As president and chief executive officer, Todd M. Pope sets the company’s strategic vision and oversees its organic growth. Pope has spent more than 20 years working in key leadership positions within the medical–device industry.
Prior to joining TransEnterix, Pope served as worldwide president of Cordis, a multi–billion–dollar division within Johnson & Johnson’s medical–device sector. He previously held a number of leadership positions within Johnson & Johnson and Boston Scientific.
Pope has a special passion for managing emerging start–ups that have disruptive technologies with the potential to change the landscape of current standard of care.
LaViolette brings nearly 30 years of experience in global medical technology marketing and general management to the TransEnterix board.
Before joining SV Life Sciences, an international life-science venture capital firm, in 2009, LaViolette served as chief operating officer for Boston Scientific Corp., an $8-billion medical device leader. During his 15 years with Boston Scientific, he held the positions of group president, president-cardiology and president-international as the company multiplied its revenues over 20 times. He integrated dozens of acquisitions and led extensive product development, operations and worldwide commercial organizations.
Before joining Boston Scientific, LaViolette held marketing and general management positions at CR Bard and Kendall (Tyco). In addition to his position on the TransEnterix board, LaViolette serves on the boards of Cameron Health, CardioFocus, Conceptus, DC Devices, Direct Flow Medical, DJO Global, Thoratec, TranS1, ValenTx and Medical Device Manufacturers Association (MDMA). He previously has served on the boards of Urologix, Percutaneous Valve Technologies and Advamed.
LaViolette received his bachelor's of arts degree in psychology from Fairfield University and holds a master's degree in business administration from Boston College.
Since founding Intersouth Partners in 1985, Dennis has been active in all aspects of the venture investment process. He has served on dozens of boards of directors for both private and public companies. He is known for his experienced insight, consensus building and syndicate leadership.
Dennis has invested in and worked with portfolio companies through several economic cycles and has served as interim CEO when necessary. He has long been active in the venture industry having served on the board of directors for the National Venture Capital Association, on the steering committee for the Kauffman Fellows Program and as a mentor for several classes of Kauffman fellows. He also served on the board of the N.C. State University Seed Fund and the Governor's Biotechnology Steering Committee for the N.C. Biotechnology Center. He was a founder of the highly successful Council for Entrepreneurial Development (CED) and served as the chairman of its first Venture Conference. He sits on the board of the Medical University of South Carolina Foundation for Research Development.
Prior to founding Intersouth, Mr. Dougherty was an office managing partner and head of the high growth business practice for Touche Ross & Co. Before entering finance and accounting, he was in sales and marketing for petrochemicals and polymers for UNOCAL. He holds a bachelor's degree from Oklahoma City University, where he was named a Distinguished Alumnus of the Year. In 2005, Mr. Dougherty was named the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year for the Carolinas.
David Milne is a managing partner at SV Life Sciences, a leading international life sciences venture capital firm. He has more than 21 years of operating experience leading therapeutic and diagnostic medical–technology corporations.
In addition to serving on the board of TransEnterix, Milne is a board member of AqueSys, CardioMind, EBR, Entellus, Novalign, ReShape, Sadra and Spinal Kinetics. He also serves on the boards of Mindframe and Altura Interventional, which reside in the medical technology incubator Intersect Partners.
Prior to joining SV Life Sciences, Milne was vice president of corporate business development at Boston Scientific Corp., where he oversaw acquisitions, equity investment, and development partnership transactions totaling nearly $2 billion. His previous responsibilities include executive–level positions in marketing, corporate planning and sales with Boston Scientific, Becton Dickinson and Parker Laboratories.
A graduate of Rutgers University, Milne received his MBA from New York University.
John Onopchenko is a co–founder of Synergy Life Science Partners, a venture capital firm that helps form and invests in early–stage medical–device and combination device–drug companies.
Prior to co–founding Synergy, Onopchenko was vice president and lead medical device investor with Johnson & Johnson Development Corp., a venture capital subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson that develops new businesses in emergent health–care sectors. He also served on the corporation’s management committee.
In the last 25 years as an operating leader for GE and Johnson & Johnson, Onopchenko oversaw the successful development and commercialization of six new–to–the world technologies. His global leadership experiences include general management, business and product development, operations, manufacturing, marketing and sales management.
In addition to serving on the board of TransEnterix, Onopchenko serves as a member on the boards of BaroSense, InnerPulse, Oraya Therapeutics and Volcano Corp (NASDAQ: VOLC).
A member of the Licensing Executive Society and the National Association of Securities Dealers, Onopchenko received his MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and completed the Advanced Management Program at Oxford University.
Matt Rieke is a partner and co–founder at Quaker BioVentures, a venture capital firm leading investments across the lifescience spectrum, including biopharmaceuticals, medical devices, diagnostics, specialty pharmaceuticals and health–care services.In addition to serving on TransEnterix’s board, Rieke is a board member of Neotropix, Nitric BioTherapeutics, Tarsa Therapeutics and TearScience, and board observer for Biolex and Neuronetics.
Prior to joining Quaker, Rieke served as a principal at Novitas Capital, a venture fund investing in early–stage companies. He also created start-up companies based on faculty inventions at the University of Pennsylvania Center for Technology Transfer. Rieke worked at CSC Healthcare as a management consultant and he has researched novel therapeutics and bone marrow transplantation at Cedars–Sinai Medical Center in Las Angeles.
A graduate of Colgate University, Rieke received his MD from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, and an MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
Andrew Schiff is a managing partner at Aisling Capital, a life–sciences private equity firm with more than $1.6 billion under management. The firm supports companies building on technical and medical breakthroughs to commercialize new health–care products.
In addition to serving on the board of TransEnterix, Schiff is a director of ARMGO Pharma Inc., Dynova Laboratories Inc., Planet Technologies Inc., Sirion Therapeutics Inc., SkinMedica Inc., and Zeltiq Aesthetics Inc.
He previously served as a director of Adams Respiratory Therapeutics Inc., ArgiNOx Pharmaceuticals Inc., Barrier Therapeutics Inc., Bioenvision Inc., Cempra Pharmaceuticals Inc., CardioKine Inc. and Myogen, Inc.
Schiff practiced internal medicine at New York–Presbyterian Hospital–Weill Cornell Medical Center in New York City, where he maintains his position as a clinical assistant professor of medicine. A graduate of Brown University, Schiff received his MD from Cornell University Medical College and his MBA from Columbia University.
William N. Starling is managing director of Synergy Life Science Partners, and chief executive officer of Synecor, a business generator of new life–science companies. He has raised more than $300 million in capital for companies he co–founded – the combined revenues of which now reach nearly $3 billion annually. As CEO of Synecor, Mr. Starling co–founded TransEnterix as well as BaroSense, Bioerodible Vascular Solutions (acquired by Guidant/Abbott in April 2004), InnerPulse and Interventional Autonomics Corp. Starling serves as board chairman of InnerPulse, board chairman of Interventional Autonomics Corp., and as a board member of TransEnterix.
Starling began his 30–year career in medical technologies at American Edwards Laboratories (now Edwards LifeSciences). There, he was part of the founding management team, served as marketing director for Advanced Cardiovascular Systems Inc. (acquired by Guidant/Abbott) and was co-founder, vice president and board member of Ventritex Inc. (acquired by St. Jude Medical). In addition, Starling was a co–founder, board chairman, and president and CEO of Cardiac Pathways Corp. (acquired by Boston Scientific Corp.).
A graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Starling received an MBA from the University of Southern California.