Ibraheem Badejo

Sr. Director, New Ventures (Med Devices), Johnson & Johnson Innovation Center

Ibraheem (Ib) leverages his expertise in smart materials and biomaterials to support the medical device sector of Johnson & Johnson. From 2010 to 2013, Ib was a Research Fellow at Global Surgery Group of Johnson & Johnson, where he was responsible for external and front-end innovations and intellectual property for Ethicon Biosurgery. From 2006 to 2010, he was the Director of Applied Research & New Technology Assessment of novel biomaterials. Prior to that, he was the Chief Scientist of Closure Medical Corp (acquired by Johnson & Johnson in 2005). Ib has held various positions at Bayer, North Carolina State University, and the College of Charleston. He currently serves as an Adjunct Professor of Biomedical Engineering at Drexel University. During his career, Ibraheem has led teams in the development of commercialized biomaterials-based products and new technology/products licensed or acquired. Ib received his PhD in organic chemistry from the University of Toledo, where he was the Robert Whiteford Memorial Scholar for Outstanding Graduate Research and a Petroleum Research Fund Fellow. Ib received the Science Alumni Award, Avila University in 2014. Ib is also the recipient of 24 US patents, he’s also well published in many peer review journals.

Charles S. Baldwin, IV

Partner, Brooks, Pierce, McLendon, Humphrey & Leonard

Charles S. Baldwin, IV is a partner at Brooks, Pierce, McLendon, Humphrey & Leonard, LLP. Mr. Baldwin assists his clients to grow globally. His law practice is concentrated in corporate and international law, representing companies across a broad range of industries, including consumer goods, technology, health care, manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, real estate, and port development. He also regularly advises investors on start-up and private equity issues, and is a frequent speaker and writer on business law and international trade matters.

Randy Barko

CEO & President, Ximedica

Randy is currently Executive Director of Ximedica with over 40 years of success leading medical device and healthcare organizations towards global and financial growth. Prior to his appointment as Chief Executive Officer of Ximedica in 2012 he served as a longstanding mentor and advisor to the organization. In addition, Barko serves on the Board of Directors of several privately-owned companies. He is involved with several private equity and venture capital groups including HUB Angels, SV Health Investors, LRVHealth and Nautic Partners. In addition, he serves on the AdvaMed Accel and MassMEDIC Board of Directors.

Leah Burton

Director, Centennial Campus Partnership Office, & Industry Alliances Office of Partnerships & Economic Development at North Carolina State University

Leah Burton is the Director of Centennial Campus Partnerships and Industry Alliances at NC State University. In this role, she manages the campus-wide strategy for corporate and government interactions with NC State, including the University’s award-winning Centennial Campus. Leah has a proven track record of building broad-based and sustainable industry-university partnerships and she has a passion for the value created when a successful collaboration is brokered.

Michael Cain

Wilmington Investor Network

David Cassak

Co-Editor-in-Chief and Managing Partner, MedTech Strategist

David has more than 30 years of experience in the healthcare industry. Cassak co-founded Windhover Information Inc., along with his partner, Roger Longman, in which they spun out exceptional publications such as IN VIVO, START-UP, Medtech Insight, Emerging Medical Ventures and The RPM Report. Cassak also served as Vice President, Content, and Managing Director, Medical Devices for Elsevier Business Intelligence, a Reed Elsevier Company, including the publications The Gray Sheet and The Pink Sheet.  He is a frequent speaker before various companies and trade groups within the medical device industry and is widely known for his vast knowledge and reporting in MedTech.

Jamie Condie

President Business Development US & Canada, Becton Dickinson

Hugh Crenshaw

CEO, Physcient

Hugh is CEO and co-founder at Physcient, Inc., a start-up in Durham, NC developing new surgical instruments. Hugh trained as a biologist and engineer with expertise in biomechanics and advanced instrumentation for biological research. Previously, he was Director of Microsystems Technology at GlaxoSmithKline, where he led programs in microfluidics and automated physiological measurement. Earlier, he was on faculty at Duke University (appointments in Zoology and Engineering) where he led teams in cell mechanics, underwater robotics, optical instrumentation, and microfluidics.

Matt Dunbar

Co-founder & Managing Partner, VentureSouth

Matt is Co-Founder & Managing Director of VentureSouth, one of the largest angel investing groups in the country. VentureSouth includes 300 members and has invested over $35 million in 67 companies since its inception in 2008. Matt serves on the Board of the Angel Capital Association, Entegra Financial Corp and CIRTEMO. He was previously a management consultant with BCG and an engineer with Eastman Chemical. Matt holds an MBA from Stanford, and a BS in Chemical Engineering from Clemson.

William A. Hawkins III

Senior Advisor, EW Healthcare Partners

Mr. Hawkins is retired Chairman and CEO of Medtronic. He was recently elected to the National Academy of Engineering and is an AIMBE Fellow. He is a Senior Advisor to EW Healthcare Partners, a leading private equity firm investing in life sciences. Mr. Hawkins serves as a Director of Avanos Health NYSE: AVNS, Chairman of the Board of Bioventus, and 4Tech; and on the Board of Keratin Biosciences, Trice Medical, Virtue Labs, Baebies and AskBio. Mr. Hawkins is the past Chairman and Co-Founder of the Medical Device Innovation Consortium ("MDIC”) and past-president of the American Institute of Medical and Biological Engineering ("AMIBE"). He also sits on the Duke University Board of Trustees in 2011, Chair of the Board of the Duke University Health System and Member of the Advisory Boards at Arboretum Ventures, Hatteras Venture Partners, HealthQuest Ventures, and he is a member of the Biomedical Sciences International Advisory Council, Singapore (“BMS IAC”).

Peter Hoehn

Co Diagnostics Commercial Strategy Leader, Janssen Pharmaceuticals

Peter Hoehn is the Co Dx Commercial Strategy Leader within Janssen Pharmaceuticals, responsible for leading the strategic marketing and market access teams for Co-diagnostics. This includes assessment of diagnostic projects, commercial evaluation of diagnostic partners, Dx reimbursement and policy, commercial strategy development, and launch readiness. Previously, Peter was Vice President WW Marketing at J&J’s Ortho Clinical Diagnostics Company. He started his career as a corporate attorney before moving into various commercial roles in the Pharmaceuticals and Diagnostics business.

Allison London Brown

CEO, UVision360

Ms. London Brown has 20+ years of diverse experience spanning medical device, HCIT, consumer and biologics. During her career, she has launched over 90 products/services in organizations such as J&J, GEHC and various start-ups. Allison leads UVision360, Inc., developer of the LUMINELLE DTx Hysteroscopy System, a compact office-based femtech system. She serves as a Board Member for CED and Plakous Therapeutics and is a speaker for Women in STEM, Leadership and Strategy.

Merrill Mason

Partner, Smith, Anderson, Blount, Dorsett, Mitchell, & Mernigan

Smith Anderson partner Merrill Mason is a venture lawyer for innovative, high potential startups. He regularly represents entrepreneurial and emerging enterprises in the technology and life sciences industries through every stage of a private company’s growth. Passionate about working with developing entrepreneurs and law students, Merrill has taught as an adjunct instructor at the University of North Carolina’s Kenan-Flagler Business School and the University of North Carolina School of Law.

Fred McCoy

CEO, NeuroTronik

Fred McCoy is President and Chief Executive Officer of NeuroTronik Limited, a development-stage, venture-backed medical technology company which has undertaken development of a novel approach for the treatment of acute heart failure syndrome in the hospital. Mr. McCoy lives in the United States in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. He is active in family, faith, academic, athletic, and civic pursuits.

Bryan McGann

Sr. Lecturing Fellow & Director Startup Ventures, Duke University

Bryan McGann is a senior lecturing fellow, director of the Start-Up Ventures Clinic, and faculty advisor to the Duke Law Coalition Against Gendered Violence. Prior to joining the Duke Law faculty in 2016, McGann had a broad career as a lawyer, entrepreneur, and commercial banker. He is of-counsel to the Smith Anderson firm in Raleigh, an entrepreneur in residence at the University of North Carolina, and a contributor to the Blackstone Entrepreneurs Network.

Paul Millman

VP, Advanced Product Development, Intuitive Surgical

Paul Millman has been working in industry on the development of surgical robotic systems for over 22 years. He led teams that helped develop multiple generations of the da Vinci Surgical system, including the da Vinci Si system introduced in 2009, and the da Vinci Xi system launched in 2014. He currently focuses on cultivating early-stage technologies that can add value to Intuitive’s da Vinci product offering. He has an MS and Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from Northwestern University.

Christos Monovoukas

VP Business Development, Olympus

Christos leads Olympus' medical business development and strategy function. Christos is a senior executive with extensive US and international success, including evaluating high-growth market opportunities and emerging technologies. Christos is a decisive, action-oriented leader who thrives on challenge and is energized by creating and driving strategy for product innovation/commercialization, market development and business growth. He received his MBA from Harvard University and his MS from Columbia University.

Bryant Moore

Director of Strategic Partnerships, Office of Technology Commercialization, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Dr. Bryant Moore is Director, Strategic Partnerships at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.  He joined UNC’s Office of Technology Commercialization in 2015 after a successful career of more than 30 years in the medical device industry. Recently Dr. Moore was Global Head, Refractive R&D for Abbott Medical Optics, a Division of Abbott Laboratories. Prior to Abbott, he worked for Medtronic in several key senior leadership roles in their Cardiac Rhythm Disease Management Business and was also VP R&D and board member for Smith and Nephew Endoscopy . Dr. Moore also held  several key leadership positions at Johnson & Johnson within their clinical diagnostics business.

Pat Morris

VP, Business Development, SalesForce4Hire

Randy Myer

Managing Director, Carolina Angel Network 

Mr. Myer is Managing Director of the Carolina Angel Network. He is a professor at the Kenan-Flagler Business School on the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill campus.  He is an investor in two venture capital funds, a private equity fund and two RTP angel groups as well as one in Seattle. He is a Board member of the Carolina Research Venture Fund. He is a current Board member and former Exec Committee member of the NC School of Science & Math. He is a former Board member and Chair of NC Idea, a foundation devoted to funding early stage companies and programs in North Carolina.

Chad Pearson

SVP, Wealth Management, Sr. Portfolio, Portfolio Management Program, UBS

Chad Pearson leads the Pearson Patterson Smith Wealth Management group in providing wealth management and succession strategies for small business owners and their families. He began his finance career with Merrill Lynch in NYC in 1992. Chad is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ (CFP®) since 2004, and became a Certified Exit Planning Advisor (CEPA) in 2018.  Chad assists clients in integrating an exit strategy into the individual and financial goals of the business owner, while focusing on the components of maximizing business value and worth, individual financial planning, and life after business. Chad currently serves on the board of First Tee. He is a past board member of the Landfall Foundation Board and the NHRMC Foundation Board.

Brian Polzak

Formerly with Aquilo Partners

Alexander Roe

Director of New Business Development, Intuitive Surgical

As Director of New Business Development at Intuitive Surgical, the pioneer and a global technology leader in robotic-assisted, minimally invasive surgery, Alex Roe is responsible for leading external transactions to support Intuitive’s commercial platforms and R&D pipeline.  Over the past six years, Alex and his team have closed dozens of deals including licenses, acquisitions, co-development agreements, convertible debt and strategic equity investments.  Alex’s team covers all of Intuitive’s business units, and handles transactions with companies ranging from early-stage venture backed firms to leading international corporations. Alex has over 15 years of experience in the medical device and life sciences space, having worked in venture capital and consulting before joining Intuitive in 2012.

Blayne A. Roeder

Director, Global R&D, New Ventures

Blayne is Director, Global R&D, New Ventures at Cook Medical in Bloomington, IN. He focuses on bringing new medical device technologies into Cook. Blayne has 15 years experience in medical device product development, ultimately serving as Director, Product Development, Aortic Intervention at Cook. Prior to Cook, he received his Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering, completed a post-doc, and was Visiting Assistant Professor at Purdue University. Blayne holds over 100 US Patents and is a member of the AIMBE College of Fellows.

Kevin J. Schimelfenig

Founder and Managing Partner, McGeever Family Office

Kevin is the Founder and Managing Partner of the McGeever Family Office, which focuses on achieving the financial and philanthropic goals of the family. McGeever’s investment portfolio places an emphasis on Healthcare, but also includes Technology, Energy and Real Estate. To support the success of McGeever’s investments, Kevin founded SalesForce4Hire, a company that provides strategic commercialization solutions for medical device, diagnostics, biopharma and information technology companies and their investors. SalesForce4Hire has played an instrumental role in the successful implementation of customized sales solutions with Fortune 500 and startup companies. Kevin is also an active angel investor who enjoys working closely with CEOs and leadership teams on strategic partnering and commercialization activities. He serves on several boards and is the Executive Chairman for Physcient (a North-Carolina based medical device company developing a blunt dissection tool for surgery).

Glenn Snyder

Principal, Medtech Practice Leader, Deloitte

A principal since 1998, Glenn is doing his "dream job"​ leading Deloitte's MedTech practice as it combines his roots as a mechanical engineer with his early consulting experience leading hospital clinical transformation programs. The med tech sector is positioned to be a substantial transformational force for the healthcare industry, harnessing the power of exponentials through sensor technology and augmented intelligence. However, it must adapt to new buying processes, higher "value" expectations, and a changing global regulatory and reimbursement environment.

Chuck Stetson

CEO, Stetson Family Office

Stetson Family Office has set up a unique Global Family Office BioForum with family offices around the globe working closely with their local healthcare innovation. Private Equity Investors, Inc. (PEI) was started in 1992 by the Stetson Family Office to invest in venture capital and smaller buyout funds. PEI has become a leader in the purchase of secondary interests in venture capital, buyout, growth equity and mezzanine funds or other entities.

Joyce Tan

Associate Vice Chancellor for Research, UNC at Chapel Hill

Joyce Tan is Associate Vice Chancellor for Research at UNC Chapel Hill. She is responsible for developing and implementing strategic research initiatives for the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research and overseeing the Office of Research Development. Prior to joining UNC Chapel Hill, Dr. Tan led the discovery and development of a therapeutic asthma vaccine program and contributed to the development of vaccines in cancer and neuroscience at Pfizer Pharmaceuticals Global Research and Development. She received her PhD degree from Emory University and BA degree from Washington University in St. Louis.

Sam Tetlow

Founder & CEO, Grant Engine

Sam Tetlow is CEO of Grant Engine and Chairman of BioFluidica. Grant Engine delivers non-dilutive funding to leading life science companies through NIH, DoD, DARPA, and other sources. Sam continues to build on his venture capital experience by investing into compelling companies. Sam has successful experience as an entrepreneur and investor in life sciences companies such as EpiCypher (named best University Startup of 2016 by U.S. Congress), ILS Genomics (acq. LabCorp), Immunologix (acq. Intrexon), and Tranzyme Pharma (IPO) among others.

Brian Wagner

Chief Digital Marketing and Operations Officer, GE Healthcare

Brian J. Wagner is Chief Digital Marketing and Operations Officer for GE Healthcare.  Prior to joining GE Healthcare, Brian founded Health Insights Consulting Group, Inc. Brian has served as Chief Commercial Officer for CAS Medical Systems, Inc. and also served as Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer for Philips Imaging Systems.  Brian also held a series of executive management positions at Kimberly-Clark Health Care, now known as Halyard Health, including General Manager of the Global Pain and Temperature Management Division and Vice President of Global Strategic Marketing and Business Development. His experience also includes serving as Vice President and General Manager of Rubbermaid Healthcare, a medical division which he developed and launched, focusing on electronic medical administrative records.​