Michael Torres, PhD

Michael J. Torres, Ph.D., is a biotech entrepreneur and company builder based in Houston, Texas. He is Co-Founder and CEO of CrossBridge Bio, where he developed a next-generation dual-payload antibody-drug conjugate platform and led the company from its 2023 founding through a 2026 acquisition agreement with Eli Lilly and Company valued at up to $300 million. The transaction delivered approximately 17x returns to early investors and 10x returns to seed investors, underscoring the capital efficiency and speed of execution behind the platform.

Dr. Torres earned his Ph.D. in cancer biology from UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, where his research focused on DNA damage repair. He previously co-founded ReCode Therapeutics, a Dallas-based company, where he guided R&D strategy and helped raise more than $200 million.

Operating at the intersection of science, capital, and execution, Dr. Torres is an active advocate for the Texas life sciences ecosystem and believes the state is increasingly well-positioned to build high-impact biotech companies. He sees a model emerging in Texas in which leading academic institutions, aligned capital, and operator-driven execution come together to consistently translate differentiated science into meaningful outcomes.