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Andrew Hillman Advisory — Strategic Counsel, Dallas
Strategic Advisory · Dallas, Texas

Counsel for the regulated frontier.

FDA regulatory strategy, frontier biotech investment thesis, and family office capital allocation. Three decades operating where the science is real and the agency record is the central question.

30+
Years FDA-Regulated
Dallas
Family Office Seat
Biologics
351(a) · HCT/P · RMAT
Frontier
Exosome · Oncology · Cell & Gene
Practice Areas

Where the work actually lands.

Four concentrations. Each one a place where regulatory rigor, capital discipline, and operator judgment converge.

01 / FDA REGULATORY

Regulatory strategy and pathway analysis.

Decide 351(a) versus 361. Frame the INTERACT or pre-IND meeting. Build the RMAT case. Stress-test the CMC narrative before the agency does.

  • 21 CFR 1271 pathway determination
  • Pre-IND and INTERACT meeting strategy
  • RMAT designation framing
  • FDA inspection readiness review
02 / FRONTIER BIOTECH

Investment thesis and diligence support.

Independent diligence on biologics, exosome programs, regenerative medicine, and targeted oncology. Regulatory pathway as the central variable, not an afterthought.

  • Exosome biologics diligence
  • Regenerative medicine assessments
  • Targeted oncology mechanism review
  • Investor-side regulatory red flags
03 / FAMILY OFFICE

Capital allocation and operating discipline.

Quarterly portfolio review. Manufacturing-versus-product lock framework. Hiring-against-milestones discipline. Family office governance against operator drift.

  • FDA-regulated portfolio review
  • Capital allocation framework
  • Operator-versus-investor alignment
  • Concentration and exit modeling
04 / BOARD ADVISORY

Board seat and board observer engagements.

Independent seat or observer for biologics, regenerative medicine, and FDA-regulated companies where regulatory strategy is the central narrative.

  • Independent board director
  • Board observer for investors
  • Regulatory strategy advisory chair
  • Audit committee technical advisor
Approach

The work begins where the narrative collapses.

Strategy that survives a pre-IND meeting is strategy that survives the next investor call. The two failure modes look identical from the inside.

Regulatory pathway as the foundation, not the wrap.

Most early-stage biotech failures are not science failures. They are pathway failures. Companies that pick the wrong section of 21 CFR 1271, the wrong development paradigm under 351(a), or the wrong RMAT timing will deplete capital long before they deplete optionality. The first conversation in every engagement is the pathway conversation.

"In biologics, the process is the product. Locking process before product is the most common capital destruction event I see."

Capital discipline as the moat.

FDA-regulated healthcare does not let you cut corners and survive. The category selects for operators who can absorb agency guidance at the cadence the science requires. Family offices that allocate against this category specifically are buying durability, not multiples. Manufacturing decisions follow product lock. Headcount follows revenue or paid clinical milestones. Regulatory strategy precedes site selection.

Relationships as the renewable resource.

Money is not the renewable resource. Reputation is not the renewable resource until you have built one. Relationships are. Every advisory engagement is structured to leave the operator better equipped to retain the people, capital, and agency contacts they will need three years out, not just the next quarter.

Engagement Models

Four ways the work fits.

Each engagement is sized to the operator and the question on the table. No standing retainer is the same as the last.

Engagement 01

Regulatory pathway review.

One-time, time-boxed. Two to four weeks. Output is a written pathway memo and a working session with the founding team or board.

Single deliverable · Fixed fee
Engagement 02

Standing advisory retainer.

Quarterly cadence. Pre-meeting prep, regulatory milestone tracking, capital allocation review. Most retainers are 12 to 24 months.

Monthly retainer · Equity optional
Engagement 03

Board director or board observer.

Independent seat for FDA-regulated companies. Observer seat for investors who need regulatory eyes in the room.

Standard director compensation
Engagement 04

Investor diligence support.

Independent regulatory diligence for venture, family office, and strategic investors evaluating biologics or regenerative medicine deals.

Per-deal fee · LP-aligned
Track Record

Three decades. One regulatory thesis.

Curated highlights. Full operator history at andrew-hillman.com and the public record at andrewhillmanrecord.com.

1995 - Present

Principal, Hillman Ventures.

Dallas family office investing in FDA-regulated healthcare since 1995. The last decade has concentrated in frontier biotech. Exosome biologics. Regenerative medicine. Targeted oncology. Cell and gene therapy programs where the manufacturing process is the product.

Ongoing

The Hillman Letter.

Substack publication on FDA regulatory strategy, biotech investment thesis, and capital discipline at family offices. Ships from Dallas. Short, direct, sourced. Subscribe at thehillmanletter.substack.com.

Philanthropic

Andrew Hillman Scholarship for Entrepreneurs. Andrew Hillman Grant for Biotech at SMU. Andrew Hillman Family Room at Lamplighter School.

Founder-funded scholarship for early-stage entrepreneurs. Endowed grant for biotech research at Southern Methodist University. Permanent naming gift to the Lamplighter School in Dallas.

Independent

Expert witness in healthcare compliance.

Federal and state matters where the regulatory record is the central question. Engagements limited to civil matters and limited to a small number of cases per year. Inquiries through andrewjhillman.com.

Engage

Request a first conversation.

Short note, signal-to-noise. Tell me the question on the table, the timeline, and the audience for the work. Reply within two business days.

Submissions held under standard advisory confidentiality. Reply within two business days.