Bernie Lyons is the acting CEO of Insight Surgical, an operating partner at Altaris Capital Partners and a board member of Minnetronix. Previously, Bernie served as a board member of Creganna and Paramit prior to their sales. Bernie has over 30 years of experience in the medical device industry, including as the President & CEO of Direct Flow Medical, Inc. Prior to Direct Flow, he served as President and CEO of Vasca, Inc. and CardioClasp, Inc., and held several senior level positions at Boston Scientific. Bernie is an Executive in Residence with Canon USA and Partners Healthcare Innovation, and has served as an advisor/board member to numerous innovative medical device start-ups.

After working with countless families as a registered dietitian and becoming a mother herself, Mother of Fact CEO and Founder Emily Sylvester found herself eager to create a messaging platform where Moms could get the trusted resources around feeding that they needed from an 'expert without the ego.' Unlike other digital health players that often focus solely on baby feeding care, Mother of Fact provides comprehensive evidenced-based and high-touch nutrition support for mothers and babies.. Using the app can improve maternal health outcomes and diminish nutrition-related health disparities, including risk of life-threatening conditions like preeclampsia.

NovaGyn is also addressing incontinence, in this case by using biofabrication and tissue engineering to improve surgical treatments. The current surgical mesh used to treat stress urinary incontinence (SUI) can cause tissue erosion and other painful complications, said NovaGyn Founder and CEO Rebecca Thomson. NovaGyn’s technology harnesses the body’s natural healing power. The team—which includes three academic professors, two clinical experts, and two entrepreneurs—is currently optimizing the product through in vitro studies. While NovaGyn is still five years from the first human trials, 2024 will mark important milestones for the technology, as the company’s first Small Business Technology Transfer research grant is resubmitted.