Jason Menzo was appointed CEO for the Foundation Fighting Blindness on July 1, 2022. Prior to this appointment, he spent the previous four years serving as the Foundation’s COO and President, leading the organizations fundraising, finance, operations, marketing and community engagement efforts. The Foundation is the world’s leading organization searching for treatments and cures of blinding retinal degenerative diseases. The Foundation has raised over $891 million since its inception and is currently funding more than 90 research projects globally.
Jason also serves on the management team for the Retinal Degeneration Fund (RD Fund), the venture arm of the Foundation. The RD Fund has nearly $100 million under management and has made investments in 10 portfolio companies to date, all aimed at fueling startup companies in the retinal degeneration space.
Prior to joining the Foundation, Jason was a co-founder and Business Unit Head of Sun Ophthalmics. In this role, he built and led the commercial team, launching the business into the well-known entity it is today.
Prior to his role with Sun Ophthalmics, he was a co-founder of the US business for Nicox SA, where he led the commercial launches of several ophthalmic brands and helped the business successfully exit by acquisition (Valeant Pharmaceuticals, 2014). He has previously held positions of increasing responsibility with Bausch + Lomb, Inspire Pharmaceuticals, and Bayer Healthcare.
Jason also serves on the Board of Directors for Retina International, the leading global umbrella organization for patient-led charities and foundations. He has also served as a member for the Global Council of Advisors and Advocates for Sightlife, a global non-profit seeking to end corneal blindness.