Michael Diem, senior managing partner at Pfizer Ventures, is one of the 100 leading corporate venturing professionals in our 2025 Powerlist.

Michael Diem leads Pfizer Ventures as senior managing partner and is also vice president of Pfizer Worldwide Business Development.

Founded in 2004, the investment arm of the US-listed drugs company, prioritises early-stage investments in the US. International investments represent about 20% of its portfolio. Potentially transformative therapeutics are the main focus, with an emphasis on Pfizer’s five core therapeutic areas, which include inflammation and immunology, internal medicine, oncology, anti-infectives and vaccines.

Having joined the team in early 2023, Diem has accomplished much in his first year. In 2024, Pfizer Ventures made seven new investments in emerging sciences. It led the series A financing round for Curve Therapeutics, the UK-based developer of a drug discovery platform aimed at creating therapeutics for cancer.

In October, the team co-led the series B financing round for Enara Bio, a UK-based startup that develops medical drug vaccines and immunotherapy technologies to treat cancer. It also invested in Enlaza Therapeutics, a company building a pipeline of covalent biologenics that deliver more effective and safer treatments for patients.

“The acceleration of innovation in the life sciences is truly remarkable and we are committed more than ever to empowering companies to deliver transformative therapies for our future.”

Two exits were realised, including Morphic Therapeutic’s acquisition by AbbVie and Jnana Therapeutic’s acquisition by Otsuka. Of the team’s portfolio companies, 19 closed follow-on financing, raising about $650m in new capital, while 10 advanced novel therapeutic programmes into the clinic.

In Pfizer Ventures 2024 Year in Review Newsletter, Diem says, “The acceleration of innovation in the life sciences is truly remarkable and we are committed more than ever to empowering companies to deliver transformative therapies for our future. In 2025, we look forward to investing and partnering with the global biotech community to further advance the best products for patients.”

Diem has spent more than 20 years as an executive and investor in the pharma and biotech industries. He has held senior roles at Century Therapeutics, Amicus Therapeutics, AstraZeneca and GlaxoSmithKline.


The Global Corporate Venturing Powerlist represents the 100 individuals spearheading the future of the corporate venturing industry.

These individuals excel in terms of their venturing approach and structure, number and quality of portfolio companies and in their contributions to the corporate venturing profession.

See the full 2025 Powerlist here.