Member of Walnut Ventures, TBD Angels, The Longevity Investors Network, and AccelHUB Ventures.  

Her dedication to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) is evident in her co-founding and co-chairing Latinos in Bio, a pioneering organization for Latino leaders and professionals in biotechnology and the life sciences. Latinos in Bio, incorporated as a 501(c)(3) non-profit in June 2021, has grown to nearly 1,200 members. The organization is committed to creating opportunities for success and amplifying the social capital of Latinx professionals in the biotechnology, pharmaceutical, medical technology, and other life sciences fields. By cultivating these opportunities, Latinos in Bio aims to impact the industry meaningfully.  

Carolina’s involvement with the LabCentral Ignite Golden Ticket Fellowship is driven by her passion for supporting underrepresented biotech entrepreneurs. She finds the initiative compelling because it offers invaluable resources: coveted shared lab space in Cambridge, Massachusetts, advisory support through the year-long Ignite Fellowship program, and essential funding. These benefits are designed to supercharge the networks of the fellows and provide them with guidance from experienced senior professionals. 

Carolina acknowledges the significant challenges facing underrepresented biotech founders, including being first-generation college students, solo founders, and lacking funding and networks within the biotech and VC world. The Golden Tickets offer those founders the support needed to navigate the complex landscape of the biotech industry. 

“Being a mentor is both a pleasure and a responsibility, providing the opportunity to give back to the Boston community and support the next generation of founders with hard-won insights and a seasoned perspective,” Carolina reflects. With her extensive experience in biotech, particularly in Boston’s vibrant ecosystem, she feels a profound obligation to give back.  “Guiding a small company to grow, develop life-changing therapies for patients, and achieve public status or successful exits, is my passion,” she adds. Her commitment to mentorship is fueled by the fulfillment that comes from building organizations that serve patients and contribute to the advancement of medical science. 

Carolina’s journey is a testament to her expertise, dedication to DEI, and unwavering support for the next generation of biotech innovators. Her leadership and mentorship continue to inspire and empower many in the life sciences community. 

About LabCentral Ignite 
The LabCentral Ignite program is deeply connected with the biotech ecosystem, providing mentees with mentors specializing in their specific areas of interest. Mentors like Anjali champion the expansion of their mentees' networks by connecting them with potential investors, facilitating critical introductions, and offering guidance for pitch opportunities. Mentors reside from various parts of the country, uniting with a common purpose: cultivating and supporting the next generation of biotech entrepreneurs. 

Interested in becoming a LabCentral Ignite Mentor? Please reach out to Julia Wardwell (jwardwell@labcentral.org).