Haig Aghajanian

Haig Aghajanian is a Philadelphia-based scientist-angel affiliated with the University of Pennsylvania, writing sub-$25K checks at pre-seed and seed into biotech and pharma. The check size is small even by angel standards, which clearly positions him as a relationship-and-expertise investor rather than a meaningful capital source. His Penn faculty page and active Twitter presence suggest a working academic with research-side credibility, which is a precise fit for early therapeutic teams who want a scientific advisor on the cap table to validate biology, comment on assay design, or open doors at Penn-affiliated labs. AI is not flagged, so the value proposition here is wet-lab and translational science, not computational. Founders most likely to convert are pre-seed and seed biotech teams in cell and gene therapy, immunology, or therapeutics broadly, especially those with a Penn or Philadelphia connection or a need for academic advisory bench depth. Pharma services, digital health, devices, and consumer wellness are mismatches. The check itself will not move a round, so founders should treat the engagement as advisory-first, with the small check serving as a signal of conviction. The entry path is a LinkedIn or Twitter message that leads with the science, references his published work where genuinely relevant, and asks for a fifteen-minute scientific review rather than a fundraising meeting. Penn and Philadelphia-based teams will find scheduling and warm intros easiest. National and international biotech founders will need to demonstrate why this specific advisor moves the needle.