MedTech Innovator APAC LIVE

MedTech Innovator Asia Pacific’s Webinar Live series features leading experts in medical devices, diagnostics, and digital health, sharing insights tailored to the strategic needs of our ecosystem and portfolio companies.

 

Each session includes panel discussions and expert commentary, addressing curated topics and questions submitted by our startups. 

 

Webinars are streamed live on our YouTube Channel and LinkedIn, with full recordings available on this page. 

Perfecting Your Pitch Video

I joined Alfaleus almost two years ago and currently serve as the Chief Operations Officer. My work focuses on managing nationwide operations, distributor coordination, and field execution for our flagship ophthalmic diagnostic product, iVA+. I graduated from Madras Christian College in 2023 and have since been actively involved in expanding our footprint across India and select international markets.

Jim is laser focused on improving the world at the intersection of health, business and technology. Currently building out the world’s biggest support ecosystem for life science startups he brings his entrepreneurial, business and engineering experience to help make the next generation of life science entrepreneurs successful.

Previously, Jim was co-founder and CEO of Clara Biotech, and also worked in consulting supporting the development of medical products from prototyping through manufacturing. He has served as lead engineer on a laser therapy device, secured 510(k) approval from the FDA for one of the first mobile medical devices and worked in all aspects of design, manufacturing, quality and regulatory.

Jim holds a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering (with honors) and a master’s degree in Bioengineering from the University of Kansas (second graduate from the program). He also holds a masters certificate in Technopreneurship (http://www.ntc.ntu.edu.sg/Pages/home.aspx) from Nanyang Technological University in Singapore.

Fundraising, Term Sheets & Deal Structuring

Joseph is the co-founder and Managing Partner of Verge HealthTech Fund focusing on early-stage healthcare technology companies that make an impact on global health. Prior to this, Joseph was a scientist researching new cancer therapies, a medical device entrepreneur, and a management consultant for Oliver Wyman where he led life sciences and digital health across Asia. He has 19 scientific publications, 3 patents, and has made investments in 39 healthcare technology companies to date. Joseph has a PhD from the University of Toronto, and an MBA from the Richard Ivey School of Business.
 

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Market Access: Establishing Legal Entities Overseas

Working with Strategics and Setting the Stage for Future Potential M&A

Regulatory Strategy: APAC vs U.S.

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Clinical Trials, Hospital Pilots and Post Market Studies

A modern, resilient and proven growth leader with 17 years’ experience in technology, B2B, B2C, FMCG and travel and tourism sectors. I’m passionate about delivering measurable communication campaigns and programs, which are born out of genuine consumer and market insights, that lead to real business impact.

I’ve led and grew a business in Asia Pacific, managed agency operations (Finance/ IT/ Marketing/ HR), devised and delivered integrated communications programs, expanded and managed diverse teams, attracted and retained high performing talent, and built a fun and engaging culture in Asia Pacific markets.

Experienced at providing strategic counsel, issues management, brand reputation, narratives, messaging and positioning, public affairs, Pan-Asian strategy development, campaign planning and creative platforms that include demand generation, digital marketing, content marketing, thought-leadership, media relations and analyst relations.

Clients have included: Equinix, Ferrero, Hitachi Vantara, NTT Ltd (formerly Dimension Data), Qatar Airways, Roche Diagnostics, Skyscanner, Sophos and Spotify.

As an entrepreneur with over 15 years of experience in various fields and industries, I am passionate about creating value and solving problems through innovation and collaboration. I have co-founded and served in leading roles in several startups, from payments to media, and have been involved in all aspects of the business, from operations and project management, to sales and strategy.

Currently, I am the CEO of Thrixen, a company that is developing a diagnostic technology platform to make diagnostics available when and where they matter most. At Thrixen, I lead the vision, strategy, and execution of our mission to transform the healthcare industry and improve the lives of millions of people around the world.

Pricing, Reimbursement & Health Economics

Ajay Nair has more than 22 years’ experience in the Global Medical Device Industry, having held positions in New Product Development, Sales, Sales Education, International Marketing and Market Access, with multi-national companies (Ethicon Inc., Covidien, Eli Lilly, Medtronic) along with 10+ years of roles in leadership (General Management and Global Vice President) and increasing P&L responsibilities at Ossur and most recently WillowWood Global. Ajay’s expertise is in developing market entry strategies and leading cross-functional teams to launch products and services in target markets. His experience spans launching products in the US, EMEA and for almost 11 years within Asia Pacific inclusive of China. He now leads the international business for The Mullings Group (TMG) and is based in the Asia Pacific Region, splitting his time between Singapore and Perth, Australia. He holds a MBA in International Business and Marketing from the Thunderbird Global School of Management and a degree in Bioengineering from Arizona State University.

Dr. Anand Sivaraman is the co-founder and CEO of Remidio Innovative Solutions, based in Bangalore, India, Remidio builds innovative, AI-enabled products for the screening and diagnosis
of eye diseases for use in non-specialist contexts such as public health centers, primary care centers and vision centers, in India and the US.

Anand completed his Master’s, Doctoral, and Postdoctoral degrees in Chemical Engineering and Bioengineering from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Boston before returning to India in 2005. His research and entrepreneurship interests lie at the intersection of technology and public health.

PR & Brand Management

Anand Jha is a senior healthcare executive, currently Managing Director of Ansea Consulting, a global healthcare consulting focused on Strategic Pricing, Market Access & Stakeholder Engagement and working with multiple pharma and medical device multinationals.

Anand comes with more than 25yrs of experience in pharmaceutical and medical device industry across multiple geographies including Asia, Switzerland, Russia & India. His diverse experience ranges from multiple commercial roles to a deep expertise in market access at global, regional and local levels. Most recently he has served as General Manager Singapore and Regional Head of Market Access & Govt Affairs Asia/Russia for Alcon, the eyecare division of Novartis. Prior to that Anand was Regional Head of Pricing, Market Access, Patient Relations & Communications for Novartis Oncology Asia, wherein he designed and led the implementation of multiple patient access
programs, public-private partnerships, stakeholder engagement initiatives and industry collaborations for cancer drugs access.

Anand is passionate in helping patients get access to the latest technology, products & solutions by working with stakeholders across the healthcare systems and supporting efforts of industry & other players through his extensive experience in this area.

A proven leader with over a decade of experience working on health economics, evidence planning, market access, reimbursement, and commercial strategy, Jordan is in the business of putting life-changing technologies into the hands of those who need them. Her focus is medtech, including devices, diagnostics, digital health, as well as combination products. Jordan has helped launch products across US, Asian, European, and Latin American markets. She holds a Bachelor’s in health policy from Brandeis University, and pursued graduate studies in stochastic modeling and health decision sciences at the University of Minnesota, where she also served as a researcher and instructor in health services research. In addition to her expertise in market access and health economics, she has held health policy roles in state government, worked in patient access, and in academia.

Attracting Talent and Building Effective MedTech Advisory Boards

Ms. Shea is a Senior Clinical Project Manager with over 15 years of experience at research sites, academic research facilities, and other Clinical Research Organizations. Having started as a research assistant in psychiatric research, she was quickly promoted to Clinical Research Coordinator. She gained experience in that role in numerous different therapeutic areas in CNS and ophthalmology. She found her passion for protocol-development, database programming and management, and mentoring as a Project Manager for a team of critical care investigators, responsible for the oversight of an NIH R01 multi-center grant exploring post-cardiac arrest care. With the successful completion of this NIH grant resulting in numerous published manuscripts, Lisa transitioned back to coordinating clinical trials to support the hematology-oncology and gynecology oncology teams in a patient-facing role as Clinical Research Coordinator. In this role, she supported the mentoring of junior research support staff, development and implementation of SOPs, in addition to day-to-day coordination of complex oncology trials, including patient identification, recruitment, and data collection.  

Ms Shea received a B.A. in Sociology from Immaculata University. After becoming a Certified Clinical Research Coordinator through Association of Clinical Research Professionals, she went on to earn a M.S. of Clinical Research Administration from George Washington University. Most recently, Lisa completed her certifications of Certified Professional and Project Management through Association of Clinical Research Professionals.

Senior executive with 29 years’ experience in clinical research industry.  Built and led large diverse teams of over 500+ headcounts across India, South Korea, China, Japan including Australia/New Zealand. A strong entrepreneurial leader; helped global CROs and regulatory consulting firm to establish their footprint into Asia. 

In my current role – I engage with biotechs to provide ideal proposal for their assets development  from early clinical phase to commercialization. Believe in equal partnership, stand with customers as a voice within the organization and a genuine well-wisher. With solid clinical operational background the conversation with the innovator becomes more meaningful and  directs them to make a very informed decision on how they spend their dollar.

  1. Member Society for Prevention of Cancer (SPOC) – working with Oncologist to share ways to delay the onset of cancer. Part of Clinical Research Professionals Association -Singapore (SCRP). Support Patient Advocacy organization like Organization for Rare Disease India. 
  2. Ex  Board Member of Drug Information Association (DIA), USA.
  3. Member of Singapore Institute of Director (SID)  since June 2022. Membership Number  33516.
  4. Certified Practising Management Consultant recognised internationally over 80 countries from non –profit organization,   Singapore Business Advisors &Consultants Council (SBACC) endorsed by government agency

Building & Managing Sales/ Distribution Channels in APAC vs U.S.

Ajeesh has over 20 years of healthcare experience working for Johnson & Johnson in Europe and Asia Pacific. During this time he held a variety of commercial (P&L management, sales leadership, commercial excellence) and operational roles (Operations, Procurement, Finance).

Ajeesh founded Blue Box Advancements to bring commercial strategy and operations expertise to start-ups and medium sized health care firms. Blue Box’s key areas of engagement are
[1] defining commercial strategy (go to market model)
[2] operationalizing commercial model (partnerships, process, people, systems) and
[3] driving consistent sales performance (direct/ distributor).

Marc Zemel is serial medical device entrepreneur and executive. He founded Retia Medical to develop advanced algorithms to help guide cardiovascular care for high-risk surgical and critically ill patients. In
2022, Retia closed its $15M Series B led by Fresenius and Medtronic and is now selling in 14 countries. Marc has raised over $45M in investor and non-dilutive capital in his career, led 12 clinical studies,
taken products through FDA clearance and CE Mark, built and led commercial teams, and continues to lead his growing company as it ramps sales.

Prior to founding Retia, Marc served at Becton Dickinson & Co. (BD), where he led business development, product concept development and technical due diligence activities for BD’s Anesthesia
and Infusion businesses. Marc also previously served Anvik Corporation, a startup capital equipment company, most recently as Director of Engineering and Product Marketing, where he led all phases of product development, marketing and sales of laser lithography systems for manufacturing microelectronics.


Mr. Zemel holds a BSE from Duke University and an MS from MIT, both in Mechanical Engineering, and an MBA from Yale. He holds 23 patents (issued or pending), and resides in New Rochelle, New York with his wife and three children.