Bong Koh
Managing Partner
Venrock
Bong Koh is a Mentor Hawaii Cohort 11 mentor. Learn more about the program here.
About Bong
Bong originally joined Venrock in 2009 and has been doing public and private investing since 2004. He did his medical training at Harvard’s Mass Eye & Ear Infirmary (ophthalmology), Stanford Hospital (internal medicine) and UCSF (pathology).
Bong works predominantly on Venrock’s public and cross-over biotech fund, Venrock Healthcare Capital Partners.
Bong has sat on the board of directors for Artiva Biotherapeutics, AveXis, Inc. (acquired by Novartis for $8.7 billion) and RayzeBio, Inc. (acquired by Bristol Myers Squibb for $4.1 billion). Bong sits on several non-profit boards including the Blavatnik Fund for Innovation at Yale, elevAAte Biotech and Make-A-Wish Hawaii.
Bong earned his B.A. from Yale University, his M.D. from the University of California, San Francisco, and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School.
Question and Answer with Bong
What is your preferred communication style when mentoring (in-person, video conference, phone, informal check-ins, structured meetings, etc.)?
In-Person, Video Conference, Email.
Why do you want to become a mentor in this program?
Developing the next generation of talent is a very important personal goal.
What specific skills, knowledge or experience can you share with your mentee?
Presentations, managing upwards, selling ideas, venture capital, hedge funds, public markets, analytical skills.
What are your expectations for a mentor-mentee relationship?
Help mentee grow as much as possible
How do you approach problem-solving and conflict resolution?
Problem solving: understanding problem, context, drivers, deconstruct assumptions, get expert help, get opinions of very smart people, data analysis, data driven decisions
Conflict resolution: put yourself in other shoes and try to understand what they want and how to find a compromise
How do you envision success for your mentee, and how will you measure it during the program?
That is more up to the mentee – what is it they want to accomplish with their career and figuring out what success means