{"id":18728,"date":"2020-10-22T16:11:37","date_gmt":"2020-10-22T23:11:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/foundersnetwork.com\/?p=18728"},"modified":"2026-04-15T16:42:14","modified_gmt":"2026-04-15T23:42:14","slug":"engage-therapeutics-greg-mayes-why-i-founded-and-sold-a-startup-for-270m-in-two-years","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/foundersnetwork.com\/engage-therapeutics-greg-mayes-why-i-founded-and-sold-a-startup-for-270m-in-two-years\/","title":{"rendered":"Why I Founded and How I Sold A Startup For $270M in Two Years"},"content":{"rendered":"

For Greg Mayes<\/a>, founder of Engage Therapeutics<\/a>, the startup journey was personal. At a Founders Network<\/a> seminar, Greg walks through the key ingredients in founding, building and selling a pharmaceutical startup with the potential to help millions of epilepsy patients.<\/span><\/h3>\n

After a productive career in the C-suite at various pharmaceutical firms, including Advaxis<\/a>, Unigene Laboratories<\/a> and ImClone Systems<\/a>, Greg Mayes<\/a> saw a need for effective and convenient treatments for epilepsy\u00a0 — which affects about 3.4 million people in the United States — and got to work, eventually selling the company for $270 million to the Belgian giant UCB.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Greg got to know epilepsy firsthand after his son, Conner, was diagnosed with the condition as a child. Although a number of daily medications exist to treat seizures, roughly one-third of epilepsy patients still have difficulty in managing seizures. Through an advocacy group connected to New York University, where his son was receiving treatment, Greg got connected with Jackie French, a researcher with an idea for inhaler-based seizure treatments, and in short order he committed to the idea on a full-time basis.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Register for Greg’s presentation<\/a> on founding and selling a pharma startup in two years, and <\/span>find out if you qualify<\/span><\/a> for full membership to Founders Network<\/a> and get insights on.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n