Jim is a Managing Director of Prospect Venture Partners. Jim co-founded Prospect Venture Partners II and III, a dedicated life science fund with over $1 billion in capital under management.

During the last decade, Jim has helped found and lead financing for numerous biotechnology, pharmaceutical and healthcare service companies. Most recently, Dr. Tananbaum helped found and/or led investments for Prospect in Cogentus, Infinity Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: DPII), Jazz Pharmaceuticals, Novavax (NASDAQ:NVAX), Pathworks, RoxRo Pharma, Vanda Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: VNDA) and Vitae Pharmaceuticals. Previously, as a partner at Sierra Ventures he led investments in Amerigroup (NASDAQ:AMGP), Healtheon (NASDAQ:WBMD), Intensiva HealthCare Corporation (NASDAQ: CSEL) and NovaMed EyeCare Management (NASDAQ:NOVA). From 1991 to 1993, Jim was a senior product manager at Merck & Company, Inc where he was part of the team responsible for repositioning Prilosec.


Jim was also the founder of two successful biotechnology companies - GelTex which he founded in 1991 while finishing school and was ultimately purchased for $1.6 B by Genzyme (NASDAQ: GENZ) and Theravance (NASDAQ: THRX), founded in 1997 where as CEO for its first three years he started and grew the company to over 200 employees.

Jim is a member of the Young Presidents' Organization and Chapter Chair Golden Gate Chapter and a member of the Harvard/MIT Health Sciences and Technology Visiting Committee, and on the board of the DeYoung Museum of Fine Arts. Dr. Tananbaum received his undergraduate degree and B.S.E.E. from Yale University, an MD and MBA from Harvard.