About Us

Jalal Sulaiman has led the company from inception, driving company vision, building the team, securing clinical and strategic partnerships, and raising funds. He has nearly a decade of healthcare industry experience in operations and supply chain, organization management and strategic planning. Prior to his current role, Jalal worked at GE healthcare where he held different leadership roles in global operations and supply chain. Jalal is Certified Supply Chain Professional and Black Belt Lean Six Sigma. Jalal holds a M.S. in computer engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and a BS and M.S. in electrical engineering from Vladimir State University – Russia. He earned his MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business with a focus on Entrepreneurship, Strategic Management, Marketing and Finance.

Michael J. Partsch is a veteran medical device venture capitalist and startup CEO with 30 years of operational experience in venture investing and early-stage management, with a particular interest in the life sciences industry. Mike is the Chief Venture Officer at the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF), where he oversees activities associated with the formation and funding of new startups to transfer inventions arising out of UW-Madison research into commercial enterprises. In this capacity, Mike manages a portfolio of $110M. Prior to joining WARF, Mike founded AcceleMed Management, Inc. where he managed a portfolio of medical device start-ups and helped them raise millions in capital. Mike was also one of the founders of Accuitive Medical Ventures (AMV), a venture capital firm focused on investing in early stage medical device technologies. As founder, Mike played a significant role in devising the fund’s investment strategy, raising the $55M first fund, and deploying the capital in 10 investments. Mike’s work experience includes three years with Versant Ventures, a premier $650 million healthcare-focused venture fund, where he focused on medical device investing, and played significant roles in the investments in: IntraLase Corp. (NASDAQ: ILSE), Glaukos, Confirma, Cameron Health, AcuFocus, NeoVista, Inogen and Second Sight. Mike holds a dual major Bachelor's degree in Biology and Philosophy of Science with a minor in Chemistry from the University of Pennsylvania, and holds an MBA from Carnegie Mellon University with dual concentrations in Finance and Entrepreneurship. Mike’s academic achievements include being selected as a Kauffman Fellow, a prestigious two-year post-graduate fellowship in venture capital sponsored by the Kauffman Foundation.

Douglas Stafford has 30 years’ experience in biomedical business development and executive management in venture and public companies; currently, he is President and Chief Executive Officer of Pantherics Incorporated and Director of the Milwaukee Institute for Drug and Discovery. Prior to his current roles, he held senior management positions at Baxter Healthcare Corporation in manufacturing operations, product development, and quality systems. He led product development, regulated operations, general management, and financing of several entrepreneurial ventures, including positions of Chief Operating Officer and later President of Ophidian Pharmaceuticals, founder and President of Life Sciences Development Corp., and Executive Vice President of GenExel-Sein, Inc. He has formed biomedical product development partnerships and technology licenses (including; Lilly, Pfizer, Allergan, DoD, and more than 80 universities), and organized drug clinical trials.

Steven Kuemmerle is the Special Adviser on Innovation and Industry Partnerships to the EVP of Research, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, focused on establishing the new RFUMS Innovation and Research Park and Helix 51 Incubator, and developing industry-university collaborations. Steve has over three decades of healthcare industry experience. As Head of Venture Investments, Abbott Biotech Ventures, Inc., he led the evaluation and execution of equity investments in emerging pharma companies. Before that, Steve served as a director in Abbott’s Global Pharma Licensing Group. Steve first joined Abbott in 1987, where he managed various diagnostic R&D units before moving to the Pharmaceutical Division in 1997. Steve received his Ph.D. in Biochemistry from Northwestern University. He serves as an advisor and member on various healthcare non-profit and start-up company boards, and is Past-Chair of the Life Sciences Executive Committee for the Licensing Executive Society. Steve is a licensed airplane pilot, and enjoys hiking and sailing.

Michael Harrison is the Business Development Manager for BioForward. BioForward is the member-based association focused on the promotion and growth of Wisconsin's biohealth industry. As the head of the Milwaukee office of BioForward, Michael primarily supports Southeastern Wisconsin's biohealth industry consisting of companies and organizations developing the devices, software, and therapies that will shape the future of healthcare. Michael is also co-founder of HealthTechMKE, an initiative of BioForward which brings leaders and entrepreneurs in the field of healthcare technology together with events and resources tailored to their specific needs. Prior to joining BioForward, Michael was a consultant and manager of PostDoc Industry Consultants (now Catalyst BioConsulting) and the Co-founder of a cancer diagnostic startup, Angio 360 Diagnostics. Michael received both an MD and PhD from the Medical College of Wisconsin and has extensive research experience in the fields of physiology, molecular biology, and genomics.

Stephen Coutts has over 43 years’ experience in the pharmaceutical/biotech industry employing both small molecule and biologic approaches to drug development, as well as extensive immunoassay experience in two diagnostic companies. Most recently, he consults for a company bringing a redox-active cancer adjuvant to market that also has applications in tropical parasitic diseases. Before that he was Vice President of R&D at Alere San Diego, which has since been sold to Quidel and Abbott. Prior to that, he was CEO of Biocept Laboratories, a company that analyzes genetic content in circulating tumor cells that are captured in a microfluidic device. Prior to that, Coutts spent one year as a Director of Pharmaceutical Development at Cypress Biosciences, which was preceded by his role as a Co-Founder of Triad Therapeutics where he was a member of its Board of Directors, as well as its President and COO, from 1998 to the end of 2004. Since PROMISS Dx has been founded, Dr. Coutts has been working closely with the team by providing support and advice on moving PROMISS technology to market.

Ellen Rudnick is an adjunct professor at Chicago Booth and teaches the Developing a New Venture Course (New Venture Challenge). She is a successful start-up executive, having served as chairman of Pacific Biometrics and CEO of Health Care Knowledge Resources. She has held positions as corporate vice president at Baxter Healthcare and president of Baxter Management Services Division, which she founded. Her current board experience includes: Liberty Mutual Insurance, Patterson Companies (NASDAQ: PDCO), Health Management Systems (NASDAQ: HMSY), First Midwest Bancorp (NASDAQ: FMBI) and Matter, a healthcare incubator. She has previously served on the boards of Hyde Park Angels (HPA) and 1871, a technology incubator.

Lisa Anselmino, PhD is an accomplished executive with more than 20 years of experience in evaluating strategic business opportunities and executing deals for diagnostic companies. Previously, Lisa headed the Global Licensing Department for Abbott Diagnostics division where she negotiated and oversaw deal executions on critical licenses, partnerships and revenue goals. She has a record of excellence in negotiating complex deals including; technology, patent and know-how licensing (in/out); supply and third-party manufacturing deals, alliances, settlements and acquisition and divestiture activities. Lisa is currently Founder and Principal for BioActive Business Advisors, where she supports companies with negotiation and partnership activities. Lisa holds a B.S. in biology from St. Mary’s College in Notre Dame, Indiana and a Ph.D. in Immunology from Rush University in Chicago, Illinois.

Ian Gunsolus is an assistant professor of pathology at the Medical College of Wisconsin and the co-director of clinical chemistry and toxicology at Wisconsin Diagnostic Laboratories. He is an active member of the American Association for Clinical Chemistry (AACC) and has published on diverse topics in laboratory medicine including cardiac biomarkers, sepsis diagnostics, and interferences with core laboratory and point of care testing methods. He received a PhD in chemistry from the University of Minnesota and completed fellowship training in clinical chemistry and clinical and forensic toxicology at Hennepin County Medical Center. He is a diplomate of the American Board of Clinical Chemistry in both clinical chemistry and toxicological chemistry.

John Jedziniak has over 20 years of experience holding CTO, CIO and SVP positions working with medical device and software product development companies. John has led development of over 40 software products, and over the last seven years has focused on machine learning and artificial intelligence based medical device software helping develop new regulated software medical device products for Amgen and Flashback Technologies. As a consultant with service providers such as Deloitte, Symphony Services, Core Objects, and his own consulting company, Novvo Product Innovation, John has developed numerous prototype and v1.0 products for startups and Fortune Global 500 companies. John received his Master in Business Administration from UCLA’s Anderson Graduate School of Management, and has a Bachelor in Computer Science and a Bachelor in Electrical Engineering from the University of California, Irvine.