For 30 years, I have been a serial entrepreneur, starting multiple tech companies. Today, I am adviser to startup companies and venture capital funds, including startups originating at universities. I am a partner in Spectacular Health Ventures, a newly forming venture firm and fund in 2020 that applies advanced technology and modern trends to disruptive health ventures. I am active on the boards of startup companies. I am Chairman of Cloud Pharmaceuticals, a leader in Artificial Intelligence based drug development, located in Research Triangle Park.
I am also a part-time adjunct professor/lecturer of Entrepreneurship, Product Management and Engineering. To that end, my goal is to motivate engineering students to find their passion and create breakthrough products and ventures.
I advise a number ventures including Drug Logic, Parallel Profile, and PolarisQB, as well as some emerging new starts that are under wraps. My approach to venture work is unique. I work for long periods of time incubating new venture projects, but I only work on high quality, promising opportunities.
With a technical background in Artificial Intelligence, Bioinformatics and Software, and a business background in Life Sciences, Healthcare and SaaS, I started 7 companies, funded 5 of them and exited 3. I have twice been named “Entrepreneur of the Year” by different organizations. I have advised 7 venture capital funds and over 20 early stage ventures. I am a frequent public speaker on entrepreneurship, innovation and new venture work, as well as on Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare. I have an interdisciplinary technical background acquired through grad school, teaching at universities and advising technical startups. It includes AI, IT, bioinformatics and genomics, HPC, parallel and distributed computing, quantum computing, IoT and drug discovery. The Covid-19 period has shifted my focus to telemedicine, more AI-based drug discovery, and new methods of capital raising.
I hold a BSEE from Virginia Tech, two MS degrees from Johns Hopkins, an MBA from Duke University, and an ‘online’ law degree from Concord Law School at Perdue University. I completed a sabbatical year at MIT in Artificial Intelligence. This eclectic educational background along with my multi-industry experience is uniquely suited to the entrepreneurship, innovation, startup and venture capital worlds, as well as university and industry roles in managing design, innovation programs, and partnerships. I stay current by reading approximately 500 pages per day.