Second Acts – Reinventing Your Company
Building a successful biotech or biopharma company typically turns on a sentinel event – the pivot, as William J. Link, PhD, Managing Director of Versant Ventures calls it. That can involve a complete shift in a company’s focus. Link hosted a panel at the Ophthalmology Innovation Summit in Chicago, where CEOs and founders explained how companies like Aerie, Delphinus, IntraLase and Ora pulled off such intricate maneuvers.
Moderator:
William J. Link, PhD
Bill was Founder, Chairman and CEO of Chiron Vision, sold in 1997. Bill founded and served as President of American Medical Optics (AMO), sold in 1986.
Panelists:
Ronald M. Kurtz MD
Ron Kurtz was a Co-Founder of LenSx Lasers, Inc., serving as its President and CEO until the Company’s acquisition by Alcon in August 2010.
Stuart Abelson
Stuart Abelson is President & CEO of Ora, Inc., the global leader in ophthalmic research and product development. He has been a Director since 1995 and served as the Company’s Chairman from 1997 until his appointment as President in 2007.
Tom Frinzi
Thomas Frinzi is Senior Vice President of Abbott’s vision business, which includes a broad ophthalmology portfolio across the areas of cataracts, refractive surgery (LASIK) and eye health products.
Mark Forchette
Mr. Forchette is an accomplished medical technology executive with demonstrated success transforming industries and driving breakthrough technologies to market leadership.
Vicente Anido, Jr., PhD
Vicente Anido, Jr., PhD currently serves as CEO and Chairman of the Board of Aerie Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a publicly traded, clinical-stage pharmaceutical company focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of first-in-class therapies for the treatment of patients with glaucoma and other diseases of the eye.