We invest in founders shaping the future of health care.
Our Advisory Board is comprised of leaders, experts and entrepreneurs who actively support the Texas Medical Center Venture Fund with strategic guidance, due diligence and portfolio management support.
Alleviant Medical is focused on developing a novel minimally-invasive device to treat congestive heart failure. Our proprietary technology is designed to relieve heart failure symptoms, improve quality of life, and reduce hospital admissions for over 16 million patients currently suffering from this disease in the US and EU.
Babyscripts’ market-leading pregnancy app is your digital front door to engage and remotely monitor pregnant & postpartum patients.
Briteseed is commercializing a new class of smart surgical tools that have artificial-vision assistance to help surgeons quickly identify landmarks and safely navigate vital structures. These multifunctional tools have the benefit of cautery, dissection, and optical tissue sensing in a single package.
CNSDose uses advanced genetic technology to fast-track finding the right antidepressant and dose. Genetically guided prescribing via CNSDose results in a 2.5 times greater likelihood of remission, which means faster recovery, reducing suffering and cutting costs that result from trial-and-error prescribing.
CorInnova is developing a soft robotic heart assist device that gently squeezes the heart in synchrony with the heartbeat to increase output. Delivered minimally invasively, the device is designed to bring a new paradigm of treatment to the 95 percent of heart failure patients who are ineligible for existing cardiac devices.
Deep 6 AI finds more, better matching patients for clinical trials in minutes rather than months by using artificial intelligence on clinical data.
At Ictero Medical, we are developing the CholeSafe System, the first minimally invasive treatment option that helps decrease complications and costs while providing definitive therapy to high risk surgical patients with gallstone disease. Unlike laparoscopic cholecystectomy, the CholeSafe System can be used in the interventional radiology suite with only minimal local anesthesia to defunctionalize the gallbladder without having to remove it. This allows providers to give their patients the benefits of surgery, without the risk.
Intelligent Implants is a bioelectronics company developing a revolutionary electrical stimulation platform technology that is incorporated into standard-of-care orthopedic implants. Its first product, SmartFuse, represents a novel method of delivering electric current to aid spinal fusion that can induce, direct, and monitor bone growth in real-time.
LumaHealth’s cloud-based platform empowers healthcare providers with HIPAA-compliant, mobile-first SMS and secure chat communication tools that enable frictionless patient-provider conversations — including intelligent scheduling, referral management, actionable reminders, and care pathway messaging.
Medable is transforming healthcare by providing an enterprise platform for “Direct-to-Patient” clinical care and clinical trials, enabling patient generated data to drive healthcare delivery, research, and personalized and predictive medicine.
MIC is a software company that provides real time patient monitoring and predictive analytics across the continuum of care in the hospital. Its innovative SickbayTM platform archives, aggregates, and transforms short-lived, high-resolution waveform data across disparate devices to enable anywhere, anytime remote monitoring. MIC applies machine learning to develop predictive algorithms, laying the groundwork for future AI-based solutions that predict patient risk and deterioration and enable data-driven medicine and patient-centered care.
NarrativeDx uses AI to identify actionable insights from patient and provider feedback that improves patient satisfaction scores, increases operational efficiency and decreases employee turnover.
Full details on the 2020 acquisition here.
Noninvasix will be the first company to non-invasively monitor the severity of sepsis and septic shock, enabling clinicians to diagnose and monitor the response to treatment of tissue hypoxia in real-time. Noninvasix’s patented optoacoustic platform technology is the first solution to non-invasively and continuously measure central venous saturation. Incorporating Noninvasix into the ICU workflow allows clinicians to more quickly and accurately diagnose their critically ill patients and tailor treatments to improve outcomes. Future developments, enhancements and evidence will expand the use and clinical impact of our technology into other indications and settings.
Sonavex’s two FDA approved products, EchoMark and EchoSure, enable ultrasound based vascular monitoring to detect flow compromises earlier.
Trusted Health is an opportunity platform for the modern nurse, connecting top RNs to flexible nursing jobs at innovation employers.
Volumetric, Inc. was founded in 2018 by Jordan Miller and Bagrat Grigoryan. Our mission is to empower the next generation of advanced biofabrication with high quality materials and systems for 3D bioprinting.
Full details on the 2021 acquisition here.
William “Bill” McKeon is the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Texas Medical Center. He is responsible for driving strategic, operational and programmatic initiatives across the Texas Medical Center’s member institutions to enhance its leadership position in the life sciences. McKeon joined the Texas Medical Center in 2013 as executive vice president, chief operating and strategy officer.
McKeon has served as an executive for some of the leading companies and institutions in the world, including DuPont, Stanford University Medical Center, Raytel, US Oncology and Medtronic. His experience as a President and CEO includes heading up industry-changing companies MicroPort Medical Co. in Shanghai and Cellnovo in London. He holds a Bachelor of Science in legal studies from Roger Williams University and earned a Master’s Degree from the University of San Francisco – School of Management.
Toby R. Hamilton M.D. is a board-certified emergency physician, native West Texan, and Executive Director and founder of the non-profit Healthcare Innovators Professional Society in the Texas Medical Center. He is an experienced investor, executive, and consultant for early stage companies as well as larger private sector firms. He has a range of experience including years of work as a practicing physician, several private equity deals, and multiple successful JV relationships with some of the biggest healthcare systems across the U.S. He has created and managed both organic and explosive-growth scenarios for a variety of for-profit and not-for-profit organizations including Baylor Scott & White, Tenet, Dignity, Memorial Hermann, Integris, SCL Health, The Hospitals of Providence, and Saint Alphonsus to name a few. Toby is the co-founder of Emerus Hospitals, as well as the ex CEO, Board Chairman, and Chief Innovation Officer. Along with his co-founders, he is considered the originator of the “microhospital” – smaller capital-efficient health care facilities that have set the standard for operational excellence by delivering superior margins and patient-satisfaction scores. This model has allowed for rapid expansion in a market as well as an ability to quickly test innovative solutions in a smaller regional setting. In addition, he developed and oversaw the creation of a microhospital healthplex, which provides most of the basic needs for a community, from primary care to imaging to emergency treatments, in a single smaller hospital footprint. These, and other innovations allowed him to extend this model to more suburban and rural communities as means for system growth. An intense focus on workplace culture, servant leadership, and the belief that healthcare is a calling, are hallmarks of his leadership style. He spent much of his early life on the border with his six siblings, both as a student and physician, working in one of the lowest-income hospitals in the U.S. as well as the colonias that surrounded him. He is bilingual and earned his degrees from Texas Tech University and Health Sciences Center, graduating magna cum laude and serving as Class President. As a member of several charitable boards, he is known for his innovative thinking and commitment to working-class causes. Toby has donated millions of dollars of support for educational enrichment, healthcare, and advancement of lower-income communities.
Dr. Bernard A. Harris, Jr. is currently Chief Executive Officer and Managing Partner of Vesalius Ventures, Inc., a venture capital firm that invests in early to mid-stage Healthcare technologies and companies. As CEO, he is responsible for managing a portfolio of private assets of early and mid- stage venture investments and operating companies.
Prior to Vesalius Ventures, Harris worked with Vanguard Ventures, a $500 million early-stage venture capital firm focused in life sciences, information technology and telecommunications. He led the company’s emerging VC accelerator in telemedicine for 6 years. Harris is also a veteran Astronaut and President of the Harris Foundation, a non-profit organization that focuses on education, health and wealth initiatives. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Biology from the University of Houston, a Master of Medical Science from the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, a Master of Business Administration from the University of Houston Clear Lake and a Doctorate of Medicine from Texas Tech University School of Medicine. Harris was a Mission Specialist on the Space Shuttle Columbia in 1993 and Payload Commander on Space Shuttle Discovery in 1995. As Payload Commander on Space Shuttle Discovery STS-63 in 1995, he served on the first flight of the joint Russian-American Space ProGgram, becoming the “First African American to walk in Space”. A veteran astronaut for over twenty years, he has logged more than 438 hours and traveled over 7.2 million miles in space.
Medical school drop out turned venture capitalist, Taha is the President and General Partner at HealthX Ventures. Taha invests in fast-growing digital health-based companies to drive a profound impact in healthcare. In addition to focusing on strategic investments, he also advises various innovation communities across the country. Taha started his journey at the Texas Medical Center (TMC), the world’s largest medical center. During his time with TMC, he took part in the creation of the TMC Innovation Institute which is comprised of a healthcare and life science startup accelerator/incubator, Johnson & Johnson Innovation Center for Device Innovation and JLABS, and AT&T Connected Health Foundry. Having seen firsthand how a lack of integration hinders patient care, Taha followed his entrepreneurial spirit and later joined Redox as the VP of Strategic Partnerships to help digital solutions get into the hands of care providers faster. Beyond tackling today’s most challenging healthcare issues, Taha spends his free time reading books on leadership development and staying true to his Texas roots – BBQ and football.
Dr. Chester Koh is a pediatric urologist at Texas Children’s Hospital and an Associate Professor of Urology, Pediatrics, and OB/GYNat Baylor College of Medicine. He also holds adjunct titles in the USC Department of Urology and the Rice University Department of Bioengineering. He also serves as the director of the Pediatric Robotic Surgery Program at Texas Children’s Hospital, and the director of the Pediatric Urology Fellowship Program. Dr. Koh received his Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from U.C. Berkeley and his medical degree from Tufts University School of Medicine. He completed his urology residency at USC and his pediatric urology fellowship at Children’s Hospital Boston and Harvard Medical School. His clinical area of expertise is in minimally invasive surgery in children, especially with robotic surgery andsingle incision laparoscopic surgery, and the pediatric device needs in this area. He currently serves on the Executive Council of the Society for Pediatric Urology and as the newsletter editor for the American Academy of Pediatrics Section on Advances in Therapeutics and Technology (SOATT). He has been an NIH-funded principal investigator, where his lab investigated novel therapeutic pathways for bladder regeneration / inflammation and other non-cancer urologic conditions. In addition, he is the founder of the Texas Pediatric Device Consortium, as well as Co-founder and co-PI of the Southern California Consortium for Technology and Innovation in Pediatrics (CTIP), one of the FDA-funded pediatric medical device consortia that are dedicated to improving children’s health through innovative pediatric medical devices.
From his early life, Larry Lawson was a true visionary, gifted salesman and extraordinary organizer. Lawson blended these unique talents when he joined Johnson &Johnson in 1970 as a medical device salesman, rapidly rising through the J&J corporate ladder.
Seeing the need for top quality medical products in Latin America and the Middle East, he created Mesco Inc. in 1980. After success, he created LifeMed Inc. to distribute German diagnostic instruments and devices. Lawson changed his focus to cardiac arrhythmia monitoring services in 2000, founding Diagnostic Monitoring Associates. He replicated the success of his previous companies by insuring overall sales and marketing strategies embodied his dedication to quality products and total commitment to excellence in customer service. In 2004, he founded arrhythmia-monitoring company eCardio, which was ranked in INC. 500/5000 magazine as one of the Top 500 fastest growing companies in America from 2009 through 2012. Lawson’s was awarded Ernst & Young’s Health Science Entrepreneur of the Year in 2009. After taking eCardio worldwide, he combined it with Preventive Inc., a software company that attracted Merck as the primary stockholder followed by Boston Scientific. The significant investments allowed Lawson to form HeartcoR Solutions, an ECG Core Lab providing research and clinical trial management services worldwide. Lawson joined the GOOSE Society (Grand Order Of Successful Entrepreneurs) in 2017, and received the Houston Technology Center’s Lifetime Achievement Award for Life Sciences 2017.
Tom Luby was born on Long Island, New York and grew up in a small town called Yaphank. Before beginning his professional career working in the health care startup industry, Tom received a Bachelor of Science in Biology from State University of New York and a Ph.D. in Immunology from the Sackler School of Biomedical Sciences at Tufts University. For his post-doctoral research, Tom shifted to the study of cancer cell genetics at Harvard School of Public Health. Prior to making his way down to Houston, Texas Medical Center, and TMC Innovation, Tom served as New Ventures Lead at Johnson & Johnson Innovation, Boston, where he was instrumental in closing many deals with pharmaceutical and consumer companies and supporting the JLABS sites in Toronto and Boston. In addition, Tom spent 14 years in various R&D and business development positions, including Senior Director of Research Ventures at Shire. Nine of those years were spent working in R&D and operational roles across three startup biotech companies in the Boston area. In his previous role as Head of JLABS @ TMC, a part of theJohnson & Johnson Innovation family, Tom was the site head and played a critical role in creating a place where startups could translate science and technology into valuable solutions for patients and consumers across the pharmaceutical, medical device, and consumer health technology sectors. Now, Tom is eager to expand his role at TMC Innovation and help scale the collective innovation ecosystem within the walls of the former Nabisco cookie factory. “I have always enjoyed working closely with health care startups,” Tom commented. He added, “Every startup is different and requires a singular focus; creating a startup is immensely difficult, and helping companies beat the odds and become successful always gives all of us a sense of pride. Their solutions are our gateway to higher-quality and healthier lives.” In his spare time, Tom spearheads another complex operation – his family. Tom and his wife Jen have four kids (two at home, two in college), two cats, and one dog. Collectively, the they enjoy dinners out – or at home – with each other. They also have a summer home on Cape Cod that presents a rare annual opportunity for extended relaxation! Tom also enjoys playing golf, reading copious amounts of newspapers each day, and skipping commercials during movies and live sports by utilizing one of his favorite new technologies – on-demand viewing. In conclusion, Tom emphasized, “I’ve been fortunate in my career to work with some outstanding people who have served as mentors – including Robert Urban and Mary Lynne Hedley in Boston, among many others, and Billy Cohn here in Houston.” He added, “Along the way, I’ve tried my best to work hard, stay humble, and show respect to others. I plan to never lose sight of those tenets and will carry them with me into my new role at TMC Innovation.”
Tim Marx is a Venture Partner with Baird Capital based in Houston, TX where he helps pursue new investment ideas as well as build value within existing portfolio companies. Prior to joining Baird, Marx spent >15 years at The Boston Consulting Group (BCG) where he was a Partner and Managing Director in both the Houston and Mexico offices. He continues to serve as an advisor and mentor for Houston based start-ups at both TMCx and Station Houston. Marx holds a Bachelor’s degree in Finance, International Business and Spanish from The Pennsylvania State University and a MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business. He was a 2000-01 Fulbright Scholar at ITESM in Monterrey, Mexico.
Prat helps the faculty and researchers at MD Anderson develop collaborative opportunities with pharmaceutical, biotech, diagnostics, imaging, laboratory medicine and other industry partners. He is responsiblefor establishing a direct line of contact with pharmaceutical companies to understand their needs in terms of pre-clinical and Phase 1 activities, and internally convey them so that the researchers and clinicians at MD Anderson can follow-up and establish personal relationships with such companies.
Prior to joining MD Anderson he worked at Alere Inc., an international firm dedicated to developing health management services and solutions, including diagnostic tools and tests. At Alere, Ferran led a business turnaround and integrated three businesses in São Paulo and Belo Horizonte, Brazil. He also served as the head of the Oncology and Women’s Health Divisions in San Diego, where he was responsible for all pre-commercialization activities and post-launch product management. Prior to Alere, Ferran held a number of industry and academic positions, including vice president for licensing at Biosite Inc., management consultant at McKinsey & Co., engineer at Chromogenia-Units and researcher at the University of California – Los Angeles. In these roles, he in-licensed and out-licensed new technologies, led and executed strategic plans, coordinated intellectual property agreements among private and public sector entities, and conducted basic science research that led to multiple peer-reviewed articles. Prat has a Ph.D. in organic chemistry from the University of California – Los Angeles and a J.D. from the University of San Diego School of Law.
John S. Reale, Jr. (JR) serves as Executive-in-Residence (EIR) at TMC Innovation. As EIR, he is an in-house resource for member companies participating in Biodesign, TMCx and TMCx+. In addition, he advises TMCx on strategy to advance how the TMC delivers value to its Member Institutions and entrepreneurs. JR also serves on the Investment Committee for the TMC Venture Fund, a $25 M fund that invests in early-stage companies changing the face of healthcare connecting through the Texas Medical Center. JR is an experienced early-stage technology company investor, entrepreneur and executive. JR founded Integr8d Capital, an early-stage venture capital firm launched in 2017. Integr8d Capital partners with founders launching their ventures in-and-through the City of Houston to build transformative companies. Previously, he co-founded Station Houston, Inc. (Station), Houston’s hub for tech innovation and entrepreneurship, where he served as its CEO from inception through August 2018. In April 2018, Station announced its partnership with the City of Houston, Rice University and the Texas Medical Center to develop and launch the Houston Innovation District in midtown Houston. Prior to Station, he was an Operating Partner with Fraser McCombs Capital (FMC), an early-stage venture capital firm based in Boulder and San Antonio. Through FMC, JR served in various leadership roles with their portfolio companies. JR founded Arete which advises early-stage companies on their launch and growth operations. JR started his career in financial services at Morgan Stanley and JP Morgan, as well as Founding Member of Avalon Advisors, a wealth management and advisory firm based in Houston. Civicly, JR serves a variety of organizations focused on education and entrepreneurship. Most notably, JR Chaired Mayor Sylvester Turner’s Innovation and Technology Task Force to further the City of Houston’s strategy and plan to spark the long-term growth of Houston’s innovation and technology entrepreneurship economy. Additionally, he served on the Greater Houston Partnership’s Innovation Advisory Board. These task forces helped lead to the formation of Houston Exponential (HX), an organization charged with sustainably promoting Houston’s entrepreneurship and innovation economy. JR currently serves on the Board of HX, where amongst its initiatives, helped launched the HX Venture Fund, a fund of fund venture model to attract more venture capital to the region. JR serves on the Advisory Board for the Rice Alliance for Technology and Entrepreneurship; the Investment Committee for the Cougar Venture Fund at the University of Houston; as Entrepreneur in Residence for the Liu Idea Lab for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (LILIE) at Rice University; was the past-President of The Indus Entrepreneurs (TiE) Houston chapter; and mentor at numerous start-up acceleration programs. JR is a member of the Startup Champions Network, a national organization of startup ecosystem leaders. Finally, JR co-founded the Mentoring Initiative at Cristo Rey Jesuit Preparatory High School in Houston (Viva Cristo Rey!). JR received his B.S. in Finance and Investments from Babson College in Massachusetts. JR and his wife, Kim, are the proud parents of the first Houston-born member of their family, their daughter, Juliana!
