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For all the seriousness with which he takes his business responsibilities, Mike is one of the sunniest and most likeable people you will meet. Both Fogarty Innovation entrepreneurs and his colleagues seek his counsel, which is often delivered with self-effacing humor. “As cliché as it sounds, it IS all about the people, and the medtech industry attracts the ones who are passionate, ethical and determined.” Mike is observant and loves learning people’s stories, “gaining magical insight” about them. He thrives when surrounded by those who share his core values yet are willing to challenge his point of view, creating a healthy tension that leads to better outcomes.

Mike put his mind to a 35+ year career which spanned several leadership roles, not to mention clinical foci. Before moving to the medtech field, Mike worked with Coopers & Lybrand consulting, Clorox, and Walt Disney Engineering. Immediately prior to joining Fogarty Innovation, he served as chief operating officer at Minerva Surgical, a medical technology company focused on women’s healthcare. Before that, he was vice president of operations at Emphasys Medical (now Pulmonx), a developer of therapeutic solutions for emphysema patients. He was also chief operating officer of Cardeon Inc., working on innovative approaches for coronary artery bypass grafting surgery. His first major medtech company was Guidant Corporation, which absorbed the start-up company where he was working, Advanced Cardiovascular Systems. Mike had roles as varied as Pilot Plant Manager, Director of International Sales and Division General Manager of the Peripheral Systems Group.

At Fogarty, Mike loves to visit with each entrepreneur daily to see what he can do to help. He epitomizes the “full contact mentoring” approach, winning the innovators’ appreciation. Mike has been a great ambassador for Fogarty, representing us in the broader medtech ecosystem. He is one of the founders of the Diversity by Doing initiative with colleagues from Stanford School of Biodesign. Mike is also a frequent speaker and panelist in different industry forums.

Mike holds a BS in industrial engineering from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, and an MBA from Santa Clara University.