Skip to main content

Board of Directors

E. James Hutchens

CEO, President, Director

Jim Hutchens is a proven entrepreneur with over 30 years of experience in general and marketing management in the medical technology industry. Mr. Hutchens served as a Managing Partner in Origin Partners, a $55 million early stage, venture capital fund and was the founder and CEO of both Microsurge Inc., a venture-backed, minimally invasive surgery company, and Choice Therapeutics, an advanced wound-care company which was sold to Alliqua Biomedical a NASDAQ list company. Mr. Hutchens also served in senior executive positions at Microvasive Endoscopy, a division of Boston Scientific, Smith & Nephew, and Millipore. He is a former member of the Board of Directors of the Brigham and Womens/ Faulkner Hospital and holds a BS in Business Administration from Boston University.

Ken Daignault

Director

Ken Daignault has almost 30 years’ experience in the medical device field, with an emphasis in urology. Currently the Director of Gynecology Product Development at HOLOGIC in Massachusetts, Ken has held senior level management positions in major medical device companies, most recently with Boston Scientific as Director of R& D, Urology. He has also held positions at Kendall Healthcare (now Covidien) and CR Bard. Ken has been involved in all aspects of the medical device business, from product development and the design of protocols and procedures for bench and animal pre-clinical testing, to building long-term strategies for multiple-product portfolios at various stages of development.  Ken has strong relationships within the urology field and with key medical institutions, as well as a track record of bringing products from concept through successful product launch.

Kayvon Namvar

Director

Kayvon Namvar has deep expertise in forecasting, valuation, litigation support, and transaction advisory support primarily in the life sciences, healthcare, and technology industries, as well as in the formation and operations of innovative companies. In life sciences, Kayvon has developed dynamic patient-flow and other financial models to facilitate the forecasting and valuation of biopharmaceutical, medical device and diagnostic products, companies, complex securities, and royalty interests for transaction, bankruptcy, tax, and accounting oriented purposes. Kayvon has worked with companies ranging from large, publicly traded entities, to small, venture capital-backed organizations. Kayvon serves as a Principal at RNA Capital Advisors, a financial and strategic advisory firm, and as VP, Finance & Strategic Analysis at Hawthorne Effect, Inc, a healthcare technology company focused on decentralizing clinical trials. Previously, Kayvon was a director in the consulting group at Burr Pilger Mayer, Inc., a consulting and accounting firm headquartered in San Francisco. Kayvon was also a director in the valuation and financial advisory services group within the corporate finance and restructuring division of FTI Consulting, Inc. His predecessor company, The Salter Group, LLC, a leading independent financial and strategic advisory firm, was acquired by FTI. Kayvon holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Corporate Finance from the University of Southern California. He has been a guest lecturer and presenter at the University of Southern California and the California Institute of Technology, among others.

Kevin Slawin, M.D.

Board Chairman, Lead Investor

Kevin Slawin, MD. is the Founder and Managing Partner of Rapha Capital Management, LLC. He is a successful and experienced oncologic and robotic surgeon, biotech consultant, investor, and founder focusing on disruptive technologies in oncology, T cells and immunotherapy, as well as other breakthrough healthcare technologies. He is the founder of Bellicum Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: BLCM) leading Bellicum to a successful $161 million IPO in December, 2014. He also plays a guiding role in several of the investments managed by Rapha Capital, serving as a board member at 3DBio Therapeutics, Inc. (https://3dbiocorp.com/), FIZE Medical, Inc. (https://fizemedical.com), Demeetra AgBio, Inc. (https://demeetra.com) and Imagin Medical, Inc. (https://imaginmedical.com).  He served as a board member and interim CEO of portfolio company AsclepiX Therapeutics, Inc. (https://asclepix.com) in 2020. Rapha Capital Management manages thirteen legacy SPIVs, Rapha Capital Investment I – XIII, as well as Rapha Capital BioVentures Fund I (https://raphacap.com).  He is also the founder and CEO of Ponce Therapeutics, Inc. (https://poncetherapeutics.com), which reunites the team that founded Bellicum Pharmaceuticals and is retooling their original cell control technology with state-of-the-art advances towards creating anti-aging products based on a scientific foundation, and DELiver Therapeutics, Inc. (https://delivertherapeutics.com), which is using novel, high throughput screening technologies to deliver therapeutics to address the most difficult problems in clinical medicine.  Both have R&D facilities located at K2Bio in Houston (https://www.k2-biolabs.com/), a coworking research facility for biotech and pharma startups recently opened in Houston, where he is a co-founder, investor, and board member.

Chris Bleck

Director

Mr. Bleck is an accomplished global healthcare industry veteran with over three decades of experience, including leading or being integrally involved with multiple clinical development programs, commercial product launches, public financings, licensing transactions, and mergers and acquisitions. Most recently, he served as the Chief Operating Officer for OvaScience, a life science company focused on the discovery and development of novel treatments for infertility. His earlier experience includes senior management roles with Cytyc Corporation (now Hologic, Inc.), Intact Medical Corporation (acquired by Medtronic plc) and Incept BioSystems, Inc. (acquired by ORIGIO a/s). Mr. Bleck began his career at Abbot Laboratories, where he held progressive positions over 18 years, including Corporate Vice President of Pediatric Products and President of Abbott Canada. Mr. Bleck holds a B.S. in Pharmacy and an M.B.A. from the University of Connecticut.