David Darst

David Darst joined Flagship Pioneering in 2025 as a Growth Partner, helping to grow and scale several portfolio companies by working with leaders throughout the ecosystem on long-term value creation strategy, financing, business development, partnerships, and organizational development.

Before joining Flagship, he was Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer for Inspirna, a company he co-founded, where he led financing, business and corporate development, and drug development efforts. In this role, he was responsible for implementing the company’s strategic and operational objectives through its intellectual property generation and prosecution, licensing activities, budgeting, and cross-functional CMC, nonclinical, and clinical efforts.

Prior to joining Inspirna, he was a venture capitalist at OrbiMed Advisors. There, he invested in leading private and public companies developing therapeutics for life-threatening and debilitating disorders, several of which went on to achieve FDA approvals and commercial success.

David was also a co-founder, EVP, and Director of Potentia Pharmaceuticals, which was acquired by its spin-out company Apellis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: APLS). Apellis developed a first-in-class complement inhibitor, which is FDA approved for the treatment of geographic atrophy secondary to age-related macular degeneration and paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria.

David earned an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School and a B.A., cum laude, from Harvard College. He is a former Director of the Alliance for Cancer Gene Therapy (ACGT) and sits on the Rockefeller University Advisory Council.