Adriana Vela has been at the forefront of the nanobiotechnology sector for the last six years. After 18 years of tracking leading-edge technologies in the high-tech industry and defining new markets, Adriana embarked in the Life Sciences arena through various client-led projects. In 2004, Adriana founded NanoBioNexus, a not-for-profit corporation whose goal is to promote safe and market-accepted advances in nanosciences by tracking nanotech applications in areas ranging from diagnostics to therapeutics to medical devices. She leads a team of high caliber scientists and business professionals and has developed an international presence for NanoBioNexus.

Under Adriana's leadership, NanoBioNexus was selected to participate in a $20 million, 5-year grant funded by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) for the creation of a Center for Cancer Nanotechnology Excellence (CCNE) dedicated to the research, development and education of nanotechnology as applied to cancer. The center, named NanoTumor Center (www.ntc-ccne.org), includes an Educational Core where Adriana serves as project co-lead. The core is tasked with developing educational strategies, tools and outreach programs for intra-center members as well as the healthcare community and general public.

Prior to founding NanoBioNexus, Adriana was instrumental in building and shaping a similar organization from the ground up while in Silicon Valley. She has served on several boards and decision-making committees and held various management positions.

As a professional consultant and strategic advisor, she has assisted start-up companies in securing funding, doing market validation, customer acquisition and go-to-market strategies. Her Fortune 100 corporate experience includes management positions at Hewlett-Packard, Compaq Computers and Tandem Computer with global responsibility for driving new technologies. Adriana has also brought dozens of technology products to market, has managed multi-million dollar corporate initiatives, and has been a dynamic public speaker with engagements worldwide. Adriana created the strategy and was the driving force behind a multi-company standards initiative leading to the creation of a new PCI SIG-sanctioned industry standard called Hot-Plug PCI, forever changing the architectural requirements of computers. She holds a Bachelors of Business Administration/Information Technology from the University of Texas in Austin.


Representative Clients

PlusStream Inc (renamed CoroSoft)

Key Research (renamed PathScale)

Science Futures

MindBend Communications

OxyBand Technologies

NanoBioNexus

Moores UCSD Cancer Center

NanoTumor Center

Oxford NanoLabs

UCSD Extensions

CompuCyte Corporation