The Hound Labs Team
Business Team
Mike Lynn, MD
CEO & Co-Founder
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.
Jenny Lynn
Co-Founder
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.
Kuni Oh
Co-Founder
A highly regarded patent attorney, Kuni has a deep technical background in engineering and science. He has extensive experience in patent portfolio management, licensing, freedom to operate studies, inter partes and ex parte reexamination proceedings before the U.S. Patent Office, and opposition proceedings before the European Patent Office. Over the years, Kuni has drafted and prosecuted to issuance hundreds of patents in multiple technical fields, including medical sensors and devices, computer hardware and software, wireless communication systems, broadband data networks, and audio and video systems. Kuni is past president of the San Francisco Intellectual Property Law Association.
Paul Callahan
COO
Paul is an experienced business development and operations executive with an extensive background in implementing go-to-market and partner programs for some of Silicon Valley’s leading technology companies. Before joining Hound Labs, Paul held business development and leadership positions at LinkedIn, GE Digital, and SRI International. A former Marine Corps infantry officer and investment banking professional, Paul brings a wealth of leadership and operational experience to the Hound Labs team.
Douglas Boxer
Vice President of Strategic
Partnerships & Policy
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 (now California governor) 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.
Jeffrey Stoll, PhD
Senior Director of Product Management
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.
David Shack, PhD
Vice President of Engineering
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.
Mary Roach
Senior Director of Product Marketing
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.
Keela McClendon
Director of People
Keela brings over a decade of office administration, human resources, and C-level executive support with extensive experience in start-up and small business environments. Prior to joining Hound Labs, Keela supported an American venture capital investor and author at a Silicon Valley tech start-up. A graduate of Georgia State University, Keela relocated to the San Francisco Bay Area from Atlanta, Georgia. In her spare time, Keela (a classically trained dancer in ballet) enjoys taking dance classes, cooking, and volunteering for the Alzheimer’s Association.
Warren Tolman
Director of Business Development
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.
Tom Simonson
Director of Finance & Accounting
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.
Boris Melnikov
Director of Sales Operations
A sales operations leader, Boris brings more than 12 years of experience in a variety of industries, ranging from management consulting to cloud and colocation data centers and hardware manufacturing. Throughout it all, he's been passionate about unlocking the strategic and practical potential of clear processes, augmented by automation and productivity technologies designed to centralize information, drive clarity and simplicity, and build efficient and responsive sales organizations. Boris holds an MA in international relations and international economics from Johns Hopkins University, School of Advanced International Studies. He enjoys long hikes in the Bay Area and exploring other corners of the globe.
Daniel Jones
Business Analyst
A graduate of Yale University, Daniel was a Division 1 sprinter who received the Gardner Millett Award of Sportsmanship, Courage, and Inspiration for his leadership on and off the track. Daniel joined Hound Labs to help the company keep our roads safe by providing a data-driven approach to quantifying marijuana impairment.
Louisa Ashford
Marketing Manager
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.
Engineering Team
Joe Heanue, PhD
President & CEOTriple Ring Technologies
Triple Ring Technologies
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.
Roger Tang, PhD
Bio-Pharma Consultant
Triple Ring Technologies
Roger has spent his entire career bridging the disciplines of biology and engineering in both industrial and academic environments. Currently, he specializes in providing project science, engineering, and management expertise across a fascinating array of projects spanning engineering and biology. Previously, Roger managed the Research Group and Ideation activities at Molecular Devices, LLC. His industrial career started in 2001 at a biotechnology start-up, Signature Bioscience, which developed some of the first label-free assay technologies based on bioimpedance. Before his industrial career, he was an Assistant Adjunct Professor in Radiology at the University of California, San Francisco, where his research focused on cancer imaging (primarily using X-ray, CT, and molecular imaging).
Roger received his PhD from the Joint Graduate Group in Bioengineering at the University of California, Berkeley and San Francisco. He also holds an MS in optical sciences from the University of Arizona and a BS in applied physics from the California Institute of Technology.
Sam Anekal, PhD
Principal IVT ScientistTriple Ring Technologies
Triple Ring Technologies
Sam contributes to a broad set of projects supporting activities in the in vitro technologies group at Triple Ring. Sam’s expertise is in the areas of systems engineering, microfluidics, and surface science. He also leverages his computational and modeling background in solving complex problems in product development. Prior to Triple Ring, Sam led engineering and scientific teams spanning multiple functional areas (systems engineering, materials science, synthetic chemistry) toward developing a complex, multimodality, in vitro diagnostic platform integrating hardware, software, consumables, and reagents. Sam has a PhD in chemical engineering from Texas A&M University, is a co-inventor on nine granted patents, and an author on nine publications with more than 200 citations.
Bill Welch
Director of Production Design
Triple Ring Technologies
Bill is an experienced product designer focusing on the integration of usability and workflow together with innovative design. Bill brings over 20 years of international design, development, and human factors experience, successfully commercializing products in medical, consumer, and automotive spaces. He has lived in both Shanghai and Taipei and has traveled over a million miles leading product teams in Europe, Asia, and the U.S. He has been a founding partner in two successful Bay Area start-up companies.
Kevin Dunk
Mechanical EngineerTriple Ring Technologies
Triple Ring Technologies
Kevin has an educational background in the fields of aerospace engineering and applied mathematics. He has experience working on multidisciplinary medical device and applied science product development projects. He specializes in mechanical design, life data analysis, test fixture development, NPI processes, fluid ingress testing, thermal management testing, root cause methods, systems architecture, and project management. Kevin has also worked on implementing processes such as bill of materials management, device history record generation, and pilot production rollout.
Kevin holds a BS in aerospace engineering with a minor in mathematics from California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo.
Kevin Limtao
Bioengineer
Triple Ring Technologies
Kevin is a bioengineer with a focus on in vitro technologies. In his time at Triple Ring, he has worked on projects contributing computer-aided design, instrumentation, and prototyping for early phase product development. Kevin holds a BS in biomedical engineering from the University of California, Irvine, where his focus was on the design and manufacture of microfluidic technologies. He was involved in numerous interdisciplinary science and engineering projects, including devices for the capture of circulating tumor cells, small-sample western blot testing, and automated immunoassays to monitor the efficacy of chemotherapy in oncology indications. His contributions have been presented at engineering conferences such as µTAS, ECTC, and BMES.
Scientific Advisory Board
David Cornfield, MD
Stanford University Anne T. and Robert M. Bass Professor in Pediatric Pulmonary Medicine
A 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 Fletcher, PhD
UC Berkeley Purnendu Chatterjee Professor and Chair
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.
Matt Francis, PhD
UC Berkeley T.Z. and Irmgard Chu Distinguished Professor
in Chemistry
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 Heanue, PhD
President & CEO, Triple Ring Technologies
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
Mike Lynn, MD
CEO & Co-Founder, Hound Labs, Inc.
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.
Dick Wolf
Acclaimed Television Writer and Producer
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.
Mitch Lasky
General Partner, Benchmark
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
General Partner, Icon Ventures
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.
Business Team
Mike Lynn, MD
CEO & Co-Founder
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 deputy sheriff (reserve) and fully qualified and active SWAT team member.
Jenny Lynn
Co-Founder
An experienced marketing executive with an extensive background 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 the public schools in her hometown.
Kuni Oh
Co-Founder
A highly regarded patent attorney, Kuni has a deep technical background in engineering and science. Kuni has extensive experience in patent portfolio management, licensing, freedom to operate studies, inter partes and ex parte reexamination proceedings before the U.S. Patent Office, and opposition proceedings before the European Patent Office. Over the years, Kuni has drafted and prosecuted to issuance hundreds of patents in multiple technical fields, including medical sensors and devices, computer hardware and software, wireless communication systems, broadband data networks, and audio and video systems. Kuni is past president of the San Francisco Intellectual Property Law Association.
Douglas Boxer
Vice President of Strategic Partnerships & Policy
Having started his career as an attorney with the San Francisco law firm Hanson Bridgett, Douglas went on to work for the administration of US President Bill Clinton and later for the mayor of Los Angeles. Since leaving public service, Douglas has worked with some of California’s leading business and political leaders. He has advised large public corporations on governmental relations and public affairs strategies and has lent his business development insight to multiple start-up companies.
Douglas chaired the Oakland Planning Commission, the leading land use body for the city, having been appointed by then-Mayor and now Governor Jerry Brown. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree in International Political Economy from University of California, Berkeley and his Juris Doctorate from the University of San Francisco School of Law, where he graduated cum laude.
Paul Callahan
Vice President of Operations
Paul is an experienced business development and operations executive with an extensive background in implementing go-to-market and partner programs for some of Silicon Valley’s leading technology companies. Before joining Hound Labs, Paul held business development and leadership positions at LinkedIn, GE Digital, and SRI International. A former Marine Corps infantry officer and investment banking professional, Paul brings a wealth of leadership and operational experience to the Hound Labs team.
Warren Tolman
Director of Business Development
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.
Mary Roach
Senior Director of Product Marketing
Mary is an accomplished B2B product marketing leader with extensive experience launching new products across several industries, including EdTech, 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.
Jeffrey Stoll, PhD
Senior Director of Product Management
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 Ph.D. 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.
Daniel Jones
Business Analyst
A graduate from Yale University, Daniel was a Division 1 sprinter who received the Gardner Millett Award of Sportsmanship, Courage, and Inspiration for his leadership on and off the track. Daniel joined Hound Labs in order to help the company provide a data driven approach to quantifying marijuana impairment, in order to keep our roads safe.
Louisa Ashford
Marketing Manager
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.
Keela McClendon
Senior Executive Assistant
Keela brings over 15 years of C-Level executive support and office administration with extensive experience in start-up and small business work environments. Prior to joining Hound Labs, Keela was a Senior Executive Assistant at a Silicon Valley tech start-up and supported an American venture capital investor and author.
A graduate of Georgia State University, Keela relocated to the San Francisco Bay Area from Atlanta. In her spare time, Keela, a classically trained dancer in ballet, enjoys taking dance classes, volunteering for the Alzheimer’s Association, and cooking.
Engineering Team
Joe Heanue, PhD
President & CEOTriple Ring Technologies
Triple Ring Technologies
Joe has significant leadership experience in device and instrumentation research & development within interdisciplinary environments. He previously served as Vice President of Engineering at NexRay, where he led the development of a low-dose x-ray imaging system for interventional cardiology, and at Signature Bioscience, where he headed a group that delivered prototype RF and microwave spectroscopy instruments to a major instrument partner.
Joe holds patents for detector and image processing, 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 Ph.D. 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.
Roger Tang, PhD
Bio-Pharma Consultant
Triple Ring Technologies
Roger has spent his entire career bridging the disciplines of biology and engineering in both industrial and academic environments. Currently, he specializes in providing Project Science, Engineering, and Management expertise across a fascinating array of projects spanning Engineering and Biology. Previously, Roger managed the Research Group and Ideation activities at Molecular Devices, LLC. His industrial career started in 2001 at a biotechnology startup, Signature Bioscience, Inc., which developed some of the first label-free assay technologies based on bio impedance. Before his industrial career, he was an Assistant Adjunct Professor in Radiology at the University of California, San Francisco, where his research focused on cancer imaging (primarily using X-Ray, CT, and molecular imaging).
Roger received his Ph.D. in Bioengineering from the Joint Graduate Group in Bioengineering at the University of California, Berkeley and San Francisco. He also holds an MS in Optical Sciences from the University of Arizona and a BS in Applied Physics from the California Institute of Technology.
Sam Anekal, PhD
Principal IVT ScientistTriple Ring Technologies
Triple Ring Technologies
Sam contributes to a broad set of projects supporting activities in the in-vitro Technologies group at Triple Ring. Sam’s expertise is in the areas of Systems Engineering, Microfluidics, and surface science. He also leverages his computational and modeling background in solving complex problems in product development.
Prior to Triple Ring, Sam led Engineering and Scientific teams spanning multiple functional areas (Systems Engineering, Materials Science, Synthetic Chemistry) towards developing a complex, multi-modality, in-vitro diagnostic platform integrating hardware, software, consumables, and reagents.
Sam has a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from Texas A&M University. Sam is a co-inventor on 9 granted patents, and is an author on 9 publications with 200+ citations.
Bill Welch
Director of Production Design
Triple Ring Technologies
Bill is an experienced product designer focused on the integration of usability and workflow together with innovative design. Bill brings over 20 years of international design, development, and human factors experience, successfully commercializing products in medical, consumer, and automotive spaces. He has lived in both Shanghai and Taipei as well as traveled over a million miles leading product teams in Europe, Asia, and the US. He has been a founding partner in two successful Bay Area startup companies.
Kevin Dunk
Mechanical EngineerTriple Ring Technologies
Triple Ring Technologies
Kevin has an educational background in the fields of aerospace engineering and applied mathematics. He specializes in reliability statistics, test fixture design, NPI manufacturing processes, fluid ingress testing, thermal testing, root cause methods, and life data analysis. Kevin has also worked on bill of materials management, design history files, and device master records for MQA processes.
Kevin holds a BS in Aerospace Engineering with a Minor in Mathematics from California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo.
Kevin Limtao
Bioengineer
Triple Ring Technologies
Kevin is a Bioengineer with a focus on in vitro technologies. In his time at Triple Ring, he has worked on projects contributing CAD, instrumentation, and prototyping for early phase product development.
As a graduate from the Biomedical Engineering program at University of California, Irvine, his focus was on the design and manufacture of microfluidic technologies. He was involved in numerous interdisciplinary science and engineering projects, including devices for the capture of circulating tumor cells, small sample Western Blotting, and automated immunoassays to monitor the efficacy of chemotherapy in oncology indications. His contributions have been presented at engineering conferences such as µTAS, ECTC, and BMES.
Scientific Advisory Board
Joe Heanue, PhD
President & CEO
Triple Ring Technologies
Joe has significant leadership experience in device and instrumentation research & development within interdisciplinary environments. He previously served as Vice President of Engineering at NexRay, where he led the development of a low-dose x-ray imaging system for interventional cardiology, and at Signature Bioscience, where heheaded a group that delivered prototype RF and microwave spectroscopy instruments to a major instrument partner.
Joe holds patents for detector and image processing, 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 Ph.D. 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.
Matt Francis, PhD
T.Z. and Irmgard Chu Distinguished Professor in Chemistry at UC Berkeley
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.
David Cornfield, MD
Stanford University Anne T. and Robert M. Bass Professor in Pediatric Pulmonary Medicine
A 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. The areas of concentration include: (i) regulation of pulmonary vascular tone; (ii) oxygen sensing in the lung; (iii) biological determinants of preterm labor focusing on myometrial smooth muscle cells; (iv) developmental regulation of barrier function in the lung; and (v) the role of hypoxia-inducible factor-1 in lung development. In addition, there is an active translational research component.
Dan Fletcher, PhD
UC Berkeley Purnendu Chatterjee Professor and Chair
After attending graduate school at Oxford and Stanford, Dan now is the Purnendu Chatterjee Chair in Engineering Biological Systems, Department of Bioengineering, UC Berkeley and a faculty scientist at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.
Some of Dan’s recent awards include the 2010 Bioengineering Teaching Award, Outstanding Instructor, Bioengineering Honor Society, UC Berkeley and the 2010 Tech Award Laureate, Museum of Technology and Innovation, San Jose, CA, the 2009 Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Grand Challenges Exploration Grant, the 2009 Intel Inspire Empower Challenge for Healthcare, and a White House Fellowship in Washington, DC from 2008-2009. Dan was also a Rhodes Scholar.
Board of Directors
Mike Lynn, MD
CEO & Co-Founder
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 deputy sheriff (reserve) and fully qualified and active SWAT team member.
Dick Wolf
Acclaimed Television Writer and Producer
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 also produced or produces 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.
Mitch Lasky
General Partner, Benchmark
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 (NASDAQ: JMDT), which he joined as a startup in 2000, took public in 2004, and sold to EA in 2006.
Tom Mawhinney
General Partner, Icon Ventures
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.