Speakers

MGCS 2011 Guest Speakers

Keynote Speakers:

Jay Hoag, Founding General Partner, Technology Crossover Ventures
Jay Hoag, a co-founder of TCV, has been a venture capitalist and technology investor for over 27 years. Jay has been involved in TCV investments in Actuate Software, Ariba Technologies, Altiris (sold to Symantec), BlueCoat Systems (formerly CacheFlow), C|Net, eHarmony, eLoyalty, Encompass (sold to Yahoo!), EXE Technologies, Expedia, Fandango, Netflix, ONYX Software, RealNetworks, SpringStreet (sold to Homestore.com), TechTarget, Vacationspot.com (sold to Expedia), Viant Corporation and Zillow among others. Prior to TCV, Jay was a Managing Director at Chancellor Capital Management where he spent over 12 years as a technology focused venture capitalist and fund manager. In addition to generating industry leading performance managing public technology portfolios, Jay led private investments in Ascend Communications, CompUSA, Intuit, Macromedia, NETCOM, PictureTel, Pure Software, Sybase and many others. Jay received a B.A. in Economics and Political Science from Northwestern University and an M.B.A. from the University of Michigan. He is currently on the Board of Directors of eHarmony, Netflix, TechTarget and Zillow. Jay is on the Investment Advisory Committee at the University of Michigan, the Board of Trustees of Northwestern University, the Board of Trustees at the Menlo School and the Stanford Athletic Board.

Reidar Langmo, Founding Partner and CEO, Novus Energy Partners
Reidar is a founding partner and CEO of Novus Energy Partners, a transatlantic cleantech venture firm with offices in Oslo, Norway and the Washington, DC area. With close to two decades of clean energy expertise, Reidar is widely viewed as one of the leading pioneers of the solar industry. He was a co-founder of Renewable Energy Corp (REC), which yielded one of the world's dominant solar companies, as well as its predecessor company ScanWafer. Reidar held positions as chairman and CEO both in REC and its subsidiaries. He played a key role in connection with REC's strategic acquisitions of ASiMI's silicon plants both in 2002 and 2005. In 2006, REC had the most successful clean energy IPO to date with an ~$8B market cap. Reidar holds an MSc from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology.

Panelists:

Jennifer Baird, CEO, Accio Energy
Ms. Baird is CEO of Accio Energy. She brings her track record of successfully commercializing transformational technologies to develop Accio’s revolutionary Aerovoltaic™ turbine free wind energy systems. From 2005 to 2010, Ms. Baird was President and CEO of Accuri Cytometers, a rapidly growing company developing and marketing breakthrough life science products for research and clinical use. Ms. Baird co-founded Accuri and led the company from inception through development and commercialization. She raised over $30 million in venture equity and debt funding and achieved more than $10 million in annual sales, a global reach and near-profitability in just five years time. Accuri was successfully sold to Becton Dickenson for 5-6x investor returns in the first quarter of 2011. Previously, Ms. Baird was a key member of the senior management team at Integrated Sensing Systems, Inc., a technology development firm focused on using micro-electromechanical systems for medical and scientific sensing applications. Earlier in her career, as a Vice President at Keane Consulting Group, she managed over $10 million in projects and helped the firm quintuple in size to over 150 staff. Ms. Baird began her career in commercial banking. She received her MBA from the Kellogg Graduate School of Management, where she shared Top-of-Class honors, and a BA degree from the University of Michigan.

Jon Braeutigam, Deputy Treasurer & Chief Investment Officer, State of Michigan Department of Treasury
Jon Braeutigam serves as a Deputy Treasurer and Chief Investment Officer for the Department of Treasury. Jon was appointed to the position by Treasurer Robert J. Kleine on January 9, 2008 after serving as the acting Deputy Treasurer and CIO for nearly 6 months. Jon has 17 years of experience in the Bureau of Investments, including ten years as Administrator of the Real Estate Division. His new role has him heading up the State of Michigan Retirement Systems (SMRS) on behalf of state employees, public school employees, state police, and judges. The SMRS is the 14th largest Public Pension Fund in the nation. Before joining Investments in 1991, Jon was a Financial Analyst in Treasury's Fiscal Agent Division and Purchasing Section. Jon graduated with honors from Michigan State University in 1985 and earned a Masters Degree in Finance at MSU in 1987.

Daron Gifford, Managing Director, Advanced Technology Advisors LLC
Daron Gifford is a Managing Director of Advanced Technology Advisors LLC. He has worked extensively throughout the automotive and manufacturing industry with OEMs, suppliers, retailer and service channels in roles ranging from executive management to consultant to investor. Over the past several years, he has worked primarily with the U.S. Department of Energy on assessing the commercial capabilities of advanced technologies to support alternative energy creation, storage, distribution and mobility (especially in vehicles). Of his 35 years of experience in the automotive and manufacturing industries, over 25 years have been spent in leadership roles at A.T. Kearney, KPMG, Deloitte Consulting, and Abeam Consulting. In addition, he has led strategic restructuring initiatives in a variety of business settings. Over his career, Daron has had the opportunity to directly lead sale, merger and divestiture activities. Daron has also held management leadership roles with General Motors, Gould Electronics, Volkswagen (gedas) and Covisint. He has his M.B.A. from the University of Virginia, Darden Graduate School of Business Administration and his Bachelor of Industrial Administration from the General Motors Institute.

Kevin Kester, Managing Director, Siguler Guff & Company
Kevin Kester is a Managing Director at Siguler Guff. Mr. Kester is a senior member of Siguler Guff's investment staff and oversees the Firm's Small Buyout Opportunities Funds, where he has responsibility for designing and implementing fund strategy, screening and selecting investment managers, negotiating terms and conditions, identifying and executing direct investments and co-investments, and monitoring investment portfolios. He has over 14 years of experience investing and managing institutional portfolios in alternative investments. Previously, Mr. Kester spent eight years in the investment division of Colorado Public Employees' Retirement Association (Colorado PERA), a $30 billion public pension fund. Mr. Kester held various positions at Colorado PERA, including Director of Alternative Investments where he had overall management responsibility for a $4.5 billion global portfolio of private equity, venture capital, distressed debt, mezzanine, energy and timber investments. In this capacity, Mr. Kester made investments in excess of $2 billion in more than 50 transactions, and also conceived, developed, and implemented the Targeted Opportunities Program ("TOP") to invest in less efficient private equity opportunities in the smaller end of the market. Prior to his role as Director of Alternatives, Mr. Kester was the Senior Portfolio Manager where he completed over $1 billion of private and public real estate investments. During his tenure at Colorado PERA, Kevin served as a founding member of the Board of the Institutional Limited Partners Association (ILPA), an industry leading group established to bring greater standards of transparency and integrity to the private equity marketplace. Mr. Kester holds a BA in Government from Hamilton College and an MBA in Finance from the University of Colorado at Boulder.

Michael Kohnen, Senior Relationship Manager, Silicon Valley Bank
Michael Kohnen is the Senior Relationship Manager at Silicon Valley Bank (SVB). In this capacity, he is responsible for managing and coordinating the strategic direction of the Midwest banking team who is engaged in providing business and consulting services to technology, life science and private equity firms in the Midwest region from its office in Chicago. Previously, he served as First Vice President in the commercial banking group at LaSalle Bank where he managed a portfolio of public and private middle-market companies. He was also an active member of LaSalle Bank’s Commercial Banking Strategic Initiatives Committee from 2002-2005. Prior to his position at LaSalle, Michael served as a senior associate at the Bank of Nova Scotia’s Wholesale Banking group. In this position, he gained fundamental experience dealing in large corporate transactions to Fortune 500 companies located primarily in the United States, Canada and Mexico. He has been involved with several external boards and committees, including his membership with the Finance Oversight Committee at El Valor (a not-for-profit organization located on the southwest side of Chicago). He is also the founding Chairman of the Strategy, Execution & Valuation Alumni Association at DePaul University. He earned a bachelor’s degree in Finance with a minor in Communication Studies at the University of Iowa in Iowa City, Iowa and completed his M.B.A. at DePaul University’s Kellstadt Graduate School of Business in autumn 2005 with concentrations in Strategy, Execution, and Valuation and Corporate Finance. Michael was honored as the 2005-2006 recipient of DePaul’s Helene Ramanauskas-Marconi Prize. This recognition is awarded annually to the top student in the Kellstadt Graduate School of Business. Michael resides in Chicago, Il.

Richard Kolodziejcyk, Chief Financial Officer, Essex Woodlands
Richard Kolodziejcyk brings to the Partnership over 20 years of senior financial management experience. Prior to his appointment as Chief Financial Officer for Essex Woodlands, Mr. Kolodziejcyk ran a successful consulting firm that provided accounting and advisory services to public and privately-held companies in the biotech, life sciences and venture capital industries. Mr. Kolodziejcyk’s prior experience also includes working as an advisor for Arthur Andersen on audit and business matters with various public and private companies. Mr. Kolodziejcyk joined Essex Woodlands full-time as Chief Financial Officer in the Houston office in 2000, after previously serving part-time as a financial advisor for eleven years. Mr. Kolodziejcyk is a graduate of Texas A&M University.

Mark Koulogeorge, Managing General Partner, MK Capital
Mark Koulogeorge is Managing General Partner of MK Capital a $250 million venture capital firm which invests primarily in software, digital media and educational technology. Mr. Koulogeorge leads the firm’s digital marketing and software investment practices and has over fifteen years of venture capital experience. Mark’s functional expertise is in developing sales, marketing and distribution strategies to achieve market leadership and in the creation of high performance executive teams. Mark has served on the boards of directors of over 20 technology companies which have generated over $400 million of realized gains for his investors. He has been the lead or first institutional investor in a number of significant technology companies including: Tradex Technologies, ( sold to Ariba for $1.8 billion), Aprimo ( sold to Teradata for $540 million), Initiate Systems ( sold to IBM for $424 million) and The Cobalt Group ( sold to ADP for $400 million). Mark is currently a director of Apex Learning, Celltrak, Healtination, Junction Solutions, Kontiki, OutdoorHub and Reachforce. Prior to his career in venture capital, Mr. Koulogeorge was an Executive Officer of Eagle Industries, a $1.5 billion diversified manufacturer, controlled by Chicago entrepreneur Sam Zell and earlier a consultant with Booz Allen. He earned a B.A. from Dartmouth College and an M.B.A. from Stanford University.

Jeffrey LaBine, Principal, Miller Canfield
Jeffrey L. LaBine is a senior principal and a member of the Corporate and Securities and Venture and Technology Practice Groups. His corporate, finance, venture capital and mergers and acquisitions practice includes private and public securities offerings, venture capital financing, mergers and acquisitions, financing, shareholder relations, public company representation, and general corporate representation of start-up and established companies through all phases of their life cycles, from entity formations to exits. He received his law degree, magna cum laude, from Wayne State University, and his B.B.A., with high honors, from Detroit College of Business. Prior to joining Miller Canfield he was in the Child and Family Abuse Bureau of the Wayne County Office of the Prosecuting Attorney and served as a noncommissioned officer in the United States Air Force from 1983-1988. Mr. LaBine is a member of the American Bar Association and the State Bar of Michigan. He has published several articles regarding venture capital finance, mergers and acquisitions, securities laws, and fraudulent transfer issues. He has also been a speaker on mergers and acquisitions, venture capital and start-up issues to a wide variety of audiences for organizations such as Ann Arbor SPARK and the Samuel Zell & Robert H. Lurie Institute at the Ross School of Business, University of Michigan.

Jon J. Lauckner, President, GM Ventures
Jon Lauckner was named GM Vice President and President, General Motors Ventures, LLC, effective July 1, 2010. Prior to this appointment, he held the positions of Vice President of General Motors Global Product Planning since August 2009 and Vice President of Global Program Management since May 2005. He is a member of the GM Senior Leadership Group and had a key role in developing the Chevrolet Volt extended-range electric vehicle. Jon joined General Motors in 1979 and held a number of positions in product engineering and product development during his career, including international assignments in South America and Europe from 1992 to 2005. Lauckner received a bachelor of science degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Michigan in 1979. He earned a master of science degree in management from Stanford Business School in 1990 through the Sloan Fellowship program and attended the GM-Harvard Senior Executive Program in 2001.

Denise Marks, Partner & CFO, SV Life Sciences
Denise Marks joined SVLS in January 2003 as Finance Director, U.S. She became Chief Financial Officer in January 2004 and oversees the operational, financial and administrative aspects of the firm. Prior to joining SVLS, Denise was the VP Finance & Administration and a Managing Director at CMGI @ Ventures, the venture capital affiliate of CMGI, where she was responsible for all financial and operational aspects of the firm's venture arm. Prior to joining CMGI @Ventures, Denise was a manager in the Technology Group of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP. She spent her last two years in the firm's Entrepreneurial Services Center in Cambridge, MA, working with early stage and rapidly growing technology based companies advising them on such areas as structuring M&A transactions, revenue recognition and equity related issues. Prior to PwC, Denise worked in commercial banking at Fleet Bank, NA (now Bank of America). Denise received a joint MS Accounting/MBA from the Graduate School of Professional Accounting at Northeastern University and holds a BS in Finance/Economics from The Pennsylvania State University. She is a Certified Public Accountant.

Paul McCreadie, Principal, Arboretum Ventures
Paul McCreadie joined Arboretum Ventures in 2006 as the firm’s first Associate. His responsibilities have grown from playing a supporting role in due diligence activities to now sourcing and leading investments of his own. He led the investment into Delphinus Medical Technologies and is the chairman of the Board of Directors. Paul has also been a board observer at VasoNova and NeoGuide. He is the former Chief Operating Officer for CerviLenz, an Arboretum portfolio company based in Ohio, where he led the re-design of the company’s first commercial product from concept to launch. Paul is responsible for the legal aspects of deal execution and works closely with outside counsel on legal matters. Prior to joining Arboretum in 2006, Paul worked at Ford Motor Company for eight years, holding management positions within new product development, manufacturing, and business strategy. He was a member of the Wolverine Venture Fund (WVF) while an MBA student at Michigan's Ross School of Business. Paul was the fund’s liaison with IntraLase, one of the WVF's most successful investments to date, which was acquired by American Medical Optics in 2007. Paul sits on the technical advisory boards for the University of Michigan’s Medical Innovation Center and the Frankel Commercialization Fund, a pre-seed investment fund at the Ross School of Business established to accelerate the commercialization of technologies within the University. Paul earned a BS and MS in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Michigan and an MBA from the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan.

Mark McDonnell, Chief Financial Officer & Chief Administrative Officer, ARCH Venture Partners
Mark McDonnell is Chief Financial Officer and Chief Administrative Officer for ARCH. He joined the company in mid-1999 following 2 years as the CFO of Marquette Venture Partners. From 1996 through 1997, Mr. McDonnell worked in financial management positions with Enterprise Systems, Inc, a health care software developer acquired by HBO & Co. From 1990 to 1996, he held various positions for KPMG, LLP, serving clients primarily in the information and communication industries. Mr. McDonnell is responsible for the financial reporting and analysis of ARCH’s venture funds, administrative functions, and participates in strategic and operational planning for the firm. Mr. McDonnell is a C.P.A. and holds a BS from Marquette University.

John McIlwraith, Managing Director, Allos Ventures
John’s investment experience includes software, business services, and healthcare companies, such as Bluegill Technologies (sold to Checkfree), Sircon (sold to Vertafore), Inspiris (sold to strategic acquirer), Medhost (sold to HealthTech Holdings), Healthscribe (sold to Spheris), and Renal Solutions (sold to Fresenius). John represents Allos on the board of directors of AssureRx Health, where he serves as chairman. He is still a managing director with Blue Chip, and is responsible for its investments in Blue Chip Surgical, Endocyte, and Nine Sigma, among others. He is also active with Blue Chip's Validation Fund, which invests in seed-stage technology companies in Ohio. John has been involved in a variety of early-stage venture initiatives throughout the region, including serving as a founding member of the Michigan Venture Capital Association board of directors. John holds a BA from Hillsdale College and earned a JD from Case Western Reserve University.

Ross McKenzie, Managing Director, WatCAR
Ross McKenzie oversees automotive research and outreach activity at the University of Waterloo, facilitating industry-academic relationships in existing and emerging automotive technologies. He joined the Waterloo Centre for Automotive Research (WatCAR) as Managing Director in September 2007. Ross has over 25 years experience in investment attraction, market development and international trade. Prior to joining WatCAR he was responsible for securing a series of key assembler and automotive parts manufacturing production commitments with the Ontario Ministry of Economic Development. WatCAR has the largest academic concentration of automotive researchers in Canada, undertaking applied research activities to enhance the innovation and competitiveness of automotive materials suppliers, parts manufacturers and assemblers. Waterloo's Green Intelligent Transportation Systems (Green ITS) research program is a strong example of this, working with industry to develop advanced electric propulsion and ITS technologies.

Jonathan Murray, (MBA’88), Managing Director, Early Stage Partners
Jonathan leads technology investments. He is increasingly turning his attention to On-Demand and SaaS software platforms, particularly in the automation of marketing. Jonathan was recently quoted in a Wall Street Journal article about Cleveland's renaissance as a center of entrepreneurship. Prior to joining Early Stage Partners as Managing Director in late 2000, Jonathan was President of Incubation Services, a strategy consulting firm that provided strategy development, business planning, and financial consulting to early stage companies in life sciences and information technology. Among his clients were Athersys Inc., Aelita Software, IdeaStar, and the Edison BioTechnology Center (EBTC). Prior to forming Incubation Services, Jonathan was President of Volk Optical, a Mentor, Ohio manufacturer of lenses used by ophthalmologists and optometrists to examine eyes for disease. While there, he focused on product branding and marketing programs, reorganized the sales department, implemented enhanced regulatory programs, and contributed to sales increases of 30% per month over the prior year. From 1991 to 1997, Jonathan served in a variety of capacities for Spectra Laboratories, a Silicon Valley-based provider of clinical testing services to kidney dialysis clinics, rising to the position of Director of Marketing. During his seven-year tenure there, he simultaneously built and managed the marketing and the software development departments, and directed the telecommunications department on an interim basis. The Company was acquired by Fresenius Medical Care in 1997. Jonathan is a graduate of George Washington University (B.A., 1980), where he studied Biology and English Literature, and the University of Michigan (M.B.A., 1988).

Austin F. Noll, III (MBA ’94), President & CEO, Simpirica Spine
Austin Noll is the President & CEO of Simpirica Spine, a California-based medical device company that has developed and is commercializing a novel device for spinal stabilization. Prior to joining Simpirica Spine, Austin was the President & CEO of NeoGuide Systems, a medical robotics company acquired by Intuitive Surgical in 2009. He also held numerous leadership positions at Medtronic over a 13-year period, where he served as the Vice President and General Manager of the Powered Surgical Solutions and Neurosurgery businesses. Before Medtronic, he held sales positions at C.R. Bard and Baxter Healthcare. He received a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Miami University and a master’s of business administration from the University of Michigan. He currently lives in Palo Alto, CA with his wife and two children.

Rebecca Robertson, Managing Director, Versant Ventures
Beckie Robertson specializes in early-stage investing in medical devices and diagnostics at Versant. Beckie’s career encompasses 23 years of venture capital and operating experience in medical products as an engineer, entrepreneur, corporate executive and investor. Before co-founding Versant, Beckie was a general partner at Institutional Venture Partners (IVP). From 1994-1996, Beckie served as Senior Vice President at Chiron Diagnostics, a division of Chiron Corporation, where she had responsibility for the $200 million Critical Care business unit. In addition, Beckie was Vice President of Business Development where she led numerous deals in support of Chiron Diagnostics business and technology objectives. Prior to that, she was a co-founder and Vice President at Egis, an IVP portfolio company, and held senior management positions in operations and finance at Lifescan, a Johnson & Johnson Company. During her seven-year term at Lifescan, the company grew from an early-stage venture-funded company to a worldwide market leader in diabetes diagnostics. Beckie received her Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering from Cornell University. Beckie has served as a director of Appriva Medical (sold), Coalescent (sold), Liposonix (sold), NeoGuide (sold), Novalign (sold), Pro•Duct Health (sold), Quantum Dot (sold) Spiration (sold) and currently serves as a director for Benvenue, Intuity Medical, Novasys and Sebacia. In addition, Beckie serves as an advisor to Orametrix, and The Innovation Factory, a medical devices incubator, and is now serving on the Industrial Advisory Board for the Cleveland Clinic Foundation (CCF).

Michael F. Schiavo, Chief Financial Officer, Venture Investors LLC
Mr. Schiavo has been active in venture capital and private equity-related activities since 1983. He serves as Chief Financial Officer of Venture Investors LLC, a Madison, WI-based early stage healthcare and technology venture capital firm. Previous to joining Venture Investors, he founded SCG Consulting Group, a provider of outsourced CFO services to venture capital operating companies. From 2000 to 2008, he was a Managing General Partner, Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer at Kodiak Venture Partners where he managed the firm’s day-to-day operations, limited partner relations, term sheet creation and negotiation and was active in portfolio management. He served as a member of the board of directors and had board observation rights for a number of Kodiak portfolio companies. Prior to joining Kodiak, Mike was a financial consultant to companies including HarbourVest Partners; MPM Capital; Memory Pharmaceuticals Corporation; Pappas Ventures; Parthenon Capital; and TVM Capital. Prior to his consulting work, he co-founded and served as General Partner and Chief Financial Officer of MVP Ventures, a Boston-based venture capital firm. He has also served as Controller at Advent International Corporation, and Assistant Controller at TA Associates. Prior to joining TA Associates, Mike was employed by Bank of New England as a Division Controller. Mike serves on the board of directors of Boston Private Bank & Trust Company, where he is Vice Chairman of the Directors Loan Committee and serves on the Executive and Audit and Risk Management Committees. He is also Co-Chairman of the Board’s Strategic Planning and Director Evaluation Committees. He is an Advisory Committee member of The Association for Private Partnerships (TAPP), an organization formed by Boston Private Bank that brings together leaders from the private partnership community to inform one another on current issues facing the private partnership community. He has also served on the Board of Directors of KVH Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ: KVHI) and ADS Technologies, Inc. Mike is a member of the Venture Capital/Private Equity Advisory Board at Bentley University, the Bentley University Executive Club, the NVCA CFO Task Force, and the Private Equity CFO Association. Mike earned a B.A. in Business Administration from Siena College, an M.B.A. from Suffolk University, and an M.S. in Taxation from Bentley University. He is also a Certified Management Accountant and an adjunct professor at Bentley University.

Michael B. Staebler, Partner, Pepper Hamilton LLP
As a commercial practice partner in the national law firm of Pepper Hamilton LLP, Michael B. Staebler specializes in private equity, venture capital, mergers and acquisitions and corporate finance. Mr. Staebler is a recognized national expert in the formation, management and operation of venture-capital firms and the financial and operational requirements of growing small and medium-size businesses. He has served as counsel to numerous venture capital, private equity and other investment firms and more than 165 firms across the U.S. that have been licensed by SBA through the Small Business Investment Company program. Mr. Staebler serves on the executive committee and board of directors of the Michigan Economic Development Corporation and several private boards of directors and University of Michigan advisory committees. A Harvard College and University of Michigan Law School graduate, he has participated on numerous governmental advisory committees for venture capital and economic development. He is the former president of Michigan Capital & Service, Inc., the first venture capital firm in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Michael Wasserman, Partner, H.I.G. BioVentures
Michael focuses on investments in therapeutics and medical devices and currently serves as a director or board observer for H.I.G. portfolio companies: HyperBranch Medical Technology, Clarus Therapeutics, Tranzyme Pharma, and CardioFocus. Prior to joining H.I.G., Michael was a Principal at Innovations Foundation, focused on the creation, financing and development of high technology companies in the life sciences, information technology and engineering sectors. At Innovations Foundation, Michael was instrumental in building multiple high growth companies derived from academic or federally sponsored research programs. Michael has also held prominent operating roles in several entrepreneurial and venture-backed life sciences efforts. Michael was a founder and Vice President, Business Development at CELLutions Biosystems (acquired by Cedarlane Laboratories), where he broadly managed business operations and was directly responsible for the successful negotiation of partnership, co-development and licensing agreements with industry leading pharmaceutical and biotechnology organizations. Michael also has extensive clinical research experience. As Director of Research at Advanced Therapeutics, Michael was involved in a series of seminal clinical studies involving biological approaches to treat rheumatoid arthritis and other autoimmune and inflammatory disorders. Earlier in his career, Michael worked directly for, or as a consultant to, several early stage life sciences businesses, and in the corporate finance, pharmaceutical and clinical research industries. Michael received his B.Sc. from McGill University and his Ph.D. in Pharmacology from the University of Toronto.

Jason Yip, Principal, Montgomery & Co.
JaJason Yip serves as a principal and as the head of the healthcare group at Montgomery & Co. Mr. Yip has over 14 years of M&A, financing and advisory experience in medical devices, HCIT and technology-enabled healthcare services. Prior to joining Montgomery, Mr. Yip was a Senior Vice President at Jefferies, focused on the medical technology sector. He began his career as a management consultant to emerging and established healthcare, medical device, and HCIT companies at Fletcher Spaght. Mr. Yip received an MBA from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. He also received a Master of Engineering and a Bachelor of Science in biomedical engineering and electrical engineering from MIT.

Walter Young, Director, Swift BioSciences
Walt has more than 40 years experience in leading organizations. For the first 36 years, he held senior positions at four public companies: BF Goodrich, The Budd Company, The Henley Group and Champion Enterprises. As Chair and CEO of Champion (Fortune 500) Walt was recognized by Fortune as a “Superstar” and by the Harvard Business School as one of the 19 top business leaders of the 1990s. While at these four companies he completed 23 different turnarounds and over 75 mergers and acquisitions. Since 2003 Walt has focused on entrepreneurial start-ups. He has led and assisted over 50 entities to raise more than $50M in capital. Walt is currently on the board of Swift Biosciences, Inc., GuidePoint Systems, Weathershield and nanocerox.—all based in Michigan. He is also Chair of Eagle River Homes, a director at NRG Energy (NYSE:NRG, Fortune 300) and ZETA Communities LLC, and a Trustee for Muskingum University.