He just sold a biotech company for $3.2 billion. But his puzzling venture into retail puppy sales is fueling controversy.

But a world away from biopharma, Tipirneni has made an improbable foray into retail puppy sales that has provoked protests by animal rights activists, including picketing twice outside his house in Lexington. It marked the second time in a decade that a Massachusetts biotech he helped lead was bought by a pharmaceutical giant for billions of dollars. Praveen Tipirneni achieved the dream of many biotech CEOs this summer when the Waltham drug company he ran was acquired for $3.2 billion. In May 2023, Tipirneni opened a Puppy Palace franchise in...