At COO (Boardroom Media) we track over 1,000,000 startups and over 5,000,000 people who hold key positions in these companies. We use this directory of startups to highlight top employees, founders and board members we think deserve more appreciation than they are currently getting.
This list showcases the top United States based COO’ operating in the Life Science space. If you think a COO’ is missing from this list, feel free to contact our editor on [email protected].
The individuals on this list have been included because of exceptional performance in one of the following categories:
- Innovation – Operating as a key part in an extremely innovative business or startup.
- Growth – Operating as a key figure in the growth and upscale of a market leading business or startup.
- Management – Showing exceptional management skills.
- Societal impact – Putting their business on the map for their positive societal or environmental impact.
Our Data – We source our data from OSINT (open source intelligence) and public directories such as Crunchbase, SemRush and many more. The data from these sources should be treated with a degree of caution and verified yourself.
Gus Lawlor
Chief Operating Officer of Leap Therapeutics
Mr. Lawlor is a General Partner at HealthCare Ventures (HCV), one of the largest healthcare-focused venture capital firms in the world. Mr. Lawlor has 15 years of experience in the biotechnology industry in finance, business development, mergers and acquisitions, and general management. Prior to joining HCV in 2000, he was Chief Operating Officer of LeukoSite (acquired by Millennium Pharmaceuticals), a biotechnology company. Before joining LeukoSite, Mr. Lawlor also served as Chief Financial Officer and Vice President of Corporate Development for Alpha-Beta Technology, and he was previously Chief Financial Officer and Vice President, Business Development, at BioSurface Technology. Mr. Lawlor is a co-founder of Phase Forward (acquired by Oracle ORCL), a company developing Internet-based management tools for conducting clinical trials.
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About Leap Therapeutics: Leap Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company.
Tomer Jackman
Co-founder and COO of Variantyx
Tomer serves as the Chief Operating Officer of Variantyx and is responsible for delivering services to customers. This includes day-to-day operations such as supply chain management, customer care, and above all, productivity. Prior to co-founding Variantyx, Tomer was responsible for hardware development operations in Pivotal/Greenplum division of EMC2 where he helped develop server clusters for “Massive Parallel Processing” databases. This followed a decade with EMC2 in several hardware engineering roles, and work in R&D with HP/Indigo. He holds a high-tech MBA from Northeastern University in Boston, and a BSc in Electrical Engineering from Tel-Aviv University.
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About Variantyx: Variantyx offers a comprehensive set of advanced genomic diagnostic products and services with a focus on whole genome sequencing.
Rebecca Lucia
Partner, Chief Financial Officer & COO of 5AM Ventures
Rebecca joined AMV in 2010 and brought 15 years of experience in finance. She is responsible for accounting, finance and investor relations. Prior to AMV, Rebecca was Director of Finance at CV Therapeutics (“CVT”) until the acquisition of the company by Gilead Sciences in 2009 for $1.4B. At CVT, she oversaw the financial planning function for the company’s Commercial organization, which had a $120M operating budget and 270 employees. Prior to CVT, Rebecca was CFO at CareandHealth in the UK where she managed all finance, legal, HR, and operational functions of the firm. Previously, Rebecca was Director of Investor Relations at Chiron Corporation until its acquisition by Novartis in 2006 at a value of $8.8B. She began her career at Deloitte where she progressed through various positions in audit and financial consulting, most recently as a Senior Manager in the Financial Advisory Services group. Rebecca has an MBA from Kellogg School of Management, a Chartered Financial Analyst designation, and in 1997 she earned a Canadian Chartered Accountant designation.
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About 5AM Ventures: 5AM Ventures is a venture capital firm that aims to finance seed and early-stage life sciences companies.
Vivien Chan
COO of Eureka Therapeutics
Vivien Chan serves as the Chief Operating Officer at Eureka Therapeutics.
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About Eureka Therapeutics: Eureka Therapeutics is a biotechnology company focusing on immunotherapies for the treatment of cancer.
Nandini Ramani
Chief Operating Officer of Outcome Health
Nandini Ramani is the COO of Outcome Health.
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About Makers, Outcome Health: Outcome Health delivers better health outcomes and impacts the human condition positively through technology.
Sean Jeffries
Chief Operating Officer of Design Therapeutics
Sean Jeffries is the Chief Operating Officer at Design Therapeutics.
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About Design Therapeutics: Design Therapeutics is a biotechnology company developing a new class of therapies for serious degenerative disorders.
Michael McKenna
President & COO of Quantum SI
Michael McKenna is the President and Chief Operating Officer of Quantum-Si since December 2014. Prior to joining Quantum-Si, Dr. McKenna served as Vice President, R&D at Life Technologies Corporation, a global biotechnology company, from August 2011 to July 2014, and as a consultant to Life Technologies from February 2011 to August 2011. Dr. McKenna received his B.S. in molecular biology and German from Carnegie Mellon University and his Ph.D. in biology from Yale University.
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About Quantum SI: Quantum SI offers Next Generation Protein Sequencing that makes diagnostics digital.
Jon Adkins
COO and Co-founder of XenoTherapeutics
Jon Adkins, M.B.A., is COO and Co-founder of XenoTherapeutics Corporation.3 Jon graduated from the University of Florida and completed his Master of Business Administration with an emphasis in Healthcare Management from Southern New Hampshire University. Jon has spent more than 15 years in medical device sales, management, marketing, and consulting. He’s worked with top corporations, including Zimmer Biomet, DePuy Synthes, and Smith & Nephew. In these roles, he supervised simultaneous lines of business involving implantable medical devices and biologics, including those used in orthopedic joint reconstruction and spine and trauma surgeries. Jon combines his expertise in business development with industry experience to focus on implementing the strategic and operational directives of XenoTherapeutics.
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About XenoTherapeutics: XenoTherapeutics is a clinical-stage cell and gene therapy company engineering immune-compatible cells, tissues, and organs.
Sarah Sanders
Co-Founder, COO & Board Member of Native
Sarah Sanders is a co-founder at Native AgTech, a B2B platform designed to democratize agricultural data. Previously, Sarah was a territory account executive at Toast. Sarah Sanders holds a bachelor of business administration degree in management from the University of Kentucky.
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About Native: A platform using A.I. to understand consumer preferences and helping companies create products that people love!
Nico Anthony
Chief Operating Officer of ADM Labs
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About ADM Labs: ADM Labs’ specific focus is on extraction, manufacturing/processing and wholesale of extract-based products from industrial hemp & CBD.
Alexander Casdin
Chief Operating Officer & Chief Financial Officer of Epirium
Alexander Casdin is the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of Epirium Bio. He has broad financial and operational expertise, with more than 20 years of experience as a healthcare executive and investor. Prior to joining Epirium, Mr. Casdin was founder, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and portfolio manager of Reneo Capital Management LP, a successful healthcare investment fund. He previously served as CFO of Sophiris Bio, Inc. and Vice President of Finance for Amylin Pharmaceuticals. Mr. Casdin was a founder and senior advisor at Casdin Advisors, LLC; CEO and portfolio manager at Cooper Hill Partners, LLC, a healthcare investment fund; and portfolio manager of Pequot Capital Management’s healthcare fund. Earlier, he worked at the Dreyfus Corporation as a senior managing analyst covering pharmaceuticals, biotechnology and medical devices. Mr. Casdin has been on the board of directors for multiple life science companies including Erasca, Inc., Dusa Pharmaceuticals, Inc., and Ignyta, Inc. Mr. Casdin received an M.B.A from Columbia Business School and a B.A. in political science from Brown University.
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About Epirium, Epirium: Epirium Bio is a clinical stage bio pharmaceutical company.
Jerry Kuang
COO of HistoWiz
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About HistoWiz: HistoWiz provides automated histopathology for biomedical researchers.
Brendan Delaney
Chief Operating Officer of Aadi Bioscience
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About Aadi Bioscience, Constellation Pharmaceuticals: Aadi Bioscience develops a potentially mTOR inhibitor for targeted patient populations in oncology and cardiovascular diseases.
Babar Ghias
Chief Operating Officer of Castle Creek Biosciences
Babar Ghias is the Chief Operating Officer at Castle Creek Biosciences.
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About Castle Creek Biosciences: Castle Creek Biosciences is focused on developing commercializing novel, personalized gene therapies for rare skin disorders.
Kristy Campbell
Chief Operating Officer of Rev1 Ventures
Kristy Campbell has dedicated her 20+ year career to working with – and within – tech startups to help them build their brand, grow revenue and scale. As the Chief Operating Officer at leading venture development fund, Rev1 Ventures, Campbell supports the company’s mission to help entrepreneurs build great companies. Tapping into her longevity in the industry, she helps guide startups in their critical first phases of growth to expedite their success and ensure they are poised for scalable growth. Kristy has a BS in Journalism from Ohio University and an MBA from Ashland University.
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About Rev1 Ventures: Rev1 Ventures is an investor startup studio that combines capital and strategic services to help startups scale and corporates innovate.
Gary Yeung
Chief Operating & Financial Officer of Erasca
Gary is Chief Operating and Financial Officer of Erasca, bringing more than 20 years of experience in life science operations, finance, business development, IT and program leadership. Initially, he served as Erasca’s Chief Business Officer since helping launch and finance the company in 2018. Prior to Erasca, Gary helped build two biotech companies: Guardant Health and Annexon Biosciences. At Guardant, he was Vice President of the early cancer detection business unit and a member of the leadership team that prepared the company for its initial public offering in 2018. At Annexon, Gary served as Vice President of Business and Development Operations, building the infrastructure to advance drug candidates to clinical development. Gary also held leadership roles with Genentech for 13 years, building organizations across multiple disciplines to develop and launch innovative therapies. He oversaw the portfolio and program management functions that produced 42 INDs and developed multiple FDA-approved treatments, including Tecentriq and Venclexta. He also led finance and commercial planning teams as the finance leader for the Immunology Business Unit and head of business planning for the Oncology Business Unit to support the launch and expansion of the drugs Avastin, Tarceva, Rituxan, and Herceptin. Gary also currently serves as a Venture Partner with LYZZ Capital. Earlier in his career, Gary was a management consultant with McKinsey & Company and an operational leader with General Electric. Gary holds a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley, and an MBA from University of California, Los Angeles. He is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) and Certified Project Management Professional (PMP).
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About Erasca: Erasca is a developer of oncology drugs intended to provide precision oncology options.
Josh Stahl
COO & CSO of ArcherDX
Joshua Stahl is the Chief Scientific Officer and GM at ArcherDX.
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About ArcherDX: ArcherDX is a biotechnology firm specializing in cancer research.
Bob Wynalek
Director and Chief Operating & Commercialization Officer of DiscGenics
Bob Wynalek is the Chief Operating Officer, Chief Commercialization Officer, and Board Director at Discgenics, Inc. He is a medical device and biopharma professional and entrepreneur with 35 years of experience within the Regenerative Medicine, Spine, Neurosurgical, and Orthopedic markets.
Mr. Wynalek has successfully built and rebuilt organizations, inclusive of experience with early-stage organizations. Executive and functional leadership experience in general management, sales, marketing, product development, business development, clinical, and operations disciplines.
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About DiscGenics: DiscGenics is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing regenerative cell-based therapies that alleviate pain and restore function in patients with degenerative diseases of the spine.
David Howton
Chief Operating Officer & General Counsel of AavantiBio
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About AavantiBio: AavantiBio is a biopharmaceutical company that provides gene transfer and gene editing therapies to treat genetic diseases.
Rani Huang
President, COO & Co-Founder of RayBiotech
President, COO & Co-Founder at RayBiotech
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About RayBiotech: RayBiotech develops and commercializes technologies and tools for genomics and proteomics research applications.
Sven Karlsson
Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer of Platelet BioGenesis
Sven has a decade of experience working across venture capital, business development, and finance. Prior to founding Platelet BioGenesis, Sven worked in Mergers & Acquisitions at J.P. Morgan, as an Analyst at a hedge fund, and as a Senior Manager of Investments at a venture fund. Sven received a B.S. in Engineering from Cornell University and an MBA with Distinction from New York University’s Stern School of Business.
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About Platelet BioGenesis: Platelet BioGenesis specializes in the fields of biotechnology, platelets, and drug discovery.
Aaron Kamenash
COO of Camston Wrather
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About Camston Wrather: Camston recovers gold, precious metals and polymers from electronic waste using green technology transforming bits to atoms.
Winston Brasor
Co-Founder and COO of Ovation
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About Ovation: Ovation is a scientific data company providing a cloud-based LIMS for molecular diagnostic laboratories.
Connie Lebakken
Founder ,President & COO of Stem Pharm
Connie Lebakken is the Founder & President of stem pharma.
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About Stem Pharm: Stem Pharm’s synthetic biomaterials support the optimization of cell expansion.
Willis C. Lee
Chief Operating Officer of Emmaus Medical
Mr. Lee has more than 25 years of management and consulting experience with influential companies in the semiconductor and healthcare industries. Prior to joining Emmaus, Mr. Lee led worldwide sales and business development of Yield Dynamics’ product group at MKS Instruments. He joined the Comapany in 2009 and has served as Chief Operating Officer since May 2011. He has held various managerial and senior positions at companies including HPL, Syntricity and Reden & Anders, a subsidiary of United Healthcare that provides actuarial services including capitation and risk assessment analyses for healthcare insurance carriers. Mr. Lee received his B.S. and M.S. in Physics from University of Hawaii and University of South Carolina, respectively. He was a member of the American Physical Society, completed TQM/SPC programs, and has published papers in Nuclear Instruments and Methods.
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About Emmaus Medical: Emmaus Medical is a pharmaceutical company developing new treatments for rare diseases and conditions.
Ashley B. Hancock
Chief Operating Officer, Founder & Director of Intent Solutions
Mr. Hancock is Founder and CEO of Innovetica, LLC, a boutique technology incubation firm that assists physician inventors and early stage medical technology and device companies in navigating the complex path through strategic planning, new product development, and commercialization. He founded the company in 2010. From 2011-2013, Mr. Hancock served as Executive Director of the Southeastern Medical Device Association (SEMDA), a non-profit industry association promoting growth in the medical device industry across the region. Prior to founding Innovetica, from 2009 to 2010 Mr. Hancock managed the medical device portfolio for EndoChoice, an Atlanta-based venture-funded startup. Beginning in 2006 he held marketing leadership positions of increasing responsibility with C.R. Bard, where he was accountable for an extensive surgical implant portfolio. During his more than 25 years of professional experience, Mr. Hancock also held various leadership positions with BP Amoco Chemical Company, with oversight for engineering, manufacturing, operations planning, and supply chain optimization. Mr. Hancock holds a Masters of Business Administration from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University and a Bachelor of Chemical Engineering degree from the Georgia Institute of Technology.
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About Innovetica, Intent Solutions: Intent Solutions is a medical device company that has developed a portable and programmable dispenser of prescription medications.
John Moore
President & COO, Digilab, Inc. of 3D Cell Bioprinting Consortium
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About 3D Cell Bioprinting Consortium, 3D Cell Bioprinting Consortium, Digilab Inc: Group of companies focused on offering the complete solution for tissue engineering
Byron Wittenberg
COO & CFO of Epivara
Byron Wittenberg serves as the Chief Operating and Financial Officer at Epivara.
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About Epivara: Epivara provides a single-injection alternative to spay and neuter surgery.
Tamas Gorbe
Co-Founder and COO of Menten AI
Tamas Gorbe serves as a co-founder and COO at Menten AI.
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About Menten AI: Menten AI develops peptide and protein therapeutics using machine learning and quantum computing.
Kelly Wong
Co-Founder, COO, and Head of Biology of Via Nova Therapeutics
Kelly Wong is the Co-Founder, COO, and Head of Biology at Via Nova Therapeutics.
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About Via Nova Therapeutics: Via Nova Therapeutics is to discover and develop therapeutics for acute and subacute viral infections.
Michael Fero
President and COO of TeselaGen
Michael Fero is the Founder and President at TeselaGen Biotechnology.
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About TeselaGen: TeselaGen Biotechnology develops DNA design and assembly tools for biology.
Olga Granaturova
Co-Founder, COO, and Director of Parthenon Therapeutics
Olga Granaturova is the Co-Founder, COO, and Director at Parthenon Therapeutics.
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About Parthenon Therapeutics: Parthenon Therapeutics is a biotech company inventing a novel class of anti-cancer therapies that reprogram the tumor microenvironment.
Grace Xiaolu Yang
Chief Operating Officer and Vice President of Research, Co-Founder of Filtricine
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About Filtricine: Filtricine provides new solution to cancer care via Targeted Nutrients Deprivation.
Nate Treloar
President & COO of Orbita
Treloar lead’s business strategy and operations for Orbita, Inc. He has helped position the Boston-based company as a leading innovator in connected home healthcare technology solutions. Previously, he’s held key executive positions at FAST Search, Microsoft, RAMP, and Ektron, and is a respected expert on IoT trends, search, data mining and customer experience management.
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About Orbita: Orbita provides software to improve patient engagement in digital healthcare through voice-first and conversational AI solutions.
Krzysztof Appelt
Founder & Chief Operating Officer of Prevacept Infection Control
Dr. Appelt is a seasoned bio-technology scientist and executive with over 25 years of management experience in the biopharmaceutical industry. He has had extensive experience in the discovery and development of antiviral, antibacterial and anticancer chemotherapeutic agents. Dr. Appelt lead a multidisciplinary team at Agouron Pharmaceuticals which discovered and developed ViraceptTM – an innovative AIDS therapy, and several other compounds discovered using structure-based approached pioneered by Agouron. After Agouron’s acquisition by Warner-Lambert and subsequent merger with Pfizer, Dr. Appelt served as Global Head of Ophthalmology in both organizations. From 2001 to 2005 Dr. Appelt served as Executive VicePresident and Chief Technology Officer at Quorex Therapeutics, a company focused on the discovery of antibacterial and antibiofim agents. Dr. Appelt founded Great Lakes Pharmaceuticals in 2006. Dr. Appelt received his undergraduate degree in Physiology from Poznan University in Poland and his Ph.D. in Biophysics from the Max Planck Institute in West Berlin. Before joining Agouron Pharmaceuticals in 1987 he was Assistant Professor in Chemistry Department in University of California in San Diego. Dr. Appelt is a co-author of 57 peer reviewed publications and co-inventor of several patents.
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About Prevacept Infection Control: Prevacept Infection Control is a clinical-stage company focused on developing.
Chris Dorsey
CFO and COO of Getinge
Chris Dorsey is the CFO and COO at Getinge.
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About Getinge: Getinge identifies customer issues and promotes clinical and economic benefits and follow and support the customer decision process.
Walter Piskorski
COO of Euthymics Bioscience
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About Euthymics Bioscience: Euthymics Bioscience, a neuroscience-focused biopharmaceutical company, develops medicines for central nervous system disorders.
Vaughn Ostland
VP/COO of Intrinsic LifeSciences
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About Intrinsic LifeSciences: Intrinsic LifeSciences LLC, a life sciences company, develops in vitro diagnostic devices for clinical medicine applications
Tom Myers
Chief Operating Officer of PURE Bioscience
Tom Myers has over 40 years of food industry experience focusing on operations management, quality control and assurance, research and development, product and process development, plant design and construction, food safety and regulatory compliance. Prior to joining PURE Bioscience, Mr. Myers served as the President and Principal of Idaho Milk Products where he built a $105 million green field dairy proteins plant and launched a worldwide business with revenues in excess of $200 million annually. Mr. Myers has also held executive management roles at Weider Nutrition International, Puritan Quartz Pharmaceuticals, FruitSource Associates and FruitSource Confections, Nancy’s Specialty Foods, Izaki Glico and Berkshire Hathaway Corporation (See’s Candies and See’s Candy Shops). Mr. Myers holds a Bachelor of Science degree from California State University Long Beach. As EVP, Technical Support Services, Mr. Myers leads the implementation and application of PURE’s SDC technology in customer facilities through problem identification and solution development, custom protocol development and training.
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About PURE Bioscience: PURE Bioscience develops and markets technology-based bioscience products that provide non-toxic solutions to global health challenges.
Michael Dale
Co-Founder, President, Chief Operating Officer of Personalized Stem Cells
Michael Dale is the Co-Founder, President, and Chief Operating Officer at Personalized Stem Cells.
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About Personalized Stem Cells: Personalized Stem Cells is a Biotechnology company that provides quality stem cell processing services.
Michael Dale
Co-Founder, President, Chief Operating Officer of Personalized Stem Cells
Michael Dale is the Co-Founder, President, and Chief Operating Officer at Personalized Stem Cells.
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About Personalized Stem Cells: Personalized Stem Cells is a Biotechnology company that provides quality stem cell processing services.
Jarryd Campbell
Co-founder, President and Chief Operating Officer of Lifengine Technologies
Jarryd Campbell is the co-founder, president and chief operating officer of Lifengine Technologies.
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About Lifengine Technologies: Lifengine Technologies is a biotechnology company that develops genome engineering solutions and advancing life science technologies.
Tom Gruber
COO and CFO of CDx Life
Tom has over 20 years of experience in financial and senior executive management from well known, publicly traded technology companies. He has worked as the CFO for Western Digital and as the CFO and COO for I/O Magic. Tom holds an MBA from Pepperdine University.
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About CDx Life: MyDx (My Diagnostic) is the world’s first portable analyzer for everyone – a simple and affordable device.
Travis Witzke
Founder & COO of Desert Valley Tech
Travis Witzke currently works as the Founder and COO for Desert Valley Tech.
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About Desert Valley Tech: Desert Valley Tech develops a cold chain storage system for blood, pharmaceuticals, biologics, organs, and other items.
Brian Hilbush
Chief Operating Officer of ModGene Pharma LLC
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About ModGene Pharma LLC: ModGene Pharma, LLC is a preclinical stage pharmaceutical company developing therapeutics for the prevention of Alzheimer’s disease.
Brian Hilbush
Chief Operating Officer of ModGene Pharma LLC
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About ModGene Pharma LLC: ModGene Pharma, LLC is a preclinical stage pharmaceutical company developing therapeutics for the prevention of Alzheimer’s disease.