# Amphora Labs > Amphora builds an evolving AI engine for molecular physics: genetic algorithms and generative models that design new materials. Therapeutics first, starting with polymers that release medicines in the body over months. Website: https://amphora.bio Contact: info@amphora.bio ## Team ### Founders #### Jeff Riley, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer Jeff Riley is Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Amphora Labs, with more than 25 years of leadership and operating experience across biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, and artificial intelligence. His expertise spans corporate strategy, business development, strategic alliances, joint ventures, and financing, with experience building emerging companies and working within global pharmaceutical organizations. Throughout his career, Jeff has raised more than $1.5 billion through private and public equity and debt financing and helped lead three companies to initial public offerings. He has negotiated global strategic alliances, established joint ventures, and led venture and public financings to accelerate product development. His executive experience includes CEO, chief business officer, chief financial officer, chief operating officer, chairman, and business development leadership roles. His career spans AvMax, Ontogen, Amphora RTP, Synthetic Biologics, Gain Therapeutics, BlinkCNS, and Caravan Biologix, alongside experience at Pfizer, SmithKline Beecham, and Quest Diagnostics. Jeff also brings venture capital experience with Queensland Investment Corporation and the Queensland Biocapital Fund, complemented by international operating experience across the United States, Latin America, Europe, Australia, and Turkey. He holds degrees from Boise State University, Arizona State University, and Thunderbird. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeff-riley-8284b12/ #### Alex Boches, Co-Founder and Chief Product Officer Alex Boches is Co-Founder and Chief Product Officer of Amphora Labs, with 15 years of experience building and commercializing businesses across technology, artificial intelligence, and biotechnology. At Amphora, he leads product strategy, scientific use-case development, and customer discovery, alongside business operations, strategic partnerships, and fundraising. Previously, Alex co-founded and served as CEO of Teal Omics, a Stanford University spinout applying proteomics and AI to drug discovery. He led technology transfer negotiations, raised pre-seed and seed capital, built the research team, and initiated a drug discovery program targeting neurodegenerative disease. As US General Manager and COO of Baze Labs, he built the US business, developed partnerships with CVS, Walgreens, and Kroger Health, and worked with the CEO to negotiate and execute its acquisition by Nature’s Way. Earlier, he helped establish Quid’s healthcare and life sciences business, commercializing enterprise analytics for pharmaceutical customers including Pfizer, Novartis, UCB, and Boehringer Ingelheim. Alex also served as a Partner at Form Life Ventures, where he helped define the firm’s longevity and precision health investment strategy and led the incubation of Teal Omics. His broader commercial executive and advisory work spans fundraising, market entry, and growth strategy for technology, AI, and biotechnology companies. He holds a BA in Chemistry from Colby College. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-boches/ #### Adam Breashears, Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer Adam Breashears is Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer of Amphora Labs, with more than 25 years of experience in software engineering, automation, enterprise platforms, and autonomous systems. He leads engineering for Amphora’s AI-assisted discovery platform, combining machine learning, knowledge graphs, data provenance, and human oversight to help scientific experts explore complex product spaces. Adam’s expertise spans large language models, agentic systems, retrieval, distributed systems, infrastructure automation, and production software architecture. Across roles at NYSE Euronext, PICO Quantitative Trading, Citadel, Mangata Networks, and Metis, he has built systems that automate software delivery, map operational dependencies, and coordinate infrastructure. At NYSE Euronext, his work helped increase release throughput from approximately two releases per weekend to as many as 50 per night. At PICO, he developed a graph-based approach to infrastructure orchestration and customer-impact analysis. At Metis, he built AI platform capabilities for regulated financial workflows, combining multi-hop reasoning, retrieval, and enterprise data access. Adam’s experience combines hands-on development with architecture, engineering leadership, and the operational design needed to scale complex systems. He holds an MS in Applied Data Science from the University of Chicago, an MBA in Entrepreneurship from DePaul University, and a BS in Finance from Louisiana Tech University. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-l-breashears-8110441/ #### Wes Spence, Co-Founder and Vice President of Partnerships Wes Spence is Co-Founder and Vice President of Partnerships at Amphora Labs, where he leads strategic growth and partnership development across defense, energy, and manufacturing. A retired US Navy SEAL Captain, he brings a 25-year Navy career and 13 years of global performance consulting experience. His work at Amphora spans joint development partnerships, defense capture, government contracts, grants, and other transaction agreements, advancing materials-science opportunities from customer problem definition toward field pilots. At CAVU International, Wes held senior roles in business development and coaching performance. He led the company’s expansion into manufacturing with John Deere and Alpek Polyester, generating more than $3 million in total sales, and developed the coaching methodology used by 100 coaches worldwide. He also managed consulting teams supporting four Alpek manufacturing facilities and more than 1,000 employees. Earlier, he founded Spence Global Solutions and worked with Check-6, advising organizations on leadership, safety, process improvement, and operational performance. During his Navy career, Wes commanded the Naval Special Warfare Advanced Training Command and directed worldwide operations and training for Naval Special Warfare. He holds an MS in Information Technology Management from the Naval Postgraduate School and a BS in Physical Science from the United States Naval Academy. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wes-spence-b9a15944/ ### Scientific and development team #### Ira C. Spector, PhD, MBA, Vice President of Clinical Development Ira C. Spector, PhD, MBA, is Vice President of Clinical Development at Amphora Labs, with more than 30 years of experience in biopharmaceutical development, medical devices, and global clinical operations. His career spans clinical development and regulatory approvals, international research operations, and the formation of three life sciences startups. Ira is also CEO and Founder of SFA Therapeutics, where he leads development of microbiome-derived immunomodulatory therapeutics for autoimmune diseases and oncology. Previously, as Executive Vice President of Analytics and Consulting at ICON Clinical Research, he expanded analytics and consulting services and drove a fourfold increase in sales. At Allergan, he led Global Development Operations across 11 international centers and oversaw pivotal trials supporting approvals including BOTOX for chronic migraine and overactive bladder, and Ozurdex. Earlier, at Wyeth Research, he managed clinical research across 60 countries and an annual clinical research budget exceeding $800 million, with work supporting approvals including Enbrel, Prevenar-13, and Pristiq. Ira holds a PhD in Health Sciences from the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, an MBA in Finance and Marketing from Drexel University, and BS degrees in Electrical Engineering and Physics from Washington University in St. Louis. He was named a PharmaVOICE 100 honoree. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ira-spector-00414310/ #### Ray Stapleton, PhD, CMC Lead 20 years at Merck, including the Gardasil and Keytruda launches. Former CTO at Vaxart and Genocea. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/raymond-stapleton-jr-ph-d-32529045/ #### Jepson Taylor, AI R&D Co-founded Zeff.ai (acquired by DataRobot). LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jepsontaylor/ #### Dean Farmer, PhD, IP Lead Materials and formulation patent estates. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/deanfarmer/ ### Advisors Stephen Gately (TD2, CRO) and Yu Ge, PhD (formulation, medicinal chemistry, DMPK).