Medical Device Playbook is Canada’s largest Medtech event for entrepreneurial companies and medical device professionals. MDPLAYBOOKreturns to the Vancouver Terminal City Club on May 23, 2019.
Industry speakers and panels from British Columbia and across North America will discuss, network and learn 2019 trends, opportunities, and strategies to Maximize Your Founder, Company and Device Value. Presentations include entrepreneur case studies, success stories, deal making, financing and clinical/regulatory advice from industry veterans.
Event includes Lunch, Breaks, and Networking Reception.
Dr. Hunter’s career has revolved around examining ways to make implantable medical devices “bioactive” and “smarter” through the use of technologies borrowed from other industries such as pharmaceutical coatings, surface modification and sensor technologies. As an inventor with over 200 patents and patent applications to his name, he has been involved in the invention and development of the TAXUS® Drug-Eluting Coronary Stent, the Zilver PTX Peripheral Drug-Eluting Stent, and the Quill barbed wound closure device; combined these products have been used in over 40 million patients and recorded revenues exceeding $25 billion. His latest venture, Canary Medical, utilizes implanted sensor, battery and transmission technology to create “smart” implanted medical devices that can “self report” on function, activity, wear, complications and patient outcomes for up to 20 years.
Dr. Hunter was the President and CEO of Cardiome Pharma Corp, now known as Correvio Pharma Corp., in Vancouver, BC (2012-2019). Correvio (NASDAQ: CORV) is an integrated, commercial, specialty pharmaceutical company that markets and sells acute care parenteral drugs in Europe, Canada and over 50 other countries around the world. Previously, Dr. Hunter co-founded and served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Angiotech Pharmaceuticals (1992-2011). After founding the Angiotech while still in medical school in 1992, he grew the Company to become a profitable, diversified, device company with over 1,400 employees, several thousand commercially available products, and 12 facilities in 5 countries.
"Smart Medical Devices" – My Career in Convergence
Darren Kraemer
Founder and President of Light Matter Interaction Inc
Darren Kraemer is the Founder and President of Light Matter Interaction Inc. a Toronto based company developing novel devices for laser surgery. The company was founded by the team behind Attodyne Lasers Inc., a successful brand of industrial picosecond lasers that Darren started while he was still completing his Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry. Having previously been involved with a wide variety of industrial and medical laser applications, Darren and the LMI team are currently focusing on bringing to market ophthalmology and biodiagnostic applications of a new laser technology. Darren has a masters in Chemistry and an undergraduate degree in Engineering Science from the University of Toronto.
Case Study: Bringing to market ophthalmology and biodiagnostic applications of a new laser technology
Geof Auchinleck
Chairman & CEO, Claris Healthcare Inc.
Geof has more than 35 years of experience in the medical device field. He was part of the Vancouver-based team that built and tested the world’s first robot specifically designed to assist in surgery, then went on to develop a number of other surgical technologies, including surgical tools for laparoscopic surgery, surgical limb positioning, blood sample handling equipment, apparatus for total knee arthroplasty and surgical drapes. He holds 21 US patents for various medical device technologies.
In 1997, Geof co-founded Neoteric Technology Ltd. Neoteric developed and commercialized technologies for ensuring the correct storage, tracking, handling and administration of blood for transfusion in hospitals. This technology, BloodTrack®, is now in daily use in hospitals all over the world. In 2009, Neoteric Technology Ltd. was acquired by Haemonetics Corporation of Braintree Massachusetts (NYSE:HAE). Geof left Haemonetics in 2011.
Geof co-founded Claris Healthcare in 2012. Claris provides a platform for delivery of health care into the home. It is used for social care among family members, chronic care and remote patient monitoring and most recently in acute care - driving compliance with post-surgical recovery from total knee arthroplasty.
Geof served as Chair of the Medical Device Development Centre in Vancouver (www.mddc.org), for 22 years and continues to sit on the MDDC board. He is also a director of the AceTech Academy for Technology CEOs and as an independent direction of several medical device startups.
In 2012, Geof was awarded the Encana Principal Award by the Manning Innovation Awards Foundation, Canada’s highest award for industrial innovation, in recognition of his development of the BloodTrack transfusion system.
Despite our best efforts to plan, prepare and anticipate, no product idea seems to survive contact with the customer. Geof will provide examples of how the marketplace firmly re-directed, re-focused or outright rejected many of his medical device ideas - and continues to do that today.
J. Mikael Totterman
Founder and CEO of Clerio Vision
Mikael Totterman is a founder, board member and senior executive with significant start-up and venture capital experience across medical as well as traditional software and hardware technologies. His companies and experience include:
• 3Com Ventures ($250 million venture fund - invested in MeshNetworks acquired by Motorola for $230 million, Silicon Wave acquired by RF Micro Devices for $75 million, AirPrime acquired by Sierra Wireless for $20 million, and Intransa which went through a re-start).
• iCardiac Technologies (founder of venture capital and Pfizer backed company, transacted to Norwest Venture Partners in a control transaction and subsequently sold to ERT for $230 million at 20x return to early investors).
• VirtualScopics (business leader of venture capital, Pfizer, and GE Healthcare backed startup, peak market cap on NASDAQ of $200 million. Now part of BioTelemetry - NASDAQ: BEAT).
• Clerio Vision (founder and CEO of venture capital-backed next-generation vision correction company).
• HTR Launchpad (founding advisory board of accelerator based on Stanford developed lean start-up methodology).
• Boston Consulting Group, Boston, MA.
• Gemini Consulting, San Francisco, CA.
Building a Medical Device Company Through Strategic Partnerships
In taking this approach, it is important to structure the partnerships in ways that both propel progress and align the interest of all the parties involved.
Bill Walker
Co-Founder and Chief Technology Architect HemoSonics, LLC, Director of Engineering Entrepreneurial Ventures at Duke University
Bill Walker is an inventor, serial entrepreneur, and educator. He has repeatedly invented solutions to unmet clinical needs and built companies to deliver those solutions. PocketSonics, acquired in 2014, developed the Sonic WindowTM, a compact, low-cost imaging platform to guide peripheral vascular access. HemoSonics, acquired in 2017, developed a comprehensive point of care in vitro diagnostic to determine the cause of critical bleeding and enable rapid, directed treatment. Over a 12 year period as a professor of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Virginia, he built a world-class ultrasound research lab and co-created UVA’s undergraduate major in Biomedical Engineering. In 2016 he was named the Mattson Family Director of Entrepreneurship at Duke Engineering. In this role he coaches innovators and entrepreneurs, leads two major research projects, directs the A. James Clark Scholars Program, and is actively building new programs in education and entrepreneurship. Dr. Walker holds BSE and PhD degrees in Biomedical Engineering from Duke.
Ultrasound Entrepreneurship: Perspectives as a Player and a Coach
Ali Ardakani
o-Founder & Managing Director of Novateur Ventures
Ali Ardakani is the Co-Founder & Managing Director of Novateur Ventures, a premier global advisory group with over 100 senior life science advisors, and the current Senior Vice President Device & Business Development for AIT Therapeutics, a publicly traded company. He is also sits on multiple boards including LifeSciences BC (Vice Chair) and Altum Pharmaceuticals (Executive Board Member) and is Entrepreneur in Residence at Innovation Boulevard. He was the Co-Founder and COO of Niiki Pharma, which was acquired in 2013 by Intezyne Technologies, of which he became the Vice President as well as the Co-Founder & CEO of Lexi Pharma, which was acquired in 2018 by Altum Pharmaceuticals.
Panel: Current & Future trends on medical device financing & partnerships
Cyril V. Philip
Principal, Providence Ventures
Cyril is a Principal at Providence Ventures. He is responsible for deal sourcing, deal execution, portfolio company management, and fund management. Cyril currently serves as a Board Observer at Binary Fountain. Cyril previously served on the Board of Directors of precision medicine company N-of-One prior to its exit. Cyril joined Providence in 2015 as a senior associate and was one of the first hires of the Providence Ventures team.
Prior to joining Providence, Cyril was at Halyard Capital, where he focused on private equity investments in mid-stage companies in the technology, business services and healthcare sectors.
Prior to Halyard, Cyril spent five years at UBS Investment Bank in the Global Healthcare group, where he worked on over 30 transactions across healthcare services/technology, life sciences and medical technology. Cyril graduated from Carnegie Mellon University with a bachelor’s of science in business administration.
Doug Janzen brings over 20 years of experience in life sciences with leadership experience in corporate finance, business development, and management. Over his 9 year tenure at Cardiome Pharma Doug held a series of positions including CFO, President and CBO, and President and CEO. During this time he raised over $300 million from investors and completed over $1 billion in licensing deals. Prior to Cardiome, Doug was an investment banker with Cormark Securities, acting as Managing Director of Life Sciences and has completed over $1B in equity financing for Canadian biotech companies. Doug is currently Chairman and CEO of Aequus Pharmaceuticals, Chairman of Resolution Diagnostics, and serves as a Director for Neovasc, Ico Therapeutics, Synaptive Medical, Alabaster, and Perimeter Medical Imaging. Doug remains a prominent figure in the BC and Canadian biotechnology community with previous positions of Chair of LifeSciences BC and Director with Biotech Canada.
Panelist: Current & Future trends on medical device financing & partnerships
Nishant Rastogi
Senior Associate, New Rhein Healthcare Investors
Nishant Rastogi is a senior associate at New Rhein, and founding member of the firm’s Philadelphia office. Nishant shares responsibility for day-to-day operations, including identification and screening of new opportunities, due diligence, negotiation of deal structure, and portfolio company involvement.
Prior to joining New Rhein, Nishant was an associate at Broadview Ventures in Boston, MA. While at Broadview, he helped execute multiple transactions across medical device, pharmaceutical, and diagnostic technologies, and served as board observer for various healthcare companies. He also contributed to a publication regarding the importance of impact investing in life sciences in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology in 2016.
He was named one of Poets & Quants, “Top MBAs to Watch” in 2018, is an avid Philadelphia sports fan, tennis player, and volunteer high-school tutor.
Panelist: Current & Future trends on medical device financing & partnerships
Dr. Sabina Bruehlmann
Director of Technology and Co-founder of Zephyr Sleep Technologies
As Director of Technology and Co-Founder of Zephyr Sleep Technologies, Sabina is experienced in all aspects of early stage medical device commercialization. With over 20 years of research & medical device commercialization experience; Sabina’s focus at Zephyr is on intellectual property strategy and competitive positioning, new technology development and regulatory/quality/clinical affairs in the medical device industry. Recently, Sabina led the Zephyr team in successfully obtaining de novo clearance for the first auto-titration device for treatment of sleep apnea using oral appliance therapy. The innovative device utilizes AI powered algorithms in a cloud based home based sleep test to provide a personalized prescription for effective care.
Prior to starting Zephyr, Sabina worked with medical device start-ups in Calgary as well as Silicon Valley, and was a Director of Partnerships, Manager Licensing and Business Development at University Technologies International Inc. Sabina holds a BSc in Mechanical Engineering from Queen’s University and a PhD in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Calgary.
Successfully Navigating the De Novo pathway for FDA Clearance
Brian Shoemaker
International Medical Device Software Consultant
Brian Shoemaker consults for healthcare products companies in computer system validation, software quality assurance, and electronic records and signatures. He has conducted validation both on product software and on internal software, developed software quality systems, audited software quality processes (including agile methodology), and evaluated 21 CFR Part 11 compliance. He has had clients in clinical diagnostics, medical device engineering, medical imaging, medical-device fabrics manufacturing, contract lyophilization, clinical trial software, dental prosthetics, and bone-repair implants. He has worked with companies in Germany and Switzerland as well as the U.S.
Previous to founding ShoeBar Associates, Brian had quality roles at PPD Informatics, Doxis, Inc., and Behring Diagnostics, Inc. Brian earned his Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of Illinois; he has achieved the ASQ Software Quality Engineer certification.
Vesna Janic’s expertise in regulatory compliance and conformance standards provides StarFish Medical’s clients with invaluable guidance and assistance in understanding and complying with regulatory standards such as cGMP, GLP, GCP, ISO 13485 and ISO 17025. Drawing upon her certification by the SQA as a Registered QA Professional in GLP and more than 18 years of experience in the R&D and QA fields, Vesna ensures that your StarFish project successfully meets and exceeds industry standards
Successfully Navigating the De Novo pathway for FDA Clearance
Scott Phillips
CEO and Founder of StarFish Medical
Scott Phillips is CEO and Founder of StarFish Medical. Scott holds a degree in Engineering Physics from the University of British Columbia. Prior to starting StarFish, he worked in diverse areas such as lithium battery development and manufacturing, UV spectroscopy instrumentation and hi-fi audio speakers. Under his leadership StarFish has grown into a diverse professional organization with clients around the world and 100% focus on medical devices. Scott is a Fellow of The Canadian Academy of Engineering, winner of the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year™ 2017 Pacific Awards Technology category, 2017 recipient of the VIATEC Technology Champion award, member of the LifeSciences British Columbia board, and volunteers with Junior Achievement, Entrepreneurs Organization, and University of British Columbia.
Analysis: Maximizing value for medtech founders, companies and devices
Wendy Hurlburt
President & CEO of LifeSciences BC
Wendy, is a senior executive who brings more than 20 years of global finance, operations and compliance leadership experience in healthcare and technology sectors, has held leadership positions at Johnson & Johnson, the Heart & Stroke Foundation and Lexmark International. Wendy has a B.A. from the University of Western Ontario, MBA from Queen’s University and a Certificate in Strategic Leadership from the Sauder School of Executive Education, University of British Columbia. In addition, Wendy serves on the Board of Directors of The Centre for Drug Research and Development and Chair’s CDRD’s Finance & Audit Committee.
Terminal City Club
Metropolitan Ballroom
837 W Hastings Street
Vancouver BC V6C 1B6
(604) 681-4121
2018 recap
The 2018 events in Toronto and Vancouver were a hit with 450+ participants, speakers, and sponsors. Veteran speakers providing industry insights and experience joined rooms full of the medical device entrepreneurs to exchange ideas and business cards in a day-long event designed specifically for local medtech innovators.
100% of 2018 Vancouver attendee respondents rated Medical Device Playbook 2018 excellent or very good overallin post event survey.
“One of the best conferences that I’ve ever attended.”
