hero image
Dr. Raphael (Rafi) Hofstein - MaRS Innovation. Toronto, ON, CA

Dr. Raphael (Rafi) Hofstein

President & CEO | MaRS Innovation

Toronto, ON, CANADA

Turning academic ideas into commercial realities

Media

Publications:

Documents:

Photos:

loading image loading image

Videos:

14 Raphael Hofstein 2011 Ivey ICHI Toronto GHSI Interview with Dr Raphael Hofstein of MaRS Innovation 2013 Ontario Economic Summit | Ontario's Global Strategy: Landing the Big Fish and Growing Our Own MaRS Innovation: Ahead of Innovation

Audio/Podcasts:

Social

Biography

Dr. Raphael (Rafi) Hofstein joined MaRS Innovation as President and CEO in June 2009.

During the 1980s, Dr Hofstein held the roles of scientific director of Biotechnological Applications Ltd., and manager R&D and chief of Immunochemistry at the International Genetic Scientific Partnership, organizations that were pivotal in developing Israel’s world-leading biotechnology sector.

Dr. Hofstein was scientific director of the Israeli office of Ecogen Inc., a subsidiary of Monsanto, for over six years before assuming the role of vice-president, Business Development for Ecogen in Langhorne, Pa.

From 1997 to 1999 Dr. Hofstein was president of Mindsense Biosystems Ltd., an Israeli company that develops neuropsychiatric immune assays. From 1999 to the present, he has held the position of president and CEO of Hadasit Ltd., the technology transfer and commercialization company of the Hadassah Medical Organization in Jerusalem. Later on, Dr. Hofstein joined Medica Ventures, a lead VC in Israel and served for 10 years as the president and CEO of Hadasit.

Dr. Hofstein was the founder and served as chair of Hadasit BioHolding Ltd., a publicly-traded holding company (10 start-ups under management) on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange (TASE) since 2005. Other directorships held on TASE publicly-traded companies include: Bioline RX (drug development); Exalenz (medical devices); and Evogene (agri-bio).

He has also served as chairman of BIOMED, Israel’s annual biomedical conference, from 2005 to 2007. In addition, Dr. Hofstein is a co-founder and board member of ILSI, the Israeli Life Science Industry Organization, and a co-founder and executive in Israel’s Tech Transfer Network (ITTN).

Industry Expertise (9)

Corporate Leadership

Research

Capital Markets

Pharmaceuticals

Biotechnology

Non-Profit/Charitable

Medical Devices

Government Relations

VC and Private Equity

Areas of Expertise (5)

Corporate & Business Strategy

Early-Stage Investing

Life Sciences and Healthcare

Technology Transfer

Commercialization of Innovation

Education (4)

Neurobiology Department, Harvard Medical School: Post-Doctoral Training, Molecular Biology and Physiology

Weizmann Institute of Science: PhD, Life Science and Chemistry

Weizmann Institute of Science: Master of Science, Life Sciences and Chemistry

Hebrew University of Jerusalem : Bachelor of Science, Chemistry and Physics

Languages (1)

  • English

Media Appearances (5)

Good News for Bad Guts

Yonge Street Media  print

2014-11-12

MaRS Innovation-University of Toronto start-up Encycle Therapeutics, is the recipient of a generous grant to further research its development of an oral treatment for inflammatory bowel disease, or IBD--the first of its kind. As Dr. Raphael Hofstein, president and CEO of MaRS Innovation, told Drug Discovery and Development: "Encycle Therapeutics has spent the last 18 months demonstrating the significant potential of its innovative macrocyle chemistry platform to generate small-cell permeable systems . . ."

view more

Ontario's Life Sciences Community Looks to Capitalize on the Asian Opportunity

Biotechnology Focus  print

2014-01-24

In a January 24, 2014 Biotechnology Focus cover article, author Shawn Lawrence discusses MaRS Innovation President and CEO Dr. Raphael (Rafi) Hofstein‘s recent visit to learn more of the emerging science and technology markets in Singapore and Japan. The trip allowed Hofstein to discuss current MI projects, specifically start-ups XLV Diagnostics Inc. and DVLR Therapeutics Inc., whose products could benefit from Singapore’s proximity to medical technology markets in India and China.

view more

Cleantech and healthcare: two sectors leading exponential technology growth in Toronto

Yonge Street Media  online

2013-10-30

In an October 30 article, Yonge Street Media‘s Andrew Seale spoke with MI’s president and CEO Raphael Hofstein on the booming healthcare innovation coming from Toronto since 2005. Seale’s article is the first of a two-part series on technological innovation. In the article, Hofstein credits the city’s intellectual infrastructure and access to healthcare resources for allowing innovation to flourish.

view more

Biotechnology research: a knowledge economy

The Hill-Times  print

2013-09-09

In this op-ed, Dr. Hofstein examines the diseases challenging the healthcare system, what Canada's biotechnology community is doing to address them and what's required to make progress.

view more

Interview: Raphael Hofstein, President & CEO, MaRS Innovation, Canada

Pharma Boardroom  print

2013-08-27

An interview with Dr. Raphael Hofstein and discussion of the challenges facing the global pharmaceutical and biotech industries.

view more

Event Appearances (3)

Cracking the innovation code – Creating Canadian value in the global market

Toronto CFO Executive Summit  Hilton Toronto Markham Suites

2014-12-08

Strengthening the interface between industry and technology transfer offices

AACT Canada Conference  Toronto, ON, Canada

2013-12-05

Shaping our future in the changing global biopharma R&D economy

CQDM Global BioPharma event  Montreal, QC, Canada

2013-06-12

Availability

  • Keynote
  • Moderator
  • Panelist
  • Workshop Leader