Ian Tolfree

About

Ian is a Principal at Emerald and a theoretical physicist turned commercialization generalist. He holds a PhD in Theoretical Physics from The Johns Hopkins University and a BS in Applied Physics from Columbia University. As former Manager of The Johns Hopkins University’s FastForward incubator, Ian advised more than 70 research groups, many in the fields of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, on commercialization and business building. Ian is a serial entrepreneur and currently the Founder and CEO of TBT Pharma Inc., a preclinical stage biotechnology company addressing large unmet needs in the dermatology market. In 2025, Ian was named an Executive in Residence at Columbia Technology Ventures, the technology transfer office of Columbia University.

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