Murt Abuwala Picture

Murt Abuwala

Founder

Get to Know Murt

Murt is an expert in predictive analytics. He focuses on transforming unstructured scientific data into information that can be easily analyzed, compared, and acted upon to support clinical data generation strategy, M&A, and licensing.

Murt has over 20 years of experience working in the biopharmaceutical industry. He has contributed and served in different roles: scientist, technologist, sales and marketing executive, and consultant. As a scientist and technologist, Murt has developed mathematical and experimental innovations in enzyme kinetics and neurodegenerative diseases (patented), predictive analytics algorithms for lead scoring (commercialized), ontology for structuring and comparing clinical data (patent-pending), and mathematical approaches to assessing risks of pipeline assets (patent-pending).  And as a consultant, Murt has worked with ~30 publically-traded global biopharmaceutical companies including 7 of the top 10 on strategic and operational issues within and across research, development, corporate development, corporate finance, product planning, medical affairs, marketing, and sales. Since 2010, Murt has supported nearly $1.5 billion in M&A transactions, created over $1 billion in value for customers, and has been directly involved in the planning and launch of several products that currently generate over $10 billion in annual revenue.

His career began in Cambridge, MA as a chemist in enzyme kinetics at Vertex Pharmaceuticals. He then transitioned to management consulting, initially in strategy and then onto operations and CRM systems at Microsoft and Andersen. Subsequently, he joined a pre-IPO biotechnology company (now a part of PerkinElmer) where he eventually became one of three commercial leads and helped it go public. After its IPO, Murt joined Syneos Health to lead its US Sales Analytics and Operations practice. Here he grew revenue and developed various sophisticated analytics-based offerings for its Top-20 biopharma clients. Subsequently, he joined Cline Davis & Mann (an Omnicom company) as Senior Vice President and Director of Commercial Strategy to start and lead its Early Commercialization consulting practice. In 2009, Murt started Abuwala & Company to focus on developing portfolio analytics solutions to support M&A and licensing. And in 2013, Murt founded Orbytel Group to address various unmet needs in managing scientific and clinical data that are a critical component in R&D and BD&L decision making. At Orbytel Group, Murt oversees analytics / AI and account management.  Orbytel Group now serves most of the top 10 biopharma companies in the world. Along the way, the company has won various awards for its solutions including:

– Best of 5 Recommended Pharma & Life Science Solution Providers in 2020 (Enterprise World)
– 10 Innovative Solutions for Biotechnology Companies in 2020 (Mirror Review)
– Top 10 Solution Provider in 2018 (IS)
– Top 25 Global Solution Provider in 2017 (CIO Review)
– Top 25 Most Promising Technology Providers in 2014 (CIO Review )

Murt is a Phi Beta Kappa, magna cum laude, and honors graduate of Oberlin College with a degree in biochemistry. He was part of student government and received numerous awards and grants for his undergraduate research in artificial blood development from the National Science Foundation (NSF), Howards Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI), and the American Chemical Society (ACS).

Murt lives in Bethlehem, PA with his wife, daughter, and two dogs. He enjoys doing yard work, playing tennis, swimming in the ocean, trying to surf, and tinkering with new gadgets and devices. Murt is a USPTA Certified Professional tennis coach and has held regional and national rankings as a junior and adult; he is always looking for people to play with!

Q&A

 What is one of your favorite quotes?

“Be the change you wish to see in the world” (Mahatma Gandhi)

What is your favorite time of day and time of the year and why?

My favorite time of the day is dawn — its quiet, the light is beautiful, and air smells great. My favorite time of the year is fall — I love the colors and temperature (in the Northeast)

What sound and scent do you love?

A couple of my of favorite scents are the smell of freshly baked bread and a fresh pot of coffee. I love the sound of a purring Ducati engine — though those days are long gone. 🙂

If you could witness any event past, present, or future what would it be and why?

I’d like to witness the first time the human race encounters extraterrestrial intelligent life. The nature of who we are as humans and our place in the universe is fascinating and the questions surrounding intelligent life – where, in what form, and the possibilities are in my opinion are one of the great mysteries.

What was the first thing you bought with your own money?

I believe my first major purchase with my own money was the audio cassette “Raising Hell” by Run DMC.  🙂

If you received enough money to never need to work again, what would you spend your time doing?

I aspire to make an impact on health. Without any constraints — I’d love to work on/with: stem cells, nano-technology, and robotics (e.g., nano-bots used to deliver and modulate stem-cell differentiation for tissue repair would, for instance, be cool to work on).