Entrepreneurship
Tuesday, April 10, 2:00-3:30, Ski-U-Mah, McNamara Alumni Center

Organizer: Karen Kaehler and Doug Johnson, Office for Technology Commercialization, University of Minnesota

Panel Discussion:

"The Role of Corporate Strategic Investment in the Mix of Start-up Financing"

Maximillian D. Fiore, Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer, American Medical Systems

J. Robert Paulson, Jr., President and CEO, NxThera, Inc.

Andrew M. Weiss, President and CEO, CoAxia, Inc.

Erich A. Wolff, Director, Corporate Development, Medtronic, Inc.

Session Abstract:

With venture capital in short supply, medtech start-ups are increasingly looking to corporate partners for capital and expertise needed to drive successful innovation. Companies such as Boston Scientific, Medtronic, Covidien, and J&J have found investing in complementary and promising early-stage companies  provides a rich and ready source of future acquisition candidates. Our panel includes executives from both sides of the table – start-up and strategic investor – who will talk about how the deal was done, and what it means for both sides.

Session Organizer Bio:

Karen Kaehler, Office for Technology Commercialization, University of Minnesota
As a Technology Strategy Manager in the Office for Technology Commercialization, Karen is responsible for evaluation, protection and marketing strategy development for innovative technologies in the areas of medical devices and biomedical engineering. Karen holds a bachelor's degree in biology, advanced training in physiology, and an MBA from the University of Minnesota Carlson School. She has over 20 years product development and marketing experience in the medical device, health information and biosciences industries.

Doug Johnson, Office for Technology Commercialization, University of Minnesota
Doug Johnson is the Director of the Venture Center at the Office for Technology Commercialization at the University of Minnesota. Prior experience includes starting and teaching in the Carlson Ventures Enterprise within the MBA program at the Carlson School, and twenty years’ experience in the venture capital and investment banking industries. Doug has an MBA and a BA in Mathematics.

Speaker Bios:

Maximillian D. Fiore, Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer, American Medical Systems
Mr. Fiore has over 25 years of experience in Engineering, R&D, Quality, International and Manufacturing at such companies as OmniSonics Medical Technologies, Smith & Nephew Endoscopy, Aradigm Corporation, Johnson & Johnson – Lifescan and Abbott Laboratories. Mr. Fiore holds undergraduate degrees in Electrical Engineering and Bio-Medical Engineering from Northwestern University and a Master's Degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

J. Robert Paulson, Jr., President and CEO, NxThera, Inc.
Mr. Paulson has over 20 years of experience in the medical device industry. Prior to joining NxThera, Mr. Paulson was president, chief executive officer and a director of Restore Medical. Previous to Restore, Mr. Paulson held leadership positions at Endocardial Solutions, Advanced Bionics, and Medtronic. Bob received a J.D. from the Vanderbilt University School of Law, an MBA from the University of St. Thomas, and a BA in accounting, economics & political science from Luther College.

Andrew M. Weiss, President and CEO, CoAxia, Inc.
Prior to his role at CoAxia, Mr. Weiss was previously at Medtronic, where he held positions of Vice President and General Manager of the Neurological and the Surgical Navigation businesses. Prior to Medtronic he was President & CEO at both Applied Biometrics and Vital Images, which he brought public, and held leadership roles at Marquette Medical Systems, and GE Medical. He holds an MBA from Columbia University and a BS in Mechanical Engineering from MIT.

Erich A. Wolff, Director, Corporate Development, Medtronic, Inc. 
Mr. Wolff joined Medtronic’s Corporate Development team in 2009 where he evaluates and executes mergers and acquisitions, minority investments, divestitures, strategic alliances, joint ventures, technology licenses and other strategic transactions. Prior to joining Medtronic, Mr. Wolff was an associate in investment banking at Piper Jaffray & Co. Previous to Piper Jaffray, Mr. Wolff was an investment research analyst at Northwestern Mutual Capital. Erich received his BBA magna cum laude in finance and economics with honors from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

Company Profiles: