Christophe Bancel
About tISSIUM
TISSIUM is a privately-owned medtech company based in Paris, France that is dedicated to the rapid development and commercialization of a unique biopolymer platform to address various unmet clinical needs.
The company’s platform is based on a proprietary polymer family with unique properties including the ability to conform to and integrate with surrounding tissue to enable tissue reconstruction. Furthermore, the polymer building blocks enable customization to match tissue-specific requirements for different therapeutic areas. The company is developing a portfolio of solutions for peripheral nerve, gastrointestinal, ENT and cardiovascular applications. The company also develops delivery and activation devices for enhanced performance and usability of its family of polymers.
TISSIUM’s technology is based on world-class research and intellectual property from the laboratories of Professor Robert Langer (MIT) and Professor Jeffrey M. Karp (Brigham and Women’s Hospital), who co-founded the company in 2013.
About Christophe
Christophe Bancel, Founding Chief Executive Officer and Director, has a track record in the healthcare industry ranging from startups to midsize Biopharma.
Most recently, Christophe was Franchise General Manager at UCB, leading the Central Nervous System Operations in France. Prior to that, he held several corporate and strategic positions at UCB. He started his career in Biotech, as Business Developer at Transgene and then was a co-founder and Director of Corporate & Business Development at Faust Pharmaceuticals (now Domain Therapeutics). Christophe is a graduate from Ecole Centrale Paris (Master of Engineering), holds a Master in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from the University of Tokyo (Todaï) and an MBA from INSEAD. Since 2012, he is a member of the iBionext Network.
Jasminka Roth
About the Tao of Excellence
The Tao of Excellence specializes in strategic quality and regulatory consulting for medical devices and pharmaceutical industry. Founded in 2015, the company supports international customers with a team of experts based in Switzerland and the UK. The Tao of Excellence has a proven track record in establishing and maintaining quality systems, and clinical and regulatory leadership within the medical device market. Pursuing a hands-on approach, the company offers solutions in the following three areas:
- Strategic intelligence. Focus markets: Switzerland, Europe, US, Canada, Brasil, Japan, Australia, India
- Compliance and audit support. Regulatory frameworks: MDR, IVDR, MDSAP, ISO13485, ISO9001
- Process engineering and in-house growth
About Jasminka
Jasminka Roth has a proven track record in establishing and maintaining a quality system within the medical device environment (50 + audits).
Jasminka has longterm experience as a leader for the quality management and business excellence in multiple dynamic international companies within the manufacturing industry, where accuracy, reliability and negotiation skills are of particular importance.
She enjoys spending time in nature with her family and is engaged in yoga practice since 2002. She is fluent in German, English, Croatian and speaks a little French.
Marco Pisano
About Lymphatica
Lymphatica Medtech SA is a medical device development company that has designed and patented LymphoDRAIN, a novel implantable system to replace lymphatic vessel draining function, which it plans to produce and market. The system is based on magnetically controlled micropumps and anti-fibrotic catheters, and it has been conceived to treat lymphatic disorders, in particular chronic lymphedema.
Lymphatica is a spin-off from the Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV) and from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL), created in July 2017. The underlying technology was developed in the Laboratory of Lymphatic and Cancer Bioengineering led by Prof. Melody Swartz where the founders, Marco Pisano and Valentina Triacca, obtained their doctoral degree. Prof. Lucia Mazzolai, head of the Angiology Service at the Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV), joined the project bringing her clinical perspective to the team underlining the unmet clinical need represented by lymphedema.
The project received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under grant agreement No 873401 (SME instrument Phase 2). Moreover, Lymphatica has received significant support from Innosuisse, Fondation pour l’Innovation Technologique (FIT Seed), Canton de Vaud (SPEI envelope), VentureKick, >>Venture>> and MassChallenge.
About Marco
Marco Pisano is a biomedical engineer and entrepreneur. He obtained a PhD in Bioengineering at the Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) where he studied lymphatic system engineering.
Prior to co-founding Lymphatica, Marco worked as a Project Manager at the Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV) as well as a Post Doctoral Researcher at the Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL).
Jean-Marc Peyrat
About inHEART
inHEART is a spin-off from IHU Liryc and Inria that combines their top-tier expertise in cardiac electrophysiology and medical imaging to develop advanced medical imaging processing and visualization solutions for heart rhythm disorders.
The inHEART’s team developed a solution that transforms preoperative medical images into a 3D digital twin of the patient’s heart. This “Google Maps” of cardiac interventions helps the cardiologist to better plan the procedure and also assists in navigating instruments in the patient’s heart.
The company recently raised €3.7 million from Elaia and Aquitaine Science Transfert. The funds will be used to accelerate commercial development in Europe, to enter the US market and to accelerate the development of its new products augmented with artificial intelligence and numerical simulations of cardiac electrical activity.
About Jean-Marc
Jean-Marc Peyrat, PhD, MBA, is the CEO and co-founder of inHEART. He has more than 15 years of experience in medical imaging and robotic surgery.
He worked in top-tier academic and industrial labs including Inria, Dassault Systèmes, Siemens Corporate Research (Princeton, NJ, USA), and Siemens Molecular Imaging (Oxford, UK).
He graduated with a Ph.D. in Computer Science from Universit̩ de Nice РSophia Antipolis and with a M.S. in Biomedical Engineering from Ecole Centrale Paris. He complemented his scientific education and experience with a MBA at HEC Paris to develop his business skills.
Jean-Marc has been awarded several prizes including the Prix Félix Centrale Supélec Innovateur 2018, the HEC MBA Prize in 2017, and the Prize for Excellence in Innovation 2017 from Université Côte d’Azur.
Danielle Giroud
About MD-Clinicals
MD-Clinicals is a leading clinical research organization specializing in medical device clinical investigations, evaluation, market access, and regulatory services tailored to the specific needs of med-tech manufacturers and organizations throughout the world.
With over 30 years of experience in developing global clinical and regulatory strategies and managing hundreds of medical device clinical investigations around the globe, MD-Clinicals provides the clinical and regulatory expertise necessary to assure the quickest and most cost-effective path to market throughout Europe, Asia, South America, and the Middle East.
Founded by renowned medical device clinical and regulatory expert Danielle Giroud, MD-Clinicals is headquartered in Switzerland with regional offices in Germany, China, and Singapore.
About Danielle
Danielle Giroud, Founder and CEO of MD-Clinicals, is a 30-year veteran within the medical device industry having worked with start-ups to Fortune 500 med-tech companies.
Ms. Giroud is regarded as an internationally recognized medical device clinical research and regulatory expert, having shared her extensive knowledge and experience with hundreds of companies and organizations from around the globe to help bring their products to market quickly and efficiently.
She is also known for her contribution and engagement as founder and senior faculty board member of the World Medical Device Organization ( https://www.wmdo.org ), as well as convener for the expert group on clinical investigations (TC 194 WG4) for the ISO 14155, and liaison with the EU Commission – Clinical Investigation and Evaluation (CIE) task force and other regulatory authorities throughout the world.
Geert van Gansewinkel
About GATT Technologies
Founded in 2011 by Johan Bender, GATT Technologies has developed a game changing platform of haemostats and sealants that focus on controlling severe surgical bleedings as well as preventing and treating organ leakages. Leveraging its patented technology, GATT has developed a platform of products with the potential to become superior alternatives to the current fibrin-based and synthetic solutions in terms of speed, efficacy and cost.
Currently, the company is focusing on moving GATT-Patch, its launching product – a fast haemostatic sealing patch to be used in general surgery as an initial focus, but also likely to be used in other areas – into clinical trials in Europe and the United States. Additionally, the company is further developing its other pipeline products including GATT-Powder (designed for large surface bleedings and/ or robotic/laparoscopic use) and GATT-Tape (aimed at addressing intestinal anastomotic leakage). The company is also assessing other potential applications based on its activated polyoxazoline technology such as uses in bone regeneration, lung sealing, pancreatic leakage, anti-adhesion, vascular, and ophthalmological procedures.
About Geert
Geert van Gansewinkel studied International Business Administration at the University of Maastricht, Netherlands. Upon graduation, he joined Accenture, where he worked in technology consulting for nearly five years.
After obtaining his MBA degree in Barcelona, Geert joined The Boston Consulting Group, where he worked for 8 years, supporting many large companies in defining and executing their business strategy. In 2013 he became an entrepreneur, joining Polaris, a US-based technology and consulting company, where he set up and built the European and Asian business. In 2017, Polaris was sold to IQVIA.
At IQVIA, Geert held various roles, including global commercial head of compliance solutions, and general manager of IQVIA in the Netherlands. He decided to go back to entrepreneurship in 2020 and joined GATT Technologies as their CEO.
Lene Kristin Wilhelmsen
About EXCITUs
EXCITUS AS is a privately-owned medtech company based in Stavanger, Norway that is devoted to the development and commercialization of a disruptive medical suction device for airway management in emergency care.
The company’s first product is a unique airway clearing device, the first battery powered suction device that allows the health care professionals to dispose of all the parts has been in contact with patient fluid and air. It is lightweight and allows the HCPs to do efficient intermittent airway clearing without compromising time or with no spillage of fluids.
Excitus’ technology is based on intellectual property from the experienced medical suction device developer Øyvind Tjølsen and Per Reidar Ørke, who co-founded the company in 2014. Our mission is to empower Health Care Professionals to save more lives in emergency medical care.
About Lene Kristin
Lene Kristin Wilhelmsen, Chief Executive
Officer has a track record from project management and product development from
mid-size to large companies in the Oil and Gas industry.
In 2019, Lene Kristin decided to change
her career path to the medtech industry to be able to focus on having a
positive impact in society through life-saving medical devices. She holds a
Master of Science in Industrial Economics from the University of Stavanger and
a B.Sc in Industrial Design. Most recently she worked in a product supplier in
Oil and Gas and was part of the team streamlining and reducing cost of goods
for Cubility’s MudCube by 50%.
Jordi Martorell
About Aortyx
AORTYX is a privately-owned MedTech company based in Barcelona that is dedicated to the development and commercialization of a novel family of endovascular treatments for aortic diseases. The company’s platform is based on a patch and its endovascular delivery system. The patch is manufactured using a novel technology that allows for the polymer to present the same mechanical properties than the aorta and allow for rapid, endogenous enable tissue regeneration. The company is developing a portfolio of solutions for aortic diseases, mainly focused on aortic dissections and aneurysms.
AORTYX’ technology is based on world-class research and intellectual property from the laboratories of Professor Salvador Borrós (IQS) and the experience in the field of surgery from Dr. Vicenç Riambau (Hospital ClÃnic de Barcelona), who co-founded alongside Miss Noemà Balà (IQS) and Dr. Martorell in 2018.
About Jordi
Dr. Jordi Martorell, CEO and Co-founder, combines his duties at Aortyx with being the Head of the Vascular Engineering and Applied Biomedicine at the IQS School of Engineering. He obtained his PhD Cum Laude in Chemical Engineering from IQS after enlightening the correlation between fluid mechanics and vascular biology in complex vascular environments. He did it in collaboration with Dr. Balcells and Dr. Edelman as a visiting student at MIT. Since the beginning, Dr. Martorell sought balance between advancing basic science, understanding the pathogenesis of the circulatory system and the application of his research to develop better clinical solutions beneficial to society and healthcare industries. His work has impacted different fields, such as ophthalmology, nephrology, or tissue regeneration.
The combination of his entrepreneurial mentality with the research performed with his collaborators led him to found Aortyx in 2018. He has an outstanding track record in obtaining competitive funding for his projects and now leads the fundraising efforts at Aortyx.
Noor Shaker
About GLAMOROUS.AI
Glamorous AI mission is to put the most advanced AI methods in the hands of drug hunters to cure some of the world’s most debilitating diseases. GlamorousAI has already built one of the most advanced AI for drug discovery.
Rosalind is the first AI platform to focus entirely on challenging diseases where only little information about potential cures is available, a challenge that is currently intractable by other ML approaches. GlamorousAI have demonstrated promising results on the discovery of novel inhibitors for SARS Covid-19 Mpro and they are working on a number of other projects in cancer and neurodegenerative diseases with world-leading partners demonstrating the disease agnostic nature of our approach.
Rosalind consistently enables identification of novel chemical starting points for challenging diseases. This has a wide range of applications in finding new cures, repurposing existing ones and decoding biology. GlamorousAI can’t wait to disrupt drug discovery and provide efficacious affordable medicines to patients.
About Noor
Noor is a serial biotech entrepreneur with a track record of achievements in AI having held an Assistant Professorship from Aalborg University.
Noor has published >50 papers cited >2000 times and is an inventor on a handful of patents. She is passionate about science and on a mission to cure cancer with the power of data and AI.
Her work at GlamorousAI pushes the boundaries to what is possible with AI to cure challenging diseases.
She is MIT innovator under 35 and in BBC 100 women for 2019.
Philippe Bastide
About Dianosic
Dianosic is a start-up that was founded in July 2017. The company develops innovative solutions in the field of ENT, focusing specifically on intranasal bleeding and chronic sinusitis.
Ear Nose and Throat (ENT) conditions are the leading cause of physicians’ visits. Yet, there remains significant scope for improvement to meet medical reuqirements. DIANOSIC collaborates with healthcare professionals in order to provide solutions that change patient’s lives in both intranasal bleeding (epistaxis) and chronic sinusitis.
The company strives to:
- discharge patients earlier from the hospital and reduce (re)hospitalization frequency
- allow patients to return early to their everyday life activities
- simplify care organization for healthcare professionals
About Philippe
Philippe is a seasoned leader with 20 years of experience in the MedTech and Pharmaceutical industry.
He started his career at Pfizer France, where he developed skills in Market Research, Market Access and Pricing. Philippe then joined Johnson&Johnson where he was in charge of Market Access for Ethicon Biosurgery for the EMEA region. Philippe joined Acclarent (J&J) and was in charge of setting up the business in France & Benelux. His scope of responsibilities extended to cover all pre-commercial markets in EMEA and lead the Professional Education team. Philippe then joined the New Ventures group at Livanova, where he supported disruptive internal projects and incubated startups.
More recently, Philippe co-founded dianosic, a startup developing innovative solutions in the field of Ear, Nose and Throat, with a particular focus on epistaxis and chronic sinusitis.
