Jim Kasic, President and CEO
Jim Kasic is a serial entrepreneur with over 20 years of experience in the Class II and III medical device industry. Jim is the President and CEO of Sophono, Inc. a manufacturer and distributor of implantable hearing devices. He is also the founder of Boulder BioMed, Inc. a medical product commercialization consulting firm and 7L, LLC, a company that is pioneering a new treatment for morbid obesity. His range of experience is with large, multi-national organizations as well as start-ups with a domestic and international scope including W.L. Gore and Associates, Boston Scientific, Battelle Memorial Institute, and Otologics. Among his accomplishments can be listed the development of several unique implantable medical devices in vascular and otolaryngology fields. Mr. Kasic has been responsible for creating and successfully executing strategies in product and market development having built engineering, research, and sales and marketing organizations. These activities have resulted in over 30 US and International patents and dozens of scientific publications. Mr. Kasic holds a B.S. in Physics, a M.S. in Chemical/Biological Engineering and an MBA.
Dr. Markus Haller, Chairman and Co-Founder
Dr. Markus Haller has been a senior executive in medical device companies for over 22 years, CEO and President for over 12 years. Dr. Haller currently manages Sophono’s European Middle-East and African Business. Over the course of the last 5 years, Dr. Haller developed, turned around and sold both LMA Urology SA and OrthoWin SA to major U.S. medical device makers. Dr. Haller obtained his MSEE in Biomedical Engineering at Purdue University and Ruhr-Universitaet Bochum, Germany, his MBA in International Manangement at St Thomas, MN and his Ph.D. in Innovation Management at the EPFL in Lausanne, Switzerland. Dr. Haller holds over 60 medical device patents. He serves on several executive boards and is managing as President and Chairman of the Board a Portfolio company of medical device investments.
Rick Giancola, VP Global Sales and Marketing
Rick Giancola has extensive marketing and sales knowledge of the medical device industry spanning more than 22 years. Giancola previously served as CEO of Neuromonics, Inc., a medical device manufacturer of products and services to treat tinnitus based in Bethlehem, PA. Before that time, he held the positions of Vice President for Latin America and Canada at Cochlear Americas, Centennial, CO, and Vice President and General Manager for Latin America. Giancola has worked in sales and marketing for Spectramed Corporation, Deseret Medical and Far Western Hospital Supply, and as Custom Products Manager for American Hospital Supply, all in Denver, CO. He also was founder and president of Landmark Medical Exports, Inc. in Denver, CO, an export management and consulting company. The New York native holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Hobart College, Geneva, NY and Master of Business Administration degree from Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY. In the community, Mr. Giancola is a co-chair of the Colorado host committee for the 2014 men’s world lacrosse championships. He is active with the Colorado Lacrosse Foundation, chairs the organization’s Hall of Fame committee and is a past president.
Richard Hansen, VP of Commercial Development
Richard “Dick” Hansen is a results-oriented leader and senior executive with 42 years of successful experience in the medical device industry, primarily with early stage companies. Thirty-three years of his career have been in senior executive positions. In Mr. Hansen’s roles as CEO or COO, he contributed over $250 million in new revenue to early stage companies over his career, grown a corporation from $800k to $27m with 25% EBITDA and advanced an early revenue company from $1m to $5m with 15% EBITDA. In addition, Mr. Hansen has in-licensed two significant products and out-licensed three products. Mr. Hansen has successfully created and managed operating budgets ranging from as little as $500k to over $25m. Has exemplary success in early stage sales and distribution strategies–domestic and international with broad knowledge of foreign distribution channels. Mr. Hansen holds a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI.
Ralf Siegert
Ralf Siegert is Professor and Director of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Prosper Hospital, Ruhr University, Bochum, Germany. He qualified from Hamburg Medical and Dental School, Germany and trained in oral-maxiofacial surgery, plastic surgery and otorhinolaryngology at the University of Hamburg, Germany, and the University of Minnesota, USA. Before taking up his present position, he worked in the ENT Department at the University of Lübeck, Germany. His main academic interests are malformation of the auricle, hearing rehabilitation, plastic-reconstructive and esthetic surgery of head and neck.
Board of Directors
In addition to Mr. Kasic and Dr. Haller, the other directors are:
Mark D. Zand, Partner Wexford Capital LP
Mark Zand joined Wexford Capital LP in 1996 and became a Partner in 2001. He focuses on fixed income and distressed investments and collaborates on Wexford’s life sciences investments. He is Chairman of Rhino Resource Partners LP, a publicly traded MLP. Prior to joining Wexford, he was a Managing Director in Merrill Lynch’s high yield bond department. Mr. Zand holds an MBA in finance from New York University, New York, NY and a BA in economics from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI.
Paul A. Mieyal, Ph.D., Partner Wexford Capital LP
Dr. Paul Mieyal is a Vice President and the Director of Life Sciences Investments of Wexford Capital LP. Prior to that, he was Vice President in charge of health care investments for Wechsler & Co., Inc. a private investment firm and Registered Broker Dealer. Dr. Mieyal serves as Director on the board
