Behind the Spec: Erik Tyrrell-Knott, JD | Vice President, Business Development

Erik joined Atonarp in March 2022. He reports to Shaun Holt and lives in San Diego, California.

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Please share a bit about your training and professional background prior to Atonarp.

I earned a BA in History and a law degree in the ‘90s. I was an attorney in Massachusetts for a few years, but wanted to participate in the deal making rather than papering the deal. I jumped at the opportunity to co-found an internet company in the 1990’s. The business and distribution deals I was able to close made a big impact on our growth… and was really, really fun. I was hooked forever after on business development and have done this for20+ years at big (EMC, GE, ThermoFisher) and small (West Health, Mesa Biotech)companies.

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Please tell us a little bit about your role.

I joined Atonarp as Vice President of Business Development and am responsible to drive nonlinear revenue growth via partnerships with parties. These deals could involve co-development, distribution or partnerships with academic institutions. My focus will be aligning with R&D, Marketing, Sales and Regulatory to engage the right partners at the right time to accelerate our organic growth.

What drew you to join Atonarp?

The people I met, the promise of near-term revenue from the ASTON mass spectrometry platform and the audacity and disruptive potential of the ATON multi-laser optical spectroscopy platform.

What qualities does a person in your position need to possess?

I think there are several ingredients required for success in a BD role.

1)     Curiosity to constantly learn about our technology and the changing landscape in which we both compete and collaborate.

2)     Creativity to find non-obvious solutions, structures and partnerships that deliver outsized results.

3)     A collaborative nature and approach, which quickly develops trust and helps to negotiate successful win/win collaborations. It’s better to grow the collective pie rather than fight over the size of each fixed slice).

4)     And a healthy dose of paranoia to keep you on your toes and on the lookout for unforeseen risks and opportunities.

What do you like to do in your free time?

I have a 16-year old daughter and a 14-year old son.  As they get closer and closer to going to college, my wife and I take every opportunity to go to a sporting event (my son plays water polo) or attend a performance (my daughter does Irish Step Dance, Debate and Robotics).  When not chauffeuring or cheering, I like to read and bike.

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