Lital Gilad-Shaoulian

Purpose Bio, Inc.
CEO & Founder

Lital Gilad-Shaoulian is the CEO and founder of Purpose Bio, Inc., a synthetic biology biotech platform developing novel oral drugs for obesity, fatty liver disease and metabolic conditions affecting over one billion patients worldwide. With over 25 years in SaaS technology and nearly $1 billion in career business, she previously held leadership roles at Cisco, EMC, NICE Systems and LivePerson across EMEA and the U.S. In 2020, Gilad-Shaoulian pivoted from tech to biotech, founding Purpose Bio during her Entrepreneur-in-Residence at Stanford Research Institute. Despite no formal science background, she has led the company to global recognition and partnerships with pharma giants like Merck and Novo Nordisk. Purpose Bio has earned multiple honors, including UCLA’s “Best Most Investment Worthy Start-Up,” selection for JPM Healthcare 2025 and an Impact and Innovation Award from the U.S. Department of Defense. Gilad-Shaoulian mentors startups through Nucleate LA and Biocom.