Alan Kaganov, Chairman & Co-Founder
Alan Kaganov has been a partner at the venture firm of US Venture Partners since 1996, specializing in healthcare investments and utilizing his 25 years of experience in the medical device industry. His focus is on early-stage investments in the areas of medical technology, novel drug-device combinations, drug delivery systems and biopharmaceuticals. Prior to joining USVP, Mr. Kaganov was Vice President of New Business Development at Boston Scientific. During his tenure there, the company completed a record number of investments and business alliances and became a market leader in interventional cardiology, radiology and endoscopy.
Prior to Boston Scientific, Mr. Kaganov was CEO of EP Technologies, turning it into the recognized leader in catheter-based electrophysiology, Vice President of Technology and Business Development at Baxter Corporation, and Research & Development Director of the Medical Device Division of Wyeth. He currently serves on the boards of A-Med Systems, Atricure, Cryovascular, Sanarus Medical, St. Francis Medical and Timi3 Systems, as well as Aptus Endosystems.
Bob H. Katz, President & CEO
Prior to joining Aptus Endosystems, Mr. Katz was President of ZOLL Circulation (formerly Revivant Corporation), a wholly owned subsidiary of ZOLL Medical Corporation. Revivant Corporation, a venture capital financed start-up, designs, develops, manufactures the AutoPulse Resuscitation System., a breakthrough technology designed to increase survival from out of hospital sudden cardiac arrest. Mr. Katz's responsibilities at Revivant included guiding the design and development of the company's core technologies, Applied Research, Manufacturing, Quality Assurance and Regulatory & Clinical Affairs. The company was acquired by ZOLL Medical in 2004.
Prior to Revivant Corporation, Mr. Katz held the position of Vice President, Research & Development for Symphonix Devices, a developer and manufacturer of implantable hearing devices. Mr. Katz joined Symphonix as its first full-time employee and helped to develop the company's technology and products, as well as develop its initial strategic directions. The company completed a successful IPO in 1998 and gained PMA approval of its first product in 2000. Prior to Symphonix Devices, Mr. Katz held various engineering and product management positions at Cordis Corporation where he was involved in Advanced Research and Product Development associated with both implantable cardiac rhythm management devices as well as interventional cardiology products. Mr. Katz received a B.S. in Electrical Engineering and a B.A. in Business Administration from Rutgers University, a M.S. in Biomedical Engineering from Boston University and an MBA from Southeastern University.
Phil Young, General Partner, US Venture Partners
Prior to joining US Venture Partners, Phil Young was President & CEO of Oximetrix, a manufacturer of critical care instruments and disposables, where he spent 8 years growing the privately-held venture-backed company from $1 million in revenues to nearly $50 million. Prior to Oximetrix, Mr. Young spent 6 years at New Court Securities in venture capital and corporate finance, 2 years as a management consultant with McKinsey & Co., and 6 years on Admiral Rickover's project management staff at the Atomic Energy Commission.
Mr. Young has represented US Venture Partners on the boards of Aerogen, CardioThoracic Systems, CardioVascular Imaging Systems, CoCensys, Compugen, FemRx, Penederm, 3Dfx Interactive, Vical and Xoma--all of which became public companies. Currently Mr. Young sits on the boards of Zoran, a public company, as well as Aptus Endosystems, Bayhill Therapeutics, Caspian Networks, Claria, Dotomi, RelayHealth, Synarc, St. Francis Medical and Timi3 Systems.
Juliet Bakker, Managing Director, Longitude Capital
Juliet Tammenoms Bakker is a founder and Managing Director of Longitude Capital (www.longitudecapital.com). She focuses on investments in medical devices. Most recently, Ms. Tammenoms Bakker was a Managing Director of Pequot Ventures where she founded the life sciences investment practice in 1997. Prior to Pequot, she was Director, Strategic Planning and Director, Operations of Waste Management International, Inc. in London. Before that, she was a sell-side analyst at Banque Paribas in London where her coverage universe included emerging growth companies. Ms. Tammenoms Bakker began her career 21 years ago as an investment banker at PaineWebber where she focused on healthcare and emerging growth companies. She has served or currently serves on the boards of Ablation Frontiers, Acufocus, Altiva, Aptus Endosystems, Broncus Technologies, CryoVascular Systems, Disc Dynamics, Embolic Protection, Enteric, eyeonics, Facet Solutions, Genyx, Insulet, LaserSight, Paracor Medical, Sadra Medical and Sanarus Medical. She also sits on the board of the National Audubon Society and the Livingston Ripley Waterfowl Sanctuary. Ms. Tammenoms Bakker holds an M.P.A. from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University and a B.S. in Biological Sciences from Cornell University.
Gordie Nye , General Partner, Prism VentureWorks
Prior to joining Prism VentureWorks in 2003, Gordie Nye served as CEO of REVA Medical, Inc., developer of a novel resorbable, drug-eluding stent for the interventional market. REVA is currently in a strategic alliance with Boston Scientific (BSX) to complete its pilot human clinical trial, an initiative that represents a potential major advancement in interventional cardiology. Mr. Nye was also President, CEO and Director of "A" Company, a premier brand in the orthodontic appliance market which was acquired by Sybron Dental Specialties.
Gordie Nye has held a variety of marketing, sales and general management roles for companies including Gillette, Olin Ski Company, Reebok and L.A. Gear. A pivotal member of Prism's Life Sciences investment team, Mr. Nye focuses on medical device, specialty pharma and breakthrough diagnostics. He currently sits on the board of CoAxia, Confirma, Insulet, iScience, MedManage Systems and ROX Medical, and is the Chairman of Myocor, a clinical stage company developing treatment for mitral valve insufficiency.