Corporate Architects™ for Pharma Biotech & Medtech
From an idea to market, we design, staff, and run the companies that make science investable and scalable.
What We Do
We are Corporate Architects™ for BioPharma & Device Companies
We are a team of seasoned executives helping
Academic, Investment, Bio/MedTech, and Founder-led organizations navigate complex, mission-critical challenges across Rare and Orphan Therapeutics, Medical Devices, and Science-based Engineering ventures. As Corporate Architects™, we partner with companies ready to transform their business design, streamline operations, and maximize the value of their R&D and human capital. Our work is guided by the ACG Blueprint Method™ — Assess, Architect, Accelerate, and Amplify.
Why Corporate Architects™
Science doesn’t fail in the lab. It fails in the gap — between discovery and commercialization.
That’s where we step in.
How we're different
Others advise. We build.
We partner with you to architect and execute strategy for both the company and the individual asset, with the precision and discipline of operators, not consultants.
Operators, not consultants. We embed as interim executives who execute, deliver KPIs, and move assets toward value inflection points.
Stage-specific execution. From pre-IND to Phase 3 to launch, we align the right team for each stage — regulatory, R&D, or commercial.
Capital discipline. Funding aligns with milestones, integrating grants, strategic partners, and equity to de-risk capital deployment.
Commercial from day zero. Payer, pricing, and market access strategy are designed into R&D from the start.
Exit fluency. Every build is structured with optionality for M&A, licensing, or scale.
Track record. Companies we’ve built are in clinic, scaling revenue, or acquired.
Biotech Transformation
The Architecture of Biotech Transformation
ACG turns scientific discoveries into scalable enterprises — accelerating the path from lab to market with precision, strategy, and execution.
Expansion – Beyond Boundaries
Identify new indications, partnerships, and global markets
Transition from startup to sustainable enterprise
Build continuous improvement loops that compound growth
Commercialization – From Science to Market
Create commercialization roadmaps and launch playbooks
Assess & mitigate barriers to adoption
Reposition or rebrand post-M&A or JV assets for market relevance
Acceleration – Strategy, Funding & Value Creation
Establish investment and exit strategies tailored to your growth stage
Integrate payer landscape, pricing, and value positioning early
Build confidence with investors through validated milestones and strategic clarity
Framework – Aligning Structure and Leadership
Optimize C-suite performance, governance, and operational excellence
Re-evaluate corporate infrastructure for U.S. expansion or global entry
Apply Six Sigma, change management, and performance frameworks to scale effectively
Foundation – From Concept to Product Launch
Define the scientific and commercial blueprint
Build the regulatory and operational infrastructure
Validate R&D and product strategy to attract investors and partners
Case studies
Founded and led by Dr. Vnook, a transformative CEO and Founder of numerous biotech enterprises known for turning scientific potential into commercial powerhouses. ACG partners with universities, founders, boards and investors to architect, fund, and scale the next generation of biopharma companies — from concept to acquisition.
| The Pivot | The Gap | ACG Transformation | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
From animal T1D pre-clin cell therapy company to human health encapsulation, logistics and cryopreservation platform. |
Groundbreaking encapsulation science, but trapped in an animal-health niche and undercapitalized. |
|
Re-envisioned as a Core-Shell Spherification® CGT platform with multi-vertical revenue (services, licensing, M&A), AI enabled formulation and robust logistic s platforms for temperature sensitive advanced therapies and blood products. Built business model, BD strategy, investor engagement, and growth into a human therapeutics powerhouse. |
|
From university IP to regenerative oral health company. |
No business model, undefined regulatory path, and no value story. |
|
Designed the entire corporate architecture — FDA device strategy, commercial launch/ investment strategy, payer narrative, fundraising roadmap, and M&A positioning. Converted academic science into a venture-ready, revenue-generating entity. Built business model, BD strategy, investor engagement, and growth into a human therapeutics powerhouse. |
|
From a promising but stalled asset to an integrated women’s oncology company. |
Exceptional science (PRLR antagonist G129R) without strategy or leadership. |
|
Built company design, team, and governance. Sequenced indications (ovarian → TNBC), and reformulation, leading to new IP creation, positioned for investor engagement. Elevated from concept to credible oncology platform. |
|
ECU spinout to commercial-stage oncology pipeline. Built business model, BD strategy, investor engagement, and growth into a human therapeutics powerhouse. |
Strong data, no operational roadmap or capital strategy. |
|
Created business strategy, pre-IND development plan, investor pitch, and lined up executive leadership. Turned a discovery into a structured biotech. growth into a human therapeutics powerhouse. |
|
From an academic biomarker discovery to a commercially focused diagnostics company. |
Exceptional clinical insight but limited experience in company-building, investor strategy, and commercialization.. |
|
Served as a strategic mentor and architect for a physician-led founding team — translating deep clinical knowledge into a fully realized biotech framework. Designed the end-to-end buildout: corporate structure, investor deck, licensing roadmap, positioning/ strategy, website, and digital presence. ACG led the business and operational design while the physician founders drove clinical and scientific validation — a true model of collaborative innovation. |
|
From physician idea to regulated hormone therapy platform. |
Fragmented market, no IP or regulatory clarity. |
|
Reframed as a biopharma platform with a clear IP estate, 505(b)(2) strategy, and investor narrative. Created investable structure in a $7B market. |
|
From university CAR-NK disclosure to operational company. |
Academic paper with no infrastructure or capital plan. |
|
Formed NewCo, end-to-end buildout: corporate structure, investor deck, licensing roadmap, positioning/ strategy, website, and digital presence. built lab infrastructure, Closed seed funding and installed interim leadership. Created a roadmap for early financing and partnerships. |
|
Scaled Microbiomics |
From scattered academic IP to focused biotech portfolio. |
Crowded space, no differentiation, no BD traction. |
|
Rationalized IP, prioritized assets, built BD and licensing strategy, and defined unique market position. |
From stagnation to IPO and growth. |
Limited IP, investor fatigue, and no growth path. |
|
New IPO-lead M&A expansion, pipeline redesign, and new IP creation — reinvigorating market confidence and valuation. |
|
ST Therapeutics |
From scattered product portfolio to dual-track Rx/OTC company. |
Unfocused strategy, no clear exit. |
|
Created parallel regulatory and commercial tracks (Rx + consumer), positioning for acquisition let to a strategic partnership. |
The ACG Model
Turning ideas and promises into investable, scalable, profitable companies. At Agile Consulting Group, we don’t tell founders, boards, or investors what to do — we build it with them.
Every engagement is crafted for execution, scalability, and measurable value creation.
We specialize in transforming stagnated or underperforming companies and advancing R&D assets from concept to commercial reality. Whether revitalizing a stalled enterprise or architecting a new biotech, ACG builds the structure, strategy, and systems that attract capital, reduce risk, and accelerate success.
Our philosophy is simple: real transformation happens through collaboration and execution — not advice.
Our Team
Founder & CEO, Agile Consulting Group (ACG) | CEO, Likarda
Dr. Stella Vnook is a transformational biotech CEO and company builder with 25+ years leading across pharma, drug delivery, oncology, and regenerative medicine. She scales science into enterprises—raising nine-figure capital, driving M&A and IPO outcomes, and aligning R&D to commercial markets.
As CEO of Likarda, she has diversified the platform, expanded IP to 45+ assets, forged blue-chip partnerships, and positioned the company for strategic acquisition. Through ACG, she architects investor-ready ventures for universities, accelerators, and founders—shaping IP strategy, regulatory paths, BD deals, and capital formation from preclinical to commercialization. She also serves on boards including FireFly Neuroscience (Chair, Nominating) and founded Oral BioLife and co-founded Kaida, NAKI Therapeutics and numerous other Biopharma ventures.
Previously, Stella led global portfolios and launches at Merck and Catalent, managed large P&Ls, and executed pricing, access, and payer strategies that unlocked multibillion-dollar brands.
Education: Doctorate in Public Health – Global Economics (OSU); MBA in Marketing (La Salle); Degree in Pharmacy with Oncology Residency (Temple); BA in Human Biology/ Math (Temple).
Selective highlights: raised $100M+; led exits/spin-outs; built teams from 1→300; negotiated global alliances; and executed FDA-facing strategies from concept to market.