The Hound Labs Team
Business Team
A practicing emergency medicine physician and teacher at a premier trauma center in Oakland, CA, Mike is also a clinical faculty member at the University of California, San Francisco. In addition to being an ER physician, Mike worked for 10 years as a venture capitalist specializing in medical devices and biotechnology. In this capacity, Mike invested widely in emerging life science companies and served on multiple boards of directors. A former White House Fellow and Fulbright Scholar with an extensive background in public policy and public health, Mike is currently a reserve deputy sheriff and a fully qualified and active SWAT team member.
Having started his career as an attorney with San Francisco law firm Hanson Bridgett, Douglas later worked for the administration of President Bill Clinton, and then for the mayor of Los Angeles. Since leaving public service, Douglas has worked with some of California’s leading business and political leaders, advised large public corporations on governmental relations and public affairs strategies, and lent business development insight to start-ups. Douglas also chaired the Oakland Planning Commission, having been appointed by then-mayor Jerry Brown. He received his BA in international political economy from the University of California, Berkeley and his JD from the University of San Francisco School of Law, where he graduated cum laude.
Nina began her career in the early years of the drug screening industry. Before joining Hound Labs, Nina spent 27 years in the employee screening industry, first in a variety of management roles for one of the industry’s largest screening providers and most recently as the Managing Partner for the Current Consulting Group (CCG). Her experience includes product development, program design, vendor management, medical review, client success, marketing, and sales strategy. Nina also has extensive knowledge of and experience with drug testing statutes, regulations, and case law including chain of custody and alcohol and drug testing protocols. Nina is a graduate of the Catholic University of America and served as a board member of the Drug and Alcohol Testing Industry Association (DATIA). She is widely published and has been featured by US News and World Report, NBC News, EHS, OHS, SHRM, DATIA, SAPAA, NAPBS, and speaks at over 40 industry events annually.
Sammie spent a decade working with Fortune 500 clients helping them build solutions within their employment screening programs. Prior to joining Hound Labs, Sammie held sales and operations leadership positions at AWSI, A DISA Company. Sammie received her MBA from the University of Redlands and a BA in communications with an emphasis in journalism from Cal State Fullerton where she played four years of NCAA Division I softball. She remains very active in the drug and alcohol testing industry and is currently an officer on the Substance Abuse Program Administrators Association (SAPAA) board of directors and previously served on the board of directors for the Drug and Alcohol Testing Industry Association (DATIA).
Mary is an accomplished B2B product marketing leader with extensive experience launching new products across several industries, including educational technology, enterprise software, and Wi-Fi. Previously, Mary was at LinkedIn, where she led the go-to-market strategy for LinkedIn Learning’s core enterprise segment. Prior to LinkedIn, Mary held senior marketing positions at various technology companies throughout the San Francisco Bay Area and spent several years in management consulting. Mary holds a BA in quantitative economics from Tufts University and an MBA from Kellogg. In her spare time, Mary enjoys playing the piano, traveling, mountain biking, scuba diving, and spending time with family and friends.
Francisco is a product development leader who has brought several novel diagnostic medical devices to market. With over 18 years of experience, he has led engineering, scientific, and operations teams to create automated sample preparation and detection devices ranging from molecular testing for MRSA, tuberculosis, and flu to handheld immunoassay devices for the detection of allergens in food. Prior to joining Hound Labs, Francisco was most recently CTO at Nima Labs, and before that he held technical leadership positions at Cepheid and Freeslate. Francisco received his BS in mechanical engineering from Caltech.
Warren started his career as an attorney in Boston where he worked at the law firms of Burns & Levinson and Holland & Knight. At Holland & Knight, he worked closely with several start-up companies assisting them in their business development plans. He also worked directly with companies of all sizes in developing their long-term strategies. Warren is a former Massachusetts State Representative and State Senator. In 2014, he was the Democratic Convention endorsed candidate for Massachusetts Attorney General, the Commonwealth's chief law enforcement officer, and was publicly supported by former Governor Deval Patrick and Boston Mayor Marty Walsh. Warren earned his BA in economics from Amherst College and his JD, cum laude, from Boston College Law School.
Maci is a graduate of Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and received a BS in social sciences with a concentration in organizations. Through education and research, Maci has studied and learned to apply the general principles of human behavior to the understanding of modern organizations. She brings extensive experience with human resources management and office management to the Hound Labs team. Outside of the office, Maci loves to go on road trips with her husband and long-haired dachshund, Rosie. She also loves trying out new recipes for family and friends.
A graduate of Kenyon College, Louisa’s involvement with children’s organizations has inspired her to spread the word about the dangers of marijuana-impaired driving and to work toward a fair solution to address the safety issues caused by stoned driving. Before joining Hound Labs, Louisa managed personnel, budgets, and deadlines for a global linguistics company. Though a native Californian, she spent seven years in the U.K. and four in the Midwest before returning to the San Francisco Bay Area.
An experienced marketing executive with an extensive background in launching new companies and products across a wide range of business sectors, Jenny has experience in the finance, consumer products, education, and tech industries. Before joining Hound Labs, Inc., Jenny was the Global Head of Marketing for Camberview Partners, LLC, the leading source of independent, investor-led advice for management of boards of public companies. A former White House Fellow and graduate of Northwestern’s Kellogg Graduate School of Management, Jenny currently volunteers with local public schools.
David has been an R&D leader developing complex scientific and clinical instrumentation for over 25 years. During that time he’s led development teams working in multiple domains including Flow Cytometry, Genomics, Pathology, X-Ray Fluoroscopy, and Atomic Force Microscopy. Prior to joining Hound Labs, David was most recently an R&D leader at both Agilent Technologies and BD Biosciences. David received his PhD and MS in mechanical engineering from Stanford and his BASc in mechanical engineering from the University of Toronto.
A seasoned product leader, Jeffrey has over 10 years of experience in research, engineering, and marketing of medical devices, launching multiple award-winning products in a variety of disciplines. Before joining Hound Labs, he held senior leadership roles at Ekso Bionics and Siemens Ultrasound. He has a PhD in surgical robotics from Boston University and a BS in engineering from Harvey Mudd College. An outdoor enthusiast, he enjoys adventuring with his family whenever he can.
Miles has spent more than 12 years helping companies scale rapidly, focusing on growth strategy and business operations. He has developed go-to-market plans, company operating models, pricing algorithms, and built analytics backbones for Fortune-5 companies and start-ups alike. Prior to joining Hound Labs, Miles held business operations and leadership positions at Wizeline and McKesson and spent 5 years as a strategy consultant at PwC. He has also worked on Capitol Hill for the United States Congress. Miles received a BS in mechanical engineering and a BA in political science from Lehigh University, where he graduated on the Dean’s List.
Mike has always been curious about how complex systems – both natural and engineered – work. This curiosity led Mike to pursue his graduate studies at the University of California, San Francisco, where he obtained a PhD in biochemistry and molecular biology. At UCSF, Mike studied how machine learning and high-throughput microscopy could be used to elucidate cellular signaling mechanisms. Mike continued his career at the intersection of molecular biology and AI at the University of California, Berkeley, where he led the development of novel diagnostics and focused on the integration of biological assays and AI. Prior to joining Hound Labs, Mike worked to develop and scale these integrated diagnostic strategies for low resource and primary care markets.
Tom leverages years of experience in and around entrepreneurial finance to help companies, boards, and investors make confident decisions. In addition to building the finance function at Hound Labs, his track record includes three years in transaction advisory services helping companies prepare for growth, capital formation, and M&A activity; ten years in private equity performing financial diligence and assisting portfolio companies to raise debt and equity; three stints in operational finance roles in early and growth stage companies; and four years in asset management overseeing a portfolio of private investments. Tom received an MBA in Finance from the University of Denver.
With over 10 years of experience in medical diagnostic imaging, Dan specializes in the design and offshore production of portable diagnostic devices. Before joining Hound Labs, Dan designed low-cost, mass-producible diagnostic platforms for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. He received his PhD in medical device design from the Berkeley/UCSF Joint Program in Bioengineering and a BSE in mechanical engineering and applied mechanics from the University of Pennsylvania.
Monserrat joins the team to support research and development efforts in creating leading-edge diagnostic systems and publications. She brings a wealth of clinical, scientific, and regulatory experience to the Hound Labs team. Monserrat received her BSc in forensic science with a concentration in molecular biology and a minor in chemistry from San Jose State University.
Elizabeth joins the team to support the efforts of research and product development at Hound Labs. She brings to the team extensive experience with immunoassays. Prior to Hound Labs, Elizabeth worked to support the development of handheld immunoassay devices for the detection of allergens in food. She received her BS in biological systems engineering from the University of California, Davis. Outside of work, she enjoys spending time with her family and playing ping pong.
Czarina is the Executive Assistant to CEO & Co-Founder Mike Lynn and CMO & Co-Founder Jenny Lynn. She joins Hound Labs with 5 plus years supporting C-level executives in various industries. Czarina holds a bachelor's degree in sociology from California State University, Stanislaus. Outside of Hound Labs, she enjoys spending time with her family, traveling internationally and domestically, and enjoying all Bay Area sports live - especially the Oakland Raiders.
Scientific Advisory Board
David Cornfield, MD
Stanford University Anne T. and Robert M. Bass Professor in Pediatric Pulmonary Medicine
ExpandA physician and scientist, Dr. Cornfield is actively engaged in clinical medicine, teaching, and research. In the clinical arena, Dr. Cornfield is a pediatrician with an active practice in both pediatric pulmonary medicine and pediatric critical care medicine. In the research arena, Dr. Cornfield's lab addresses several large thematic issues. Areas of concentration include regulation of pulmonary vascular tone, oxygen sensing in the lung, biological determinants of preterm labor focusing on myometrial smooth muscle cells, developmental regulation of barrier function in the lung, and the role of hypoxia-inducible factor-1 in lung development. In addition, there is an active translational research component.
Dan holds the Purnendu Chatterjee Chair in Engineering Biological Systems, Department of Bioengineering, UC Berkeley and is a faculty scientist at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Some of his recent awards include the 2010 Bioengineering Teaching Award, Outstanding Instructor, Bioengineering Honor Society, UC Berkeley; the 2010 Tech Award Laureate, Museum of Technology and Innovation, San Jose, CA; the 2009 Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Grand Challenges Exploration Grant; and the 2009 Intel Inspire Empower Challenge for Healthcare. He also held a White House Fellowship in Washington, D.C. from 2008 to 2009. Dan attended graduate school at Oxford and Stanford universities and was a Rhodes Scholar.
A Harvard alumnus, Matt started his independent career in the UC Berkeley Chemistry Department, in 2001, and has built a research program involving the development of new organic reactions for protein modification. Over the years, Matt has received the Dreyfus Foundation New Faculty Award, an NSF Career Award, and a GlaxoSmithKline Young Investigator Award. He has also received the Departmental Teaching Award on two occasions, the Noyce Prize for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching, and the 2009 University Distinguished Teaching Award.
Joe has significant leadership experience in device and instrumentation research and development in interdisciplinary environments. He previously served as Vice President of Engineering at both NexRay, where he led the development of a low-dose X-ray imaging system for interventional cardiology, and Signature Bioscience, where he headed a group that delivered prototype radio frequency and microwave spectroscopy instruments to a major instrument partner.
Joe holds patents for detector and image processing and spectroscopy, and a patent for medical system imaging architecture that is licensed to a major medical equipment manufacturer. He received a BS in physics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and earned his PhD in electrical engineering and computer science from the University of California, Berkeley. Joe was a postdoctoral researcher at Xerox PARC, and he has completed the Stanford University Executive Program for Growing Companies.
Board of Directors
A practicing emergency medicine physician and teacher at a premier trauma center in Oakland, CA, Mike is also a clinical faculty member at the University of California, San Francisco. In addition to being an ER physician, Mike worked for 10 years as a venture capitalist specializing in medical devices and biotechnology. In this capacity, Mike invested widely in emerging life science companies and served on multiple boards of directors. A former White House Fellow and Fulbright Scholar with an extensive background in public policy and public health, Mike is currently a reserve deputy sheriff and a fully qualified and active SWAT team member.
Mitch Lasky is a General Partner at Benchmark. He has led Benchmark's investments in and holds board seats with Snapchat, Cyanogen, Discord (Hammer & Chisel), EngineYard, thatgamecompany, Meteor Entertainment, Red Robot Labs, PlayFab, and Learnist (formerly Grockit). Prior to their exits, he also held board seats with NaturalMotion Games (Zynga), Gaikai (Sony), Outpost Games, and Riot Games (Tencent). Mitch has spent more than two decades in the mobile gaming, new media, and interactive entertainment business. Prior to joining Benchmark, Mitch served as executive vice president of Mobile and Online at Electronic Arts. Previously, he was chairman and chief executive officer of JAMDAT Mobile, which he joined during its start-up phase in 2000, took public in 2004, and sold to EA in 2006.
Tom Mawhinney joined Icon Ventures in 2003 as a General Partner, bringing a 15-year background in the technology industry as both a venture capitalist and an entrepreneur. Tom is currently on the Board of or actively involved with Bill.com, Ionic Security, Opcity, Reputation.com, Synack, Teladoc (TDOC) and The Muse. Prior investments include 41st Parameter (Experian), AmeriPath (PATH), DATAllegro (Microsoft), Infinera (INFN), IntelliQuest (IQST), MarketLive (Vista Equity), Mednax (MD), Microbank Software (SunGuard Data Systems), PostPath (Cisco Systems), Powerwave (PWAV), Solidcore Systems (McAfee), Voltage Security (HP) and Yodle (Web.com). Before joining Icon, Tom was with Canaan Partners and Summit Partners in their Silicon Valley offices. As an entrepreneur, Tom co-founded and spent five years as President and COO of North Systems, a venture-backed software company. Tom received his MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business and graduated with honors from Harvard College.
Bill McComb served as CEO of Liz Claiborne, Inc. (renamed Fifth & Pacific Companies, Inc. in 2012) and was a member of the Company’s Board of Directors from November 6, 2006 to February 25, 2014. He led the Company’s succession in management and name to Kate Spade & Company after successfully completing an extensive turnaround of the corporation. Bill began his career with Johnson & Johnson in 1992 and served leadership positions in consumer, pharmaceutical, and medical device businesses for J&J. In July 2001, he was named president of McNeil Consumer Healthcare, and in July 2004 assumed additional responsibilities as president of Ortho Women’s Health & Urology. In his final role at J&J, Bill was Company Group Chairman, responsible for their $6B Global Orthopedic and Neurological medical device businesses, where he was a member of the Medical Devices & Diagnostics Group Operating Committee. Bill received an undergraduate degree from Miami University and an MBA from the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business.
Dick Wolf, a multiple Emmy- and Grammy-winning producer, is the architect of the most successful brand in the history of television: Law & Order. As creator and executive producer of all the Law & Order branded series, he is one of television’s most iconic producers. His company has also produced the Emmy-winning HBO telefilm Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee; the Oscar-winning short documentary Twin Towers; the Grammy-winning Doors documentary When You’re Strange; NBC’s hit series Chicago Fire, Chicago PD, Chicago Med, and Chicago Justice; as well as the reality series Nightwatch, Cold Justice, and Inside the FBI: New York. In addition, through the Wolf Family Foundation, he has been a major benefactor to the Wolf Museum of Exploration and Innovation (MOXI) in Santa Barbara; the Carsey-Wolf Center at the University of California, Santa Barbara the Princess Grace Foundation; the Paley Center for Media; and the TV Academy.