Ryan Swoboda
Chief Executive Officer, Co-Founder & Director
Ryan Swoboda co-founded NAVAN in 2017 while conducting his graduate thesis research on material synthesis and nanocharacterization with the Melosh Group at Stanford University. Ryan received both his M.S. and B.S. in Materials Science & Engineering from The Farm, focusing on nanoscience and developing NanoStraws for cellular reprogramming applications. As both an inventor on early stage NanoStraw patents and the Principal Investigator of NAVAN’s Small Business Technology Transfer Phase II grant awarded by the National Science Foundation (award no. 1759075), Ryan has contributed significantly to the development of the core NanoStraw technology and led the transfer team and process. Ryan became CEO of Navan in July 2019 and has successfully led the team and Company since then.
Ryan advocates the NAVAN vision of increased accessibility and affordability of cell & gene therapies and is committed to a culture of purpose to drive NAVAN’s success. Having been a first-generation college student, Ryan realizes the power of education and increased access to new technologies and considers NAVAN’s ventures as unique opportunities to effect lasting positive impact. In his spare time, Ryan enjoys conducting science demonstrations for low-income students in the local community.