Massachusetts biofuels company Qteros names 18-year chemical industry veteran John McCarthy its president and CEO

Pauline Vu

MARLBOROUGH, Massachusetts , January 13, 2010 (press release) – Qteros, Inc., a leading developer of second-generation technology solutions for the biofuels industry based on its unique Q Microbe™ platform, announced today that John McCarthy has joined the company as President and Chief Executive Officer to accelerate the company’s technology and commercial initiatives in the worldwide cellulosic ethanol marketplace.

Mr. McCarthy’s 18-year experience includes managing the transformational growth of numerous leading life science and bio-based chemical companies into high-value commercial entities. He has raised over $1 billion of capital in the private and public markets, and developed and executed numerous complex and large-scale strategic corporate partnerships.

Mr. McCarthy joins Qteros from Microbia, Inc. where he served as Chief Business Officer of this developer of unique bio-based specialty chemicals for large-scale industrial applications. Prior to Microbia, Mr. McCarthy was Executive Vice President for publicly-traded Verenium Corporation, a pioneering leader in the development and commercialization of cellulosic ethanol and specialty enzymes. At Verenium, McCarthy served as the chief architect of the company’s growth from a small privately-held business into a publicly-traded leader in the industry through the successful merger and integration of Celunol and Diversa and the subsequent creation and execution of the industry’s precedent-setting strategic corporate partnership with BP plc.

“We are thrilled to have John join us at this important stage of Qteros’ development to lead and accelerate our technical, commercial and organizational growth plans,” stated Steve Goldby, Qteros board member and Partner at Venrock Associates. “John’s experience building pioneering companies in the biofuels industry such as Verenium, together with his proven track record of developing and managing complex strategic corporate partnerships, make him uniquely qualified to lead and position Qteros for significant growth.”

“I am very pleased and excited to be joining Qteros at this critical stage of its development, and look forward to accelerating our technical and commercial plans as we focus on making our Q-Microbe™ platform a cellulosic ethanol industry standard,” stated McCarthy.

“The broad alternative energy industry represents one of the most important and high-growth opportunities for this generation,” McCarthy added. “I look forward to positioning Qteros and its partners as a leading technology solution to support the multi-billion gallon per year U.S. mandate and worldwide requirement for cellulosic ethanol production.”

Mr. McCarthy’s prior experience includes senior executive positions at Xanthus Pharmaceuticals, Synta Pharmaceuticals, Exact Sciences, Concentra Managed Care, and Morgan Stanley. Mr. McCarthy graduated with high honors from Lehigh University and received his MBA from the Harvard Business School.

For interviews with John McCarthy, please contact Qteros’ press contacts, Patricia Charles, at patricia@renewcomm.com or (202) 351-1757; or Peter Kelley at peter@renewcomm.com or (202) 270-8831.

About Qteros, Inc.
Qteros is a venture capital-backed company committed to delivering innovative process technologies for clean transportation fuels that reduce greenhouse gas emissions at a price competitive with gasoline. The company is currently in the process of scaling up a unique microbial solution for the highly efficient and cost effective conversion of non-food plants and waste into clean transportation fuel. The company’s patented Q Microbe™ system converts a wide array of cellulosic biomass directly into ethanol in a single step, consolidating enzymatic hydrolysis and fermentation, largely eliminating costly enzymes and associated pretreatments, and greatly simplifying the entire production process. Qteros’ scientists and business team are dedicated to producing liquid fuels to achieve a sustainable solution to the world’s growing energy needs. Qteros has been funded by some of the leading investors in the alternative energy industry, including among others, Venrock Associates, Battery Ventures, BP Technology Ventures, Soros Fund Management LLC and Valero Energy Corporation.

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