Board of Directors

Michael A. Bates

Chairman of the Board
Independent Financial Executive, Angel Investor, Company Advisor

Michael A. Bates has been a director since December 2015. He currently serves an independent financial executive, angel investor and company advisor. Previously, Mr. Bates was the consulting Chief Financial Officer of Moximed, Inc., a private medical device company established to treat osteoarthritis. Before Moximed, he served as chief financial officer of St. Francis Medical Technologies, Inc., a medical device company (acquired by Kyphon Inc.). Before St. Francis, he served as vice president of finance and administration and chief financial officer of Silicon Genetics, a bioinformatics company. He also held executive positions at Collagen Aesthetics, Inc., a medical device company and Penederm, Inc.,…

Thomas A. Afzal

President and CEO of Spinal Kinetics, Inc.

Thomas Azfal has been a director since February 2016. Mr. Afzal has served as the president and CEO of Spinal Kinetics, Inc., a global medical device company, since co-founding the company in 2003. Mr. Afzal also currently serves as chairman of Heart Repair Technologies, Inc., a company he co-founded in September 2008 that develops surgical and percutaneous mitral valve repair systems. He also served as the chairman of PneumRx, Inc., a company dedicated to developing innovative technologies in treating emphysema, from July 2011 until it was sold to BTG plc (LON:BTG) in January 2015. From 1997 to 2003, Mr. Afzal served as the president and CEO of CardioVention, Inc., a medical device company…

Gregory D. Casciaro

President, CEO & Director, Cardiac Dimensions, Inc.

Gregory D. Casciaro has been a director since December 2014. He has served as President and CEO of Cardiac Dimensions, a medical device company developing products to treat heart failure since December 2015. He served as as a director of QT Vascular Ltd., a medical device company, since 2001. Prior to QT Vascular, Mr. Casciaro served as the president and CEO of AccessClosure, Inc., a medical device company that was acquired by Cardinal Health, Inc. Prior to joining AccessClosure, he was the president, CEO and a director of XTENT, Inc., a medical device company that was acquired by Biosensors International Group, Ltd. Previously, Mr. Casciaro served as the president, CEO and a director…

R. Michael Kleine

President, CEO and a director of Miramar Labs, Inc.

R. Michael Kleine has been a director since December 2014. He has served as president, CEO and a director of Miramar Labs, Inc., a leading medical device manufacturer, since January 2014. Previously, Mr. Kleine served as the president and CEO of EndoGastric Solutions, Inc., a medical device manufacturer, where he continued to serve as its executive chairman of the board until September 2014. Mr. Kleine also serves as a director of ASLAN Pharmaceuticals Pte. Ltd., a pharmaceutical company, QT Vascular, a medical device company, and BioParadox Inc., a point-of-care biologic treatment company. Prior to EGS, Mr. Kleine served as the president, CEO and as a director of Biosensors International,…

Samuel E. Navarro

Managing Partner, Gravitas Healthcare, LLC
Samuel E. Navarro has been a director since December 2014. He currently serves as managing partner of Gravitas Healthcare, LLC, a strategic advisory firm he founded in October 2008 that specializes in advising emerging growth medical device companies. Previously, Mr. Navarro served as managing director of Cowen & Co. and head of its medical technology investment banking initiatives. Prior to Cowen, he was at The Galleon Group running the Galleon Healthcare Fund as a senior portfolio manager. Prior to his tenure at The Galleon Group, Mr. Navarro was global head of healthcare investment banking at ING Barings. Mr. Navarro has also held senior medical technology equity research…

Julian Nikolchev

President & Chief Executive Officer
Mr. Nikolchev has more than 25 years of experience in developing and commercializing innovative medical device technologies. His experience in growing start up organizations ranges from invention of game changing devices to commercial development, strategic partnerships and introduction to the global healthcare marketplace. Mr. Nikolchev joined Dextera Surgical as president and CEO in October 2015. Previously he served as founder, CEO and chief technology officer of Pivot Medical (now part of Stryker Sports Medicine), where he directed the transition from development enterprise to a full commercial organization establishing the leading brand in the fastest growing orthopedic market segment…

William H. Younger, Jr

Managing Director, Sutter Hill Ventures

William H. Younger, Jr. has been a director since August 2000. Mr. Younger is a managing director of the general partner of Sutter Hill Ventures, a venture capital firm, where he has been employed since 1981. Mr. Younger holds a B.S. degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Michigan and an M.B.A. degree from Stanford University. Mr. Younger was a member of the board of directors of Vitria Technology, Inc., a software company, from 1997 to November 2005, and Omnicell, Inc., a company specializing in medication and supply management for hospitals, from 1992 to May 2012. Having served on the Board for more than 10 years, Mr. Younger provides both a historic understanding…