A simple insight led to the creation of ThermApparel. As grad students in Industrial Design at the Rochester Institute of Technology, Brad and co-founder Kurtis met with the local National MS Society chapter. While heat sensitivity was a known problem with MS, current cooling vests were not being widely adopted. To Brad and Kurtis, this was a challenge to which they could apply their design talents. It quickly became apparent that cooling products on the market did not meet the needs of people living with MS – concealability, lightweight, and comfort.
Mr. Gilbert is a mission-driven Growth Serial Entrepreneur with an “up through the ranks” experience in the healthcare industry focused on the achievement of systematically improved outcomes and reduced costs across the healthcare continuum. He is involved in initiatives related to the Disruption and Positive Impact of Digital Therapeutics, Artificial Intelligence, and Machine Learning in Improved Healthcare Delivery. He is also viewed as a thought leader in the areas of Accountable Care Solutions, Value Based Care and Collaborative Care and is a sought after speaker at industry conferences. He possesses a clear understanding of the current healthcare landscape, and has conceived and implemented strategies that resulted in new markets, new clients and increased revenue. Mr. Gilbert benefits from having a well-developed network of long-standing relationships at the executive level, with access and credibility to be viewed as their trusted advisor. Mr. Gilbert is currently the Chief Executive Officer at BeCareLink.
Dr. Zachary Helft co-founded C. Light and brings over 10 years of neuroscience and regulatory experience to the team. He worked in the Technical Process Support team at Regeneron Pharmaceuticals to develop and transfer a GMP biologics manufacturing process to an international site. He was also part of regulatory interactions to manage quality systems documentation. Dr. Helft helped to launch Regeneron’s first large-scale biologic to the market, Eylea. He is the author of multiple research articles and two successful grant applications. Dr. Helft brings his GMP and regulatory background from his time at Regeneron and mixes it with his scientific background in neuroscience. He was educated at Colgate University (B.S. in Cellular Neuroscience) and UC Berkeley (Ph.D. in Vision Science).
David has more than ten years of experience in artificial intelligence, medical devices, robotics engineering, and HealthTech. David studied a BS in Mechanical Engineering and an MS in health management at Harvard University. He is passionate about empowering people with physical challenges to live independently and making a significant social impact. David has invented and developed many medical devices, such as adjustable dental instruments, wheelchairs that convert into a walker, a medical drone for emergencies, and a medical app tracking health for people with chronic diseases. He also built an autonomous personal transporter for wheelchair users that can convert any manual wheelchair into an electric wheelchair. He has been featured in many global events and organizations such as Fast Company, Harvard innovation, Microsoft, Amazon, TechCrunch, Wired, McKinsey, Verizon, and Novartis.
David’s aunt passed away from MS, and his friend and mentor continue to struggle with the challenges of MS today. David seeks to help people like him and all others who live with similar conditions to maximize their independence. David is passionate about empowering people with neurological challenges and their caregivers.
Kinza is a researcher, interaction designer and strategist based in New York. While working on projects centering user experience and digital products, it is the “how” and “why” of the problems that drive her creative thought process. She starts at the purpose of every interaction she is exploring which inspires her to keep finding challenges that people face in their day-to-day lives, in hopes of solving them through critical thinking, user research and human-centered design.
Amy Li is Founder of Dance4Healing, an award winning behavior health social venture inspired by her stage IV cancer journey. Dance4Healing is an AI-powered live video platform empowering anyone access to creative arts therapy, and building healthy habits in a fun, and supportive way. It has won over 15 awards such as Stanford Medicine X Healthcare Design Award, Stanford Health++ Hackathon Intel Nervana AI Cluster Grand Prize, top 5 finalist for Pfizer’s global mBC Challenge, 2nd prize for Partners Connected Health Fit Mind Challenge sponsored by AARP. Amy also founded Stage IV {Wicked Wisdom} Network: a global network of leaders who champion for Technology for Social Good, Healthcare Innovation, Integrative Medicine, and Patient Advocacy. Our mission is 1 million lives saved from cancer and other life difficulties through inspiring stories, public education, and technology innovation. Amy is a UX, design and branding expert for global brands such as Yahoo, AT&T, VW and Sony. Her first iPhone App Have2P was independently reviewed and featured as “App of the Week” at New York Times, leading to a major media storm in over 50 publications, such as NBC, Yahoo! News, Gizmodo, Popsugar, praised as third on the list of “11 Coolest App ever.” This resulted in millions of downloads within 4 weeks, and a successful cross-sale of a whole suite of AT&T R&D apps. Amy graduated from Singularity University, which is known for empowering future leaders to use technology to positively impact the world. She is a board member of Humanity+, an international non-profit advocate using technology to expand human capacities.
Shawna Persaud has 15 years of pre-clinical research experience and has published in the fields of stem and cancer cell biology. As clinical and product manager at Abilitech Medical, she leads all clinical and marketing initiatives, including the development of the Abilitech Assist 75 patient post-market outcomes study with the University of Minnesota and Gillette Children’s Specialty Healthcare. Shawna has consulted with several biotech and medical device startups in the twin cities area including a 3D printed exoskeletal nonprofit, Magic Arms. She received her Ph.D. in Pharmacology from the University of Minnesota.
Wim Van Hecke, PhD, is the founder and CEO of icometrix (Chicago, USA; Leuven, Belgium). Wim is an academic engineer by training with two Master degrees in applied biomedical engineering and neuroimaging, and a PhD in diffusion MRI analysis. He is author or co-author of over 150 scientific publications, the editor of a clinical neuroimaging handbook, has won numerous scientific awards and is frequently invited to present his work at courses, conferences and hospitals around the world.
Wim is the founder of icometrix, a leader in software AI solutions to obtain clinically meaningful data from brain MRI and CT scans. The goal of icometrix is to transform the care of patients with neurological disorders through imaging AI and a more objective diagnosis and monitoring.
Keith Wakeman is an innovator, brand builder and social entrepreneur. He has led the development and launch of over $1 billion of new businesses and products in the health, wellness, and food industries.
Keith’s mission is to bring to the world broad-reaching science-based innovations to unlock whole-person human potential. He is currently leading the expansion of SuperBetter and its proven method for improving resilience and mental health.
He started his career in the food industry, growing brand portfolios, managing P&Ls and leading innovation and new venture development teams for top tier companies including Kellogg, Keebler & Nabisco. He then founded Cherry Street Innovation, a consulting company that he ran for a decade, developing new business and growth platforms for clients across a range of health, wellness and food markets. Keith co-founded the SuperBetter Company in Chicago and led the acquisition of SuperBetter in 2015.
Samir is the CEO and co-founder of theMednet. He started the company after his father was diagnosed with cancer to address a knowledge gap between physicians at academic centers, where most research is done, and community centers, where most patients are treated. theMednet now connects over 30% of oncologists in the US and is working with the National Cancer Institute and a number of top academic medical centers to improve awareness of clinical trials and best practice. Samir has spent over 15 years in the private sector focused on digital media and innovation. His interests lie in building platforms that connect people and information. He has worked with many well-known companies including Major League Baseball, The New York Times and EMI Music. Most recently Samir was a venture capital investor with Rho Ventures in New York where he focused on investments in digital media and information technology.