Hear from Medtech and biotech visionaries Bringing the Future of healthcare To Patients
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Matthew Mangan is a partner in the firm's Asset Management and Investment Funds practice. He counsels
investment advisers, private fund managers and broker-dealers on a variety of fund formation, product structuring,
transactional, regulatory and compliance, and securities law matters. He regularly works with clients to structure
and document US and offshore private investment funds and assists clients with a variety of state and federal
regulatory and compliance issues. He also represents government plans and other institutional investors in
connection with their investments in hedge funds, private equity, venture capital and real estate funds. He also
counsels clients on complex seeding arrangements, corporate structure, and entity formation issues.
Matthew also represents individuals and entities on securities enforcement matters involving the SEC, FINRA,
and other regulatory authorities, and has substantial experience conducting internal investigations in matters
relating to securities regulation and compliance.
Matthew regularly assists clients with state and federal registration issues and the application of various
exemptions.
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Mike Cordonnier is the Co-Founder, President and Chief Executive Officer at Carlsmed, and serves as the Chair of the Board of Directors.
With more than two decades of leadership experience introducing groundbreaking medical technologies, Mike has guided teams across both private and public organizations, including NuVasive, Ellipse Technologies, Zimmer Biomet, Orchid Orthopedics, and X-Spine Systems. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Dayton.
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Dr. Karolina Valente is the Founder and CEO of VoxCell, a biotechnology company
advancing 3D bioprinting to develop human-like cancer tissue models and accelerate drug developmnent. With over 12 years of experience in tissue engineering, she holds a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering with a focus on bioprinting and drug delivery systems. Under her leadership, VoxCell has grown from 5 to 20 employees and raised over $11M CAD. Her contributions to biotechnology and cancer research have earned her and VoxCell multiple
accolades. In 2023, Douglas Magazine recognized VoxCell as one of its 10 to Watch winners, acknowledging the company’s significant contributions to biotechnology and cancer research. In 2024, Life Sciences BC named VoxCell to its Companies to Watch – Recognition Honour Roll, highlighting its potential and achievements in the life sciences sector. Most recently, The Globe
and Mail’s Report on Business 2025 Changemakers Award recognized Karolina as one of 20 emerging leaders reinventing how business is done in Canada. Passionate about scientific innovation, gender equity, and the future of biotechnology, she continues to drive transformative change in oncology research and 3D bioprinting.
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Nikhil Joshi is a Biomedical Engineer with a BS and MS in the field. During undergraduate studies, he was a Research Assistant in Dr. Adam Engler’s lab at UC San Diego, investigating methods to coax stem cells towards various mature cell lineages. Later on, at Columbia University, he served as a Graduate Research Assistant in the lab of Dr. Clark Hung, investigating techniques to enable nutrient delivery to engineered tissue constructs for cartilage cell therapy.
After academia Nikhil has spent 12 years in industry, working as an Engineer and Product Manager on a variety of innovative technologies. Most recently Nikhil was at Auris Health helping to build Monarch, the world’s first robotic endoscopy platform. Nikhil led development of three novel robotic instrumentation devices, from initial concept to design verification testing.
Nikhil has co-invented nine patented technologies, and throughout his career has been driven by the question of how technology can improve healthcare quality.
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Dr. Melanie Matheu is an immunologist, inventor, and biotechnologist recognized for pioneering work in high-resolution tissue engineering and human immunology. She received her PhD in Physiology and Biophysics with a focus on Immunology from UC Irvine and completed postdoctoral training at VIB (Ghent University, Belgium) and UC San Francisco, where she specialized in 2-photon imaging and cellular immune responses. As founder of Prellis Biologics, Dr. Matheu brought forward laser-based tissue bioprinting to solve complex challenges in organ transplantation and therapeutic antibody discovery. She later co-founded Lyric Bio, where she serves as Chief Scientific Officer, advancing scalable biomanufacturing platforms and rapid human immune system modeling. Dr. Matheu has authored numerous peer-reviewed publications, holds multiple patents, and is a passionate advocate for innovation at the intersection of immunology and bioengineering.
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Dr. Aadeel Akhtar, CEO and Founder of PSYONIC, started the company after meeting a young girl in Pakistan who was using a tree branch as a prosthetic leg. That moment inspired his mission to create advanced, accessible bionic limbs that restore both function and feeling. PSYONIC’s Ability Hand is the fastest bionic hand on the market, impact-resistant, and the first to provide a sense of touch. It is covered by Medicare and used by humans and robotics companies worldwide, including NASA, Meta, Mercedes, and Google. Dr. Akhtar earned his Ph.D. in Neuroscience and M.S. in Electrical & Computer Engineering from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, and holds a B.S. in Biology and M.S. in Computer Science from Loyola University Chicago. He has been recognized by MIT Technology Review, Newsweek, and secured a three-shark deal on Shark Tank.
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Gilly is a biomedical engineer, inventor, and an operations leader with 20 years of medical device industry and scientific research experience, and currently is the founder and CEO of Vent Creativity Corporation, an AI based digital twin surgical planning and decision-making software serving the orthopaedics and healthcare community.
Gilly started his career in industrial robotic automation, and then translated this knowledge to human biomechanics, design, testing, and regulatory filing of medical devices. Gilly previously advised a multi-billion-dollar industry on product portfolio needs and M&A considerations for multiple $5MM+ NPV projects. He also advised C-level executives for their medical device regulatory and business strategy needs. Gilly has been instrumental in the regulatory testing, documentation, and filing aspects of 13 Class II, 1 IDE, and 1 IND FDA medical device products. Gilly has over 25 peer reviewed published articles in the orthopaedic medical device field. Gilly holds 12 granted patents in the field of big-data driven surgery, additive manufacturing for medical devices, and robotic surgery, and presented foundational research at various peer-reviewed conferences and publications. Gilly holds a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering from NJIT, a Master of Science in Biomedical Engineering and an MBA from Columbia University.
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Ben Hartkopp is a seasoned independent researcher, inventor and developer who has been instrumental in co-developing the NovoJet™ Printhead technology since 2016. He is a co-inventor of Quantica’s patent portfolio of printheads, systems and methodologies and currently serves as the Head of Research and IP at Quantica.
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Gurkaran Chowdhry is a co-founder and the Director of Business Development at 3DBioFibR, where he helps guide the commercial strategy behind the company’s proprietary biomaterials platform. His technical foundation began with graduate research that uncovered key mechanisms behind 3DBioFibR’s fiber formation process, and he is an inventor on the company’s core IP. This mix of scientific depth and business focus allows him to bridge R&D with market needs, support partnership discussions with leading biomedical organizations, and represent the company across industry forums.
In his role, Gurkaran works to align 3DBioFibR’s advanced dry-spinning technology with high-value applications in regenerative medicine, wound care, and surgical materials. The company specializes in manufacturing biopolymer fibers such as collagen, chitosan, and spider silk at a scale far beyond traditional wetspinning or electrospinning methods, enabling the creation of tunable 2D and 3D scaffolds and high-strength yarns for next-generation biomedical products. These materials have been adopted by clinical partners for uses ranging from full thickness wound repair to peripheral nerve regeneration, reflecting the commercial opportunities Gurkaran helps cultivate. His focus on translating technical capability into meaningful partnerships has supported the company’s growing presence in cell biology, tissue engineering, and medical device markets.
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Jessica Miller is the founder of RocketBio and invests with a long-term, patient-focused approach across tissue engineering, regenerative medicine, and next-generation preclinical tools. Her work centres on advancing breakthrough science into practical clinical and commercial impact.
She serves on the Board of Directors at VoxCell BioInnovation, which develops vascularized 3D-bioprinted tumor models for precision oncology, and is a Director and Strategic Board member at NETRI, a French company creating neuron-based organ-on-chip systems for neurotoxicity, pain, and CNS disease research.
Jessica also supports business development efforts for both companies, forging partnerships across pharma, biotech, and research. With a background in Materials Engineering (University of Toronto) and Nanomaterials (Imperial College London), she brings technical depth and strategic insight to scaling technologies that improve patient outcomes and shape the future of drug development.
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Jim West III is an engineer, entrepreneur, and ecosystem builder working at the intersection of health, business, and technology to accelerate the next generation of life science tools and diagnostics startups. He currently serves as Associate Director at BioTools Innovator, where he helps design and lead programs that connect founders with strategic partners, investors, and expert mentors to bring research-enabling technologies to market faster. Previously, Jim was co‑founder and CEO of Clara Biotech, where he led the development and commercialization of a patented exosome purification platform and helped position the company for an asset acquisition. Earlier in his career, he contributed to bringing multiple medical devices from concept through prototyping, clinical validation, and FDA clearance, including one of the first mobile medical devices to use an iPhone as a stethoscope. Jim holds master’s degrees in Biomedical Engineering Product Development from the University of Kansas and in Entrepreneurship from Nanyang Technological University in Singapore.
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Nish is the General Partner and Cofounder of Carbon Silicon Ventures, where he invests in companies applying engineering methodologies to biology. He is also a cofounder of the oncology company Color Health.
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Paul Russo, is the Founder and CEO of K2X, a unique investment vehicle that will enable the 99% of the world with limited startup experience, to safely invest in this exciting non-correlated asset class - www.k2x.capital - with the expectation of a 2026 NYSE IPO, K2X plans to create “The ETF of Start-ups”. He was the Founder, CEO and Chairman of GEO Semi, a Leading supplier of automotive camera processors acquired by NASDAQ: "INDI". He sits on several start-up boards and is an advisor to start-ups and VC funds. He was a board member of ATI Technologies through its acquisition by AMD and is active in the Band of Angels. Before GEO, Dr. Russo started Silicon Optix and Genesis Microchip. The latter dominated the chip market for flat computer displays and had a successful NASDAQ IPO in 1998. Prior to the above, he had several senior executive positions at GE. Prior to GE, he was at RCA Laboratories, where he helped develop the world’s first CMOS microprocessor, and the first uses of these devices in video games, auto engine control, and global communications. He has been an active angel investor for over three decades. He received his B. Eng. from McGill and his MSc and PhD in EECS from UC Berkeley. He holds 8 patents, has published extensively, and is the recipient of numerous awards, including the IEEE Centennial Medal and the Tech Pioneer Award from the World Economic Forum.
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Mike is the CEO and co-founder of FluidForm Bio, building cures for chronic diseases like type 1 diabetes using 3D bioprinting. In over 25 years in the life sciences, Mike has brought four novel treatments through the FDA that have generated over $20 billion in sales in both startup and growth organizations. Throughout his career, he has worked on the forefront of medicine, translating highly complex treatments and clinical data into successful businesses, in the US and around the world. He is a graduate of Cornell University (B.S. Engineering Physics / Bioengineering, M.Eng. Mechanical Engineering) and Harvard Business School (MBA), where he was a Baker Scholar.
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Renee Ryan is recognized as an industry insider and leading investor, deal-maker, and passionate innovator. She has over 25 years of building category-creating healthcare companies. Renee currently serves as Founder & CEO of PinPrint, a Stanford spin-out focused on optimizing the patient experience for drug and vaccine delivery. She served as CEO and Board member of Cala Health, a pioneer in the field of wearable neuromodulaton therapy having launched two generations of product and consistently doubled revenue each year of her leadership. Previously, she led the medical technology investments for Johnson & Johnson Innovation (JJDC) on the West Coast and Asia Pacific for 8 years. While at J&J, she made over 15 new investments, including the Series A for Cala Health. Other investments include Auris Health, Carbon 3D, Verb Surgical, PowerVision and Tusker Medical, several of which led to significant acquisitions. Previously, she was a healthcare investment banker at Goldman Sachs and Jefferies. She currently sits on the Boards of RefleXion Medical and Neuropace (NPCE).
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Iris Wedeking, MBA, is the CEO and Founder of iDentical, a dental technology company that is revolutionizing tooth replacement with the world’s first drill-free, personalized, 3D-printed dental implants. Mrs. Wedeking has been a visionary leader in the dental industry for 10 years. Prior to founding iDentical, she managed the operations for three dental implant centers in the San Francisco Bay Area, where she saw firsthand the challenges of the current paradigm of implant dentistry for both patients and dentists. This experience inspired her to found iDentical, Inc. to develop and commercialize a drill-free dental implant solution that addresses the drawbacks of traditional dental implants.
Mrs. Wedeking is a two-time founder and CEO. Previously, she founded and scaled a national organization in the oncology sector (Kesem) that is now in its 25th year of operation with 115 chapters across 41 states. She also served as a senior marketing research leader at The Clorox Company. Iris holds an MBA from UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business and a BA, summa cum laude, from Tufts University. She resides in Walnut Creek, California, with her husband (a dentist) and three children.
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Alyssa Huffman is an award-winning MedTech entrepreneur, inventor, & thought leader advancing the future of orthopedic & spine care. Orthopedics This Week wrote, “If we were to bet on any young entrepreneur, Alyssa Huffman would be at the top of the list.”
She was the first Commercial Representative appointed to the North American Spine Society (NASS) & has become a respected voice in global spine innovation. Alyssa has presented at the 2025 Congress of Neurological Surgeons Annual Conference, the NASS Biologics Conference, & as both speaker and committee member for the NASS Innovation NetWORK Summit, where she champions evidence-based innovation & commercialization strategy.
In 2009, while working as an Orthopedic/Spine/Biologics Distributor, Alyssa witnessed the devastating complications of failed spine surgery on her diabetic uncle and quadriplegic cousin. This experience inspired the first sketch of what became the A8 INTEGR8™ Porous Pedicle Screw System (the cornerstone of ALLUMIN8’s Therapeutic Hardware™ platform), integrating biomechanical support with regenerative potential to both treat & heal.
Under her leadership, ALLUMIN8 has earned global recognition:
“Best Technology in Spine” Award – Orthopedics This Week
“6 Interesting Orthopedic Startups to Monitor in 2025” – BONEZONE
Global Impact Award 2025 – WashU in St. Louis
$500,000 Awarded – Missouri Technology Corporation
$75,000 Awarded – St. Louis Arch Grants
“Innovators to Watch” – OCCAM Design
“Future Stars of Spine” – Matthew Henshaw
“Top Startups to Watch” – St. Louis Business Journal
“Most Investment Value Award” – MD Inno, ShanghaiBeyond entrepreneurship, Alyssa has contributed to clinical scholarship as co-author of “Innovations in Spine Surgery: A Primer” & “Analgesic Effect of Over-the-Counter Sublingual Magnesium for Trigeminal Neuralgia Management.”
Her two decades of consulting experience span sales, contracting, distribution, marketing, product development, leadership, & team building for MedTech companies across medical devices, biologics, robotics, capital equipment, & pharmaceuticals. Areas of expertise include ortho/spine hardware, regenerative medicine, cardiology, neuro, spine, organ transplant, endovascular therapies, wound healing, temperature management, & stem cell therapies.
Her mission is clear: solve problems for patients, physicians, healthcare organizations, & payors by uniting the healthcare community to create devices, protocols, and techniques that merge rigorous clinical evidence with cost-conscious innovation – accelerating the future of patient care.
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Carlos Ezio is an MIT Innovators 35 Under 35 LATAM honoree and the CEO and co-founder of Criocore, a biotech company developing shelf-stable, human-relevant 3D in vitro models for drug discovery. Criocore’s goal is to provide more predictive and animal-free research tools that improve decision-making in preclinical drug development. He previously spent six years in the Shrike Zhang Lab, a pioneering group in biofabrication and bioprinting, that is part of Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women’s Hospital. There, he contributed to more than 30 publications, several patents, and multiple bioprinting systems. Carlos is a mechatronics engineer with expertise spanning 3D bioprinting, cryopreservation, organ-on-chip platforms, and acoustics.