Christopher Starr
About Christopher M. Starr
Christopher M. Starr, PhD (age 72) is Executive Chairman and a director of Monopar Therapeutics, serving since December 2014; the Board has affirmatively determined he is independent under Nasdaq standards despite his chair role and consulting arrangement . Dr. Starr co-founded BioMarin (VP R&D through 2006) and Raptor Pharmaceuticals (CEO 2006–2014; director until its sale in October 2016) and holds a BS from Syracuse University and a PhD in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from SUNY Health Science Center . He currently serves on the boards of privately held Glycomine Inc. and Thiogenesis Therapeutics Corp. (Canadian public biotech) .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Raptor Pharmaceuticals (Nasdaq: RPTP) | Co-founder; Chief Executive Officer | 2006–Dec 2014; Director until sale in Oct 2016 | Principal business: development/commercialization of rare disease treatments |
| BioMarin Pharmaceutical (Nasdaq: BMRN) | Co-founder; Vice President, R&D | 1997–2006 | Fully-integrated multinational biopharma; senior R&D leadership |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Glycomine Inc. (private) | Director | Current | Privately held; rare disease focus per industry context |
| Thiogenesis Therapeutics Corp. (Canadian public) | Director | Current | Interlocks with MNPR insiders (see below) |
Board Governance
- Roles and committees: Executive Chairman; member of the Plan Administrator Committee (along with Anderson and Talukdar); not listed on Audit, Compensation, or Corporate Governance & Nominating (CG&N) Committees .
- Independence: Board determined Dr. Starr, Mr. Anderson, Mr. Klausner, and Ms. Talukdar are independent directors under Nasdaq and SEC rules .
- Attendance and engagement: In 2024, Board met 6 times with 9 unanimous written actions; committees met Audit (5), Compensation (1), CG&N (1); Plan Administrator Committee took 4 unanimous actions. All directors attended ≥75% of Board and committee meetings; 5 of 6 attended last annual meeting .
- Committee oversight context: Audit chaired by Anderson (financial expert) with independent members; CG&N chaired by Klausner; Compensation chaired by Anderson; Plan Administrator Committee has no charter and administers equity grants for employees/consultants other than officers/senior executives/non-employee directors .
Fixed Compensation
| Component | Amount | Period | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Non-Employee Board Member Base Fee | $40,000 | 2024 | Paid quarterly in arrears |
| Executive Chairman additional fee | $40,000 | 2024 | Paid quarterly in arrears |
| Director cash fees received | $80,000 | FY2024 | Starr’s “Fees Earned or Paid in Cash” |
| Consulting agreement (All Other Compensation) | $120,000 | FY2024 | $10,000/month advisory services since Jan 1, 2022; renews annually unless terminated |
Performance Compensation
| Award Type | Grant Date | Shares/Units | Exercise/Grant Price | Vesting Schedule | Fair Value/Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stock Options | Apr 4, 2016 | 16,800 | $0.005 | 6/12ths at grant; 3/12ths every 6 months thereafter | Form 4 footnote describes vesting |
| Restricted Stock Units (RSUs) | Mar 4, 2025 | 79,899 | N/A | 6,002 vested immediately on grant; remainder as per award terms (not fully disclosed) | Section 16 filing excerpt |
| Long-term equity compensation methodology | Annual | N/A | N/A | Determined annually; directors’ long-term equity uses Black-Scholes valuation and peer group review | Program description |
The proxy does not disclose performance metrics (TSR, EBITDA, etc.) tied to director equity; awards appear time-based with valuation via Black-Scholes, not performance-contingent . For executives, non-equity incentive plans exist, but not applicable to directors .
Other Directorships & Interlocks
| Entity | MNPR Linkage | Potential Interlock/Conflict Consideration |
|---|---|---|
| Thiogenesis Therapeutics Corp. | Starr is director; MNPR director Kim Tsuchimoto also serves on Thiogenesis board; MNPR Acting CMO Patrice Rioux is CEO/director of Thiogenesis | Multiple MNPR insiders connected to same external public biotech; no related-party transactions disclosed since Jan 2024 |
| Glycomine Inc. | Starr is director | No transactions disclosed with MNPR |
Expertise & Qualifications
- 25+ years funding and operating public/private biopharmas; co-founder Raptor and BioMarin .
- Scientific credentials: PhD in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology; BS from Syracuse University .
- Board qualifications: strategic leadership and funding experience cited by MNPR .
Equity Ownership
| As-of Date | Beneficial Ownership (Shares) | Percent of Class | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 4, 2025 | 65,545 | 1.0% | Includes 49,492 options vested/vesting within 60 days |
| Dec 31, 2024 | 46,651 options | N/A | All director-held options fully vested as of year-end 2024 |
| Post-Transaction (Jul 14, 2025) | Direct: 5,173; Indirect (Revocable Trust): 9,880 | N/A | Holdings after exercise/sale reported; trust where Starr serves as trustee |
- Hedging/pledging: Company prohibits short sales; no disclosure of pledging or hedging instruments for directors beyond this policy .
Insider Trades (Section 16)
| Date | Transaction | Shares | Price | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 14, 2025 | Option exercise (cash) | 16,800 | $0.005 | $84 | Exercise of Apr 4, 2016 option grant; vesting schedule in footnote |
| Jul 14, 2025 | Open-market sale | 16,800 | $40.00–$40.25 | $672,020 | Reported across multiple trades; post-transaction holdings disclosed |
Governance Assessment
- Board effectiveness: Starr chairs the Board and is not on the Audit/Comp/CG&N committees, supporting separation of oversight from chair role; independent committee structure with financial expert leadership on Audit enhances control environment .
- Independence vs. conflicts: The Board deems Starr independent, yet he is Executive Chairman, co-founder, and party to a $10,000/month consulting arrangement—this mix can create perceived conflicts and raises questions about true arm’s-length independence in compensation and strategic oversight. However, the company disclosed no related-party transactions since Jan 2024, and explicitly empowers the Audit Committee to review related-party matters .
- Attendance/engagement: Attendance thresholds met; Board and committee cadence suggests active governance with at least 7 formal committee meetings/actions and 6 Board meetings in 2024 .
- Ownership alignment: Starr’s beneficial ownership (1.0%) and long history of fully vested options reflect alignment, though recent monetization of shares (~$672k) may be viewed as a neutral signal or mild negative depending on timing and context; post-sale he retains direct and trust holdings .
- Interlocks: Multiple MNPR insiders associated with Thiogenesis may present information-flow benefits but also perceived conflicts if transactions arise; company reports none during the period .
RED FLAGS
- Executive Chairman deemed “independent” despite active consulting relationship ($120,000 in FY2024), which could compromise independence in practice .
- Multiple interlocks with Thiogenesis (director and executive roles among MNPR insiders), elevating monitoring needs for potential related-party transactions, though none disclosed in 2024–2025 .
- Recent insider sale following substantial share price appreciation may be scrutinized by investors; context includes option exercise at de minimis strike and partial share monetization .