Paul Birkmeyer

CEO

Prof. Phillip Messersmith

Co-Founder

Dr.  Subhajit Pal

Co-Founder & CTO

Entrepreneur and executive in medical device industry for 30  years. At Tyco Healthcare, had leadership roles with RF therapy devices for liver cancer and pain management. At J&J/DePuy Spine, developed and launched company’s first minimally-invasive products, two of which reached market leading positions ($4B segment today). Also assumed corporate leadership role in market development and new technologies. As President and Board Director at Ouroboros Medical, pivoted startup after implant study failure, then raised funding for company and drove two new product programs to early commercialization and a successful exit (J&J, Accelus). As CEO of Trod Medical NV, restarted company and developed a second gen. prostate cancer focal therapy, with 2022 exit. Board Director Accelus 2016-2022. BSEE Univ. of Connecticut and MEM Dartmouth College.

Professor of Bioengineering and Materials Science and Engineering at UC Berkeley, and currently chair Dept. of Bioengineering. Previously, BS and PhD, University of Illinois at Urbana, and postdoctoral fellowship at Cornell University. Afterwards, faculty member at University of Illinois at Chicago and Northwestern University. Published over 220 papers, and 46 US patents awarded. Awards include MERIT award, NIH, the Langmuir Lecture Award, American Chemical Society, and 2013 Clemson Award for Basic Research, Society for Biomaterials. Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry, Materials Research Society and American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering. Academic research focused on bioinspired materials, biointerfacial phenomena, and regenerative medicine. Past founder in two startups, one in the surgical sealant’s space with successful exit, and one in regenerative medicine.

BS and MS in organic chemistry from the Visva-Bharati University, India. Afterwards, joined Prof. Andreas Kilbinger's group at University of Fribourg, CH, for PhD in biomimetic polymer synthesis. Awarded the Chorafas best PhD thesis award in natural science, 2021, and nominated by Swiss Chemical Society to be Swiss delegate at 71st Lindau Nobel Laureate meeting. Joined Prof. Christoph Weder's group, 2021, at Adolphe Merkle Institute, CH, as postdoc to explore supramolecular commodity polymer synthesis. Afterwards, awarded the Swiss National Science Foundation’s Postdoc Mobility Fellowship to join Prof. Phillip Messersmith's lab at UC Berkeley, 2022, for biomaterial design for tissue repair/regeneration. Awarded UC Berkeley LSEC’s Venture Grant with Prof. Messersmith, 2023, and UC Berkeley PostX entrepreneurship grant.