Ernst has over 15 years of a biotechnology entrepreneur and investment professional with deep expertise in cancer research, oncology drug development and venture creation. He developed his entrepreneurial spirit in his academic life working in the laboratory of Hidde Ploegh at Harvard Medical School and at the translational cancer research group of Prof. Rene Bernard at the Netherlands Cancer Institute. He has been working on both sides of the table as an executive in new venture creation and as an investor in oncology start-ups. He is a venture partner at Aglaia Oncology Funds, a boutique venture capital firm that is specialized in early-stage oncology therapeutics investments and venture creation. He was the interim managing director of Sapreme Technologies and was also operationally and strategically involved with Inthera Bioscience and Macrophage Pharma He also worked at the research- and technology organization TNO, where he had a role in spinning-out biotech companies including Dutch DNA Biotech.