Are you working on an innovation you think should be spun out into a startup? What resources are available to help? How can you become involved in the innovation ecosystem in St. Louis?
Join us for “OTM Office Hours”, a program series from the Washington University Office of Technology Management covering the latest topics in tech transfer and innovation.
This Office Hours seminar will include a panel discussion on medical devices exploring the translation of idea to clinical prototype and into the clinic. OTM’s own Craig Weilbaecher, PhD, will moderate a panel of experts with years of medical device experience that will touch on the challenges of medical device research, development and investment.
OTM is pleased to welcome:
Eric C. Leuthardt, MD, MBA
Dr. Eric C. Leuthardt is a neurosurgeon who is currently a professor in the Departments of Neurological Surgery, Neuroscience, Biomedical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering and Material Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis. He is also Vice Chair of Innovation, Department of Neurosurgery and Chief of the Division of Neurotechnology. Leuthardt is an internationally renowned neurosurgeon, scientist, and innovator.
He has created and translated numerous high-impact medical innovations. These include the first FDA-approved brain-computer interface for stroke, the use of resting-state fMRI for advanced brain mapping, the neurosurgical application of laser ablation, and the use of ultrasound to non-invasively “sonobiopsy” the brain. His work in the field of neuroprosthetics, neurotechnologies, advanced brain imaging, and neurosurgical devices has yielded him numerous accolades as a pioneer in applied neuroscience.
In addition to 200 peer-reviewed publications, Leuthardt has over 1,600 patents on file with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for a myriad of medical devices and neuro-technologies. He is also the founder of eight startup companies, a partner of the venture fund E15, an Emmy Award-winning playwright, and the author of two fiction novels, Red Devil 4 and Limbo.
Tara D. Butler, MD
Dr. Tara Butler is a medical technology venture investor and operator with over 30 years of experience in venture capital, finance, and health care delivery. Tara built and led the medical device investing practice at Ascension Ventures where she consistently generated top quartile returns through 27 medical device investments over a continuous 20-year span as a venture capitalist over five funds totaling $800M under management. After leaving Ascension in 2022, Tara founded her own investment firm, Iyengar Capital, where she continues as an active investor, advisor and operator within leading medical device venture stage companies.
Tara’s achievements as an investor include 14 exit transactions with 7 acquisitions by public companies with a total cash acquisition value of $1.3 Billion, and 4 IPOs which realized total market capitalization of over $1.2 Billion in the public sector. A third of these exited investments each realized gross IRRs exceeding 70%. Tara’s investments have supported development and commercialization of 12 standard setting medical devices which have treated over 700,000 patients worldwide.
Tara has a 22-year history of board service to 27 companies with lead governance, audit and compensation committee responsibilities for private companies from seed through pre-IPO stage. Tara currently serves on the Boards of CSA Medical, Instylla, and as an Observer of Tulavi, StataDx and Rejoni. She contributes strategically by engaging her broad expert network to advise on clinical trial, regulatory, and market matters. Leveraging her experience with large non-profit integrated health systems. Tara has been instrumental in achieving successful supply chain contract negotiations in several portfolio companies. Tara rolls her sleeves up and helps companies at the ground level to advance their clinical and healthcare economic value proposition. For example, Tara partnered with Tulavi to co-lead a database study to understand the value proposition of products to the hospital. Tara brings operational know how to venture backed companies, having served in CEO and business development roles in companies within her portfolio. She serves as a coach and mentor to venture leaders to help them understand and address the diligence requests of institutional investors many of which she has invested alongside of.
Early career roles include accounting at Honeywell, Inc., finance/business development at Medtronic Inc. and in laboratory research at Harvard University and the University of Pennsylvania. Tara holds a BS and an MBA from the Wharton School, an MD from the University of Pennsylvania and completed her residency training at WashU School of Medicine in St. Louis.
