Therapeutics development & deep-tech advisory

Where deep science meets strategic momentum.

Most of my work is in therapeutics development — turning hard drug-development science into companies that raise, ship, and endure. I bring the same lens to the wider deep-tech and life-science world whenever the problem calls for it.

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Years across the bench, the lab, and the boardroom
£0M
Capital raised and supported across ventures
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Vantage points: bench, boardroom & cap table
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What I do

Three ways I plug into a venture.

Most engagements sit in therapeutics — from target and modality through preclinical, translational, and the company-building around them. The same approach travels well to deep tech more broadly, so I shape each engagement around where you actually need traction.

01 Laboratory research equipment

Scientific & R&D Advisory

A technical partner who reads the papers and the data room with equal fluency — pressure-testing the biology, the development plan, and the claims behind them.

  • Target & modality validation
  • Preclinical & translational roadmap
  • Scientific due diligence — therapeutics & beyond
02 Strategy and analytics on a desk

Commercial & Venture Strategy

From a defensible story to a fundable plan — positioning, market entry, and the financial logic that lets a deep tech company command the room.

  • Positioning & investor narrative
  • Fundraising strategy & milestones
  • Partnering, licensing & business model
03 A small team working together

Fractional Leadership

A senior operator in the seat you can't yet fill full-time — carrying real responsibility for science, strategy, or the founder's load through a defining stretch.

  • Fractional CSO / Head of Strategy
  • Founder & leadership sparring
  • Board & investor interface
Who you're working with

I'm Dr Joe Healey.

Zephyr Venturecraft is my independent consulting practice — not a firm I sit behind. When you engage Zephyr, you're working directly with me.

I've spent my career in the gap between rigorous science and the realities of building a company: a PhD at the bench, founding and leading a therapeutics venture, and time close to how investors actually decide. Drug development is where I'm sharpest — but those instincts carry across deep tech, so I'm glad to look at problems beyond it. The mix is the whole point — I can interrogate a result and a term sheet in the same conversation.

I take on a small number of engagements at a time so each one gets genuine attention rather than a logo on a roster.

Read the full background
PhD, Synthetic Biology
University of Warwick — molecular & engineering biology
Founder & CEO
NanoSyrinx — intracellular protein delivery
Investor-side exposure
Venture diligence & portfolio work, Saras Capital
Domain depth
Therapeutics development, with reach into deep tech
Working together

Engagement formats.

Pick the shape that fits the moment — or don't, and I'll scope something with you.

01 — Defined scope

Project

A bounded piece of work with a clear deliverable: a diligence pack, a strategy, a narrative.

02 — Ongoing

Retainer

A standing relationship — regular access for the questions that don't fit neatly into a project.

03 — Embedded

Fractional

A part-time leadership seat, carrying real responsibility through a defining stretch.

04 — Flexible

Day rate

A workshop, a board prep, a second opinion — when you need senior input for a day.

Not sure which? Start with a call and we'll figure it out together.

Let's talk

A free intro call — no pitch, just the problem.

Tell me where you're stuck. If I can help, we'll talk about how. If I can't, I'll usually know who can.