--- title: "From Startup Growth to Sight-Restoring Science: Meet StemSight’s New Board Member Maarit Merla" description: StemSight welcomes biotech leader Maarit Merla to its board. With 25 years of experience in drug development, fundraising, and strategic partnerships, Merla brings hands-on expertise to support StemSight’s next phase of growth. Discover what drew her to the company, how she plans to contribute, and why she believes scalable cell therapies are the future. image: https://www.stemsight.fi/hubfs/StemSight%20%20(4).png --- [![](https://www.stemsight.fi/hubfs/webImg/new_logo.png)](https://www.stemsight.fi/) ![](https://www.stemsight.fi/hubfs/146001113/menu_close.png) - Menu Item 1 - Sub-menu Item 1 - Another Item - Sub-menu Item 2 - Menu Item 2 - Yet Another Item - Menu Item 3 - Menu Item 4 - [Home](https://www.stemsight.fi) - [About](https://www.stemsight.fi/aboutus) - [About Us](https://www.stemsight.fi/aboutus) - [Meet The Team](https://www.stemsight.fi/meet-the-team) - [Technology](https://www.stemsight.fi/our-technology) - [Our Technology](https://www.stemsight.fi/our-technology) - [Publications](https://www.stemsight.fi/publications) - [News](https://www.stemsight.fi/news) - [Blog](https://www.stemsight.fi/blog) - [Contact](https://www.stemsight.fi/contact) ![](https://www.stemsight.fi/hubfs/146001113/menuicon.png) June 9 # From Startup Growth to Sight-Restoring Science: Meet StemSight’s New Board Member Maarit Merla ![](https://www.stemsight.fi/hubfs/StemSight%20%20(4).png) At [StemSight](https://www.stemsight.fi/), we are driven by a mission to bring sight-restoring therapies to patients in need. To help us get there, we are proud to welcome a new board member whose deep experience and growth mindset will help us to realize this ambition. Biotech Leader Maarit Merla Joins StemSight’s Board  [Maarit Merla](https://www.linkedin.com/in/maaritmerla/), currently the CEO of the Finnish Drug Discovery Centre (Suomen Lääkekehityskeskus), joins the board with nearly 25 years of leadership experience in the life sciences industry, including roles across medical devices, biotech, and pharma. Her career spans strategic roles in business development, fundraising, and commercialisation – most notably at Forendo Pharma, where she helped raise €9M in financing, closed a major research collaboration with Novartis, and ultimately played a key role in the company’s acquisition by Organon. Now, she’s bringing that same energy, strategic insight, and hands-on biotech know-how to StemSight. “I met Laura years ago when she was pitching StemSight, and I was immediately impressed,” Maarit recalls. “There was a clarity in the mission and a spark in the way she told the story. We’ve kept in touch over the years, and when this opportunity came along, I didn’t hesitate.” ## Bringing Hands-On Experience What excites Maarit about StemSight is more than just the science. For her, it’s about real-world impact – a clear mission that meets an urgent unmet medical need, combined with a dynamic team of energetic women and a biotech model built to scale. Having served on the boards of organisations like Pharma Industry Finland and Finnish Bioindustries – which she currently chairs – Maarit brings both a high-level vision and practical, on-the-ground perspective to her role. “I know what it’s like to operate in a small biotech team – the hustle, the hands-on problem-solving, the constant balancing act between advancing science and securing the runway. That experience is something I hope to contribute, especially now as StemSight moves towards A round financing and future clinical milestones.” In particular, Maarit sees fundraising and partnerships as areas where she can offer the most support. She’s also keenly aware of the broader industry shifts happening in the cell and gene therapy space – from manufacturing challenges to evolving regulatory pathways. “The ability to scale up therapies based on iPSCs will be a key differentiator in the coming years. Companies that figure this out early will have a real edge in conversations with both investors and pharma partners.” Embracing Diversity, Challenge, and Growth in Board Leadership As for board culture, Maarit values diversity of thought and experience – and a willingness to openly explore new avenues toward a shared goal. “It’s important to have people around the table who think globally, come from different backgrounds, and aren’t afraid to recognise risks or ask hard questions. That’s what helps a high-growth company evolve successfully.” While ophthalmology may be a new chapter in her professional story, Maarit’s entrepreneurial roots run deep – and her willingness to step outside her comfort zone has defined her career. “I’ve always worked, I’ve always learned, and I’ve never been afraid of new challenges. That’s the attitude I’m bringing to StemSight.” We are thrilled to have Maarit on board as we continue our journey toward the clinic. Her leadership, strategic mindset, and passion for biotech innovation make her an invaluable addition to our team. A warm welcome to the team, Maarit! [![](https://www.stemsight.fi/hubfs/new_logo.png)](https://www.stemsight.fi/) Finn-Medi 5, 6th floor Biokatu 12 33520 Tampere, Finland [firstname.lastname@stemsight.fi](mailto:firstname.lastname@stemsight.fi) +358 50 322 0801 [![ins01](https://www.stemsight.fi/hs-fs/hubfs/ins01.png?width=35&height=35&name=ins01.png)](https://www.instagram.com/stemsight_oy/)[![link01](https://www.stemsight.fi/hs-fs/hubfs/link01.png?width=35&height=35&name=link01.png)](https://www.linkedin.com/company/stemsight/)[![x01](https://www.stemsight.fi/hs-fs/hubfs/x01.png?width=35&height=35&name=x01.png)](https://twitter.com/SightStem) ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Dev", "url" : "https://www.stemsight.fi/blog/author/dev" }, "dateModified" : "2025-06-09T12:26:06.123Z", "datePublished" : "2025-06-09T07:57:44.000Z", "headline" : "From Startup Growth to Sight-Restoring Science: Meet StemSight’s New Board Member Maarit Merla", "image" : [ "https://www.stemsight.fi/hubfs/StemSight%20%20(4).png" ], "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://www.stemsight.fi/blog/from-startup-growth-to-sight-restoring-science-meet-stemsights-new-board-member-maarit-merla", "@type" : "WebPage" }, "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject" } } } ```