Dragons, Gazelles, & Unicorns

Ross DeVol is a Walton Fellow, focusing on research on policies related to economic vitality of Northwest Arkansas and the American heartland. Ross is the former chief research officer at the Milken Institute, where he was responsible for overseeing research on international, national and subnational growth performance; access to capital and its role in economic growth and job creation; and health-related topics. While at the Institute, he put his group in the national limelight with groundbreaking research on innovation and its economic impact as well as the economic and human consequences of chronic disease. Ross previously served as SVP of IHS Global Insight Inc., director of economic planning at CSX, economist at Chase Econometrics and economic analyst at Union Pacific. He was ranked among the “Superstars of Think Tank Scholars” by International Economy magazine.

Ross Youngs has spent over 30 years inventing products, technologies and processes for a variety of industries, and holds over 75 patents worldwide. He is driven to innovate by a focus on what is better, faster and less expensive. Ross’ recent major innovations include an R&D 100 Award for collaboration on biopolymer technologies. In 2009, Biosortia was awarded a $6 million ARPA-E (U.S. Dept. of Energy R&D) grant for its algal harvesting technology, which helped lead to the development of Biosortia’s drug discovery platform. In 1998, Ross was awarded the Ernst & Young Ohio Entrepreneur of the Year award. Additionally, the U.S. Small Business Administration honored him as their national "Business Person of the Year" in a presentation made by Vice President Al Gore.

Richard Lofgren is a consultant advisor, power connector, and an Advisor to Kevin Harrington- Inventor of the Infomercial and Original Shark on Shark Tank at Harrington Enterprises. He is an engineer and has worked with some of the most successful engineering, construction, and medical device companies in the world. He serves on boards and works with many diverse and complex multi-million-dollar constructions projects.

Sheri Sobrato Brisson’s, eldest daughter of John and Sue Sobrato, is passionate about working with children facing serious illnesses and their families. She is the founder of Digging Deep Project, co-author of Digging Deep: A Journal for Young People Facing Health Challenges, and creator of Shadow’s Edge — a mobile game for teens with medical conditions.  Sheri is a member of The Philanthropy Workshop, a Dame of Honor of the Knights of St. John, and an alumna of the Pipeline Fellowship. She holds a B.A. from Stanford University and an M.A. from Santa Clara University.

Terry Bray is the director of technology licensing and is responsible for directing the team that manages intellectual property created at Georgia Tech. He has more than 25 years’ experience in the creation, development, and commercialization of innovative technologies, and he has held research, faculty, managerial, and executive positions within academia and industry. He has a B.S. in chemistry from Mercer University, an M.S. in chemistry from Georgia Tech, and a Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

Katherine H. Ku is a corporate and securities partner in the Los Angeles office of Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati. She previously led Stanford's Office of Technology Licensing for 27 years. Kathy is an internationally recognized leader in the field of technology transfer, having spearheaded the development and implementation of a set of nine principles for university technology licensing. Since 2007, more than 120 institutions have signed on to the document, “In the Public Interest: Nine Points to Consider in Licensing University Technology.” Following her graduation from law school, Kathy served as a law clerk on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit (2003-2004) and for Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg of the U.S. Supreme Court (2004-2005).

Dr. David Vance gave this exclusive webinar to our SCALE Challenge participants as a part of The Center for Advancing Innovation's award-winning virtual accelerator program. Dr. Vance is the President at Vance Intellectual Property and has over 20 years of patent experience in various fields, particularly the pharmaceutical and chemical arts. He's drafted and prosecuted numerous high-level patent applications relating to chemical processes, pharmaceuticals, semiconductor processing, organic light-emitting diodes, graphene production, and chemical sensors.

Keith Marmer is the Executive Director and Associate Vice President of TVC. His strong leadership skills come from 30 years of experience as an inventor, entrepreneur and investor. Overseeing operations for TVC, Keith’s passion for innovation has helped countless ideas get the momentum they need to succeed. He has three patents, launched four companies, and helped entrepreneurs raise more than $500 million in investment capital. An avid skier, hiker and traveler, he has visited almost all 50 states, and more than forty countries.

Martin Rosendale is a seasoned CEO in the biotechnology and medical device industries with over 30 years of experience leading successful product development and commercialization. Hands on management experience and passion for the human and business value of life sciences, biotechnology, healthcare and medical devices enables him, as an advisor and board member, to work through complexity toward insight and solutions–to grow businesses.

Dr. Thomas Stackhouse is the Associate Director for the Technology Transfer Center at the National Cancer Institute’s (NCI) campus at Frederick, Maryland. This campus includes the Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research (FNL), the only federally funded research and development center associated with the Department of Health and Human Services. In this position, Dr. Stackhouse oversees NCI-Frederick partnering activities through NCI Collaboration Agreements and CRADAs, and manages all of NCIs intellectual property portfolio. In addition to his role overseeing the technology activities of NCI-Frederick, Dr. Stackhouse manages the Marketing and Information Management Units for the NCI Technology Transfer Center. HE also has played the lead role in establishing the intellectual property parameters and guidelines for several key NCI initiatives that have been handled through the NCI campus at Frederick. Dr. Stackhouse works closely with local economic development groups such as TEDCO, and the Frederick and Montgomery county governments. He received his Ph.D. in Biochemistry from the University of California, Davis. Dr. Stackhouse worked for a major pharmaceutical company and was part of the research team of scientists who discovered the VHL tumor suppressor gene. He has twice received the National Institutes of Health Award of Merit for his outstanding management of the NCI-Frederick Technology Transfer Office. For his efforts on a team that developed the SBIR-Technology Transfer Program for the Institute, he received the 2012 Mid-Atlantic Region Technology Transfer Representative of the Year award.

John founded Springhood to address the funding gap in child health innovation by providing critical investment support to companies developing important healthcare solutions for children. He also established and manages the program-related investment initiative of the Charles Hood Foundation, a private foundation supporting pediatric research, where he is also a trustee. Previously, John held senior roles in venture capital, private equity, and hedge funds. He has a BA from Dartmouth College and an MBA from Dartmouth’s Tuck School of Business.

On this episode we're publishing an amazing webinar we recorded for a group of entrepreneurs and ecosystem builders across Haiti and in the diaspora.

James C. Greenwood is President and CEO of the Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO) in Washington, D.C. BIO represents 1,000 biotechnology companies, academic institutions, state biotechnology centers, and related organizations across the United States and in more than 30 countries worldwide. BIO members are involved in the research and development of innovative healthcare, agricultural, and industrial & environmental biotechnology products. BIO also produces the annual BIO International Convention, the world's largest annual gathering of the biotechnology industry, as well as other major investor and business conferences across the world. Greenwood represented Pennsylvania's Eighth District in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1993 to 2005. Since  2005, his deep relationships on Capitol Hill and knowledge of politics and policy have substantially raised BIO’s profile and enhanced the organization’s advocacy work. During his time in Congress, he was a senior member of the Energy and Commerce Committee and widely viewed as a leader on health care and the environment. He crafted legislation to reform the Food and Drug Administration, and he led the fight in Congress to allow stem-cell research to be conducted by U.S. scientists to treat disease. From 2001 to 2004, Greenwood served as Chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigation with oversight authority over issues in the full Committee's jurisdiction. He led hard-hitting investigations into corporate governance at Enron, Global Crossing and WorldCom; terrorist threats to our nation's infrastructure; and waste and fraud in federal government agencies.

Dr. Winifred Bragg is an expert in providing nonsurgical treatment for injuries and pain resulting from spinal and orthopedic conditions. A nationally recognized speaker, Dr. Bragg has appeared in numerous TV and print media programs and has been featured on ABC, NBC, CBS and FOX. She's been quoted as an expert in Redbook, Women's World, Self Magazine and Becker Spine Review. Establishing a reputable online presence, Dr. Bragg has authored numerous articles that have drawn tens of thousands of views. She is a board certified in both Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and Pain Medicine. She is the Medical Director of the Spine and Orthopedic Pain Center in Norfolk and Chesapeake, Virginia. Dr. Bragg is the Best-Selling author of the book, "KnockoutPain®: Secrets to Maintain a Healthy Back. "

John A. Boockvar, MD is vice chair of the Department of Neurosurgery at Lenox Hill Hospital, director of the Brain Tumor Center, and the Pituitary/Neuroendocrine Center of the Division of Neurological Surgery and the New York Head and Neck Institute at Lenox Hill and Manhattan Eye, Ear and Throat Hospitals. Dr. Boockvar is also a professor of Neurological Surgery and Otolaryngology/Head and Neck Surgery at the Zucker School of Medicine, and a professor at the Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research where he directs the Laboratory for Brain Tumor Biology and Therapy. Dr. Boockvar is internationally known for his surgical expertise and for providing patients with safe, effective, and minimally invasive treatment for brain tumors, skull base disorders, and disorders of the spine. Dr. Boockvar’s surgical expertise is in benign and malignant brain tumors, skull base and endoscopic pituitary surgery, spinal and peripheral nerve tumors, minimally invasive spinal surgery, and complex spinal disorders. Dr. Boockvar has been recognized for his novel research in brain tumors and stem cell biology. He has been named to the lists of New York Magazine’s Top Docs, Best Doctors in New York-Castle Connolly, SuperDoctors, America’s Top Surgeons, America’s Best Doctors, and America’s Best Doctors for Cancer. His research has been widely published and he has received numerous national awards including the Eric Lichtenstein Humanitarian Award from Voices Against Brain Cancer for his compassionate work in treating patients with brain cancer. In 2016, Dr. Boockvar was elected to the prestigious Academy of Neurological Surgeons.

Ross DeVol is a Walton Fellow, focusing on research on policies related to economic vitality of Northwest Arkansas and the American heartland. Ross is the former chief research officer at the Milken Institute, where he was responsible for overseeing research on international, national and subnational growth performance; access to capital and its role in economic growth and job creation; and health-related topics. While at the Institute, he put his group in the national limelight with groundbreaking research on innovation and its economic impact as well as the economic and human consequences of chronic disease. Ross previously served as SVP of IHS Global Insight Inc., director of economic planning at CSX, economist at Chase Econometrics and economic analyst at Union Pacific. He was ranked among the “Superstars of Think Tank Scholars” by International Economy magazine.

  Rubén Darío Flores is the Associate Director of Technology Licensing at the University of Southern California, where he manages a talented group of Licensing Associates to commercialize the innovations created on campus for the benefit of society. Rubén and his team focus on software, materials, medical devices, telecommunications, entertainment, renewable and alternative energy, biologicals, therapeutics, and bioengineering. He is also the cofounder and a board member at the San Diego Innovation Council (SDIC). SDIC convenes the region's premier research-intensive academic centers, along with the organizations that support academic derived inventions. The Council promotes a shared vision for growth through innovation, entrepreneurial activities, and education. Members are committed to supporting commercialization, investment, and new company formation. Through quarterly meetings, and an annual Innovation Showcase in the Fall, the SDIC aims to reinforce and enhance the economic impact of the greater San Diego region. During the Showcase, the SDIC brings together 30+ technology companies that have a foundation in academic research, along with investors, service providers and entrepreneurs seeking leadership opportunities. Organizations from around the globe attend the annual showcase, including investors from the UK, France, Boston, San Francisco, Asia and Latin America.