David E Shaw

David Evans Shaw is prominent social and business entrepreneur, and currently serves as CEO of Black Point Group, with interests in public service and building science-based companies.

As a CEO and board member, Shaw has helped build more than a dozen successful technology companies in healthcare and other industries. Additionally, he is an experienced investor in science-based ventures via a career that has included partner and advisory roles with leading firms such as Venrock Associates, Just Capital, SVB Leerink, Arctaris Partners, and Polaris Venture Partners. Shaw’s career began in government, in the State of Maine Executive Department, followed by several years building a leading food and agribusiness consulting firm with professor Ray A Goldberg at Harvard Business School. Subsequently Shaw founded IDEXX Laboratories in 1983 and served as CEO and board chair for nearly 20 years. Shaw has since played leadership roles in building Ikaria, Covetrus, Ironwood, Modern Meadow, Ovation, Cyteir, Maxwell, Standard BioCarbon, and other firms.

Shaw’s career has included extensive public service in science, arts, conservation and public policy. He has served on the faculty of Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government, and the advisory board of the Center for Public Leadership. He is a founding director of the US Olympic and Paralympic Museum, Chair-emeritus of The Jackson Laboratory and Treasurer emeritus, trustee and a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), publisher of the journal Science. He has been a global leader in science-based conservation of nature, both marine and terrestrial, as a trustee of the National Park Foundation during the US national park centennial, as founding chair of the Sargasso Sea Alliance and Aspen High Seas Initiative, as a Patron of Nature to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, as a member of Ocean Elders, and as founder of Second Century Stewardship for America’s national parks. Shaw was appointed by President Clinton to the executive committee of the US-Israel Science and Technology Commission. He has served on the board of Maine Medical Center, Hurricane Island Outward Bound, the scientific advisory board of Discovery Communications, a Fellow of The Explorers Club, a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, the Leadership Council of the Service Year Alliance, and advisory councils of Sustainable Harvest International, the Telluride Science and Research Center and the Future of Cities.

Shaw has been awarded honorary degrees by Colby College, Bates College, Maine College of Art, and the University of Southern Maine. He is a recipient of the Leslie Cheek Medal from the College of William & Mary. Other honors have included induction into the Teddy Roosevelt Society, International SeaKeeper of Year, Blue Ocean Festival Wavemaker, Life Science Foundation Biotech Hall of Fame, honoree New York Restoration Project, UNH Entrepreneurship Hall of Fame, Maine Hall of Fame.