We are empowering everyday people to do extraordinary things.
Who We Are
We’re a team of engineers, doctors, and innovators, a team of first responders, families, and friends on a mission to significantly increase survival rates from Sudden Cardiac Arrest.
Our Story
We started with a seemingly simple idea – that anyone can and should be able to positively impact the outcome of a Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) rescue. Our three Co-Founders met at an industry conference that was focused on Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) prevention, where their complementary skills and background quickly came together to share a vision for the profound impact that a more effective solution could have on thousands of families every year.
With Rory and Moseley’s technical expertise and a novel AED concept they had developed at MIT, combined with Sameer’s experience in SCA prevention through his non-profit organization – Saving Hearts Foundation, the three co-founded Avive in 2017. Today we are a committed team of inventors, creative thinkers, and problem-solvers who are intensely driven to achieve our collective mission of significantly increasing SCA survival rates with our next-generation AED and response system.
Our story is just beginning, and we hope you’ll come write it with us.
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Our Team
Meet the amazing people on our team!
Sameer Jafri
CEO
Sameer Jafri
CEO
Linkedin
Bio
Sameer is one of the Founders of Avive, and serves as the CEO. His most recent role prior to founding Avive was as the Founder & President of Saving Hearts Foundation, a non-profit based in Los Angeles that is focused on Sudden Cardiac Death (SCD) prevention. Saving Hearts Foundation provides free preventative heart screenings for youth and also works to place AEDs throughout the community. The foundation has hundreds of volunteers across the Greater Los Angeles Area, and physician support from industry leading cardiologists and electrophysiologists from UCLA, Kaiser Permanente, HCA, and others. Sameer received his Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from UCLA.
Fun Fact
- During his elementary school years he won the award for best “Storyteller in Texas”. He’s still confused as to why his parents had him compete in that competition…
- Believes that ostriches should be eliminated from the Earth (yes he has somehow managed to be attacked by multiple ostriches).
- He’s such a big sports fanatic that he started watching ESPN religiously as a toddler before he watched more typical shows such as Spongebob, Jimmy Neutron, etc…
Rory Beyer
President / COO
Rory Beyer
President / COO
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Bio
Rory is one of the Founders of Avive and serves as the President / COO. His most recent role prior to founding Avive was as a product design engineer at Apple, where he contributed to the development and design of future generation accessory products. Rory received his Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, as well as Mechanical Engineering from MIT. During his time at MIT, Rory held numerous leadership roles in MIT research projects, including among others the electronics development of a car powered completely by Aluminum fuel!
Fun Fact
- Worked four summers as a backpacking guide in Yosemite. Have run to the top of Half Dome and back down in 2:47.
- In middle school planned to run a marathon on every continent by age 20. Have thus far been to each continent but run 0 marathons.
- Frequently sacrifices feeling in fingers for night-time photos in the Sierras.
- Striving to one day break the record for the fastest time to reach the highest peak in all 50 states (currently 21 days!)
Moseley Andrews
CTO
Moseley Andrews
CTO
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Bio
Moseley is one of the Founders of Avive, and serves as the CTO. His past experience and passion has revolved around developing innovative healthcare technology. His most recent role prior to founding Avive was working as a researcher at the MIT Media Lab where he helped develop novel sensing and imaging techniques. Moseley received his Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from MIT, and while obtaining his degree he led multiple engineering projects that included rehabilitation products for spinal cord, stroke, and brain trauma as well as keyhole neurosurgical instrument design.
Fun Fact
- Made a bet with Rory (CEO) that he will complete a full Ironman before Rory runs the Badwater Ultramarathon.
- Secretly wants to kick his flatmate out of his apartment and turn his room into a fully tricked out dark room to fulfill his film photography dreams.
- Treasures everyday spent hiking or skiing in the Sierra backcountry.
Mike Perry
Executive Chairman & Chairman of Board
Mike Perry
Executive Chairman & Chairman of Board
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Bio
Mike is the Executive Chairman and Chairman of the Board at Avive. Mike has over 30 years of experience serving as CEO, founder, and senior executive in private and public healthcare technology companies. Those companies have gone on to achieve three consecutive successful exits, which have generated over $1 Billion in shareholder value. Most notably, Mike served as the Vice President of Operations and Research and Development at Pyxis Corporation, where he was a part of the executive team that successfully acquired and integrated three businesses into Pyxis and in 1996, sold to Cardinal Health, Inc. for over $900 Million. Following his success at Pyxis, he became the CEO of CardioDynamics, an innovative medical device in the cardiology space that was struggling. He led the company’s turnaround and efforts to get their device approved by the FDA, and ultimately grew the company until he sold it to Sonosite in 2009. Most recently, he was the CEO of CRISI Medical Systems, where he led the company from the infancy stages of product development all the way through FDA approval, and ultimately sold the company to Becton Dickinson (BD) in 2015. Mike received his Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from General Motors Institute (now Kettering University), and his MBA from Harvard University.
Fun Fact
- Married the day after graduating college to the love of his life for over 35 years and together they raised two incredible young women who rock their world!
- Traded riding motorcycles and flying airplanes in the first half of his life with chasing birdies on a southern California golf course or high in the mountains on extreme day hikes.
- With his wife, he helped found a highly successful independent middle and high school and a renowned cardiovascular center in San Diego.
Eric Lang
VP of Operations & Quality
Eric Lang
VP of Operations & Quality
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Bio
Eric is the VP of Operations & Quality at Avive, where he leads manufacturing operations. Eric has over 20 years in operations leadership roles developing innovative Class III and Class II medical devices and combination products. He has worked at companies which designed, manufactured, and sold devices for cardiology, hemodialysis, OB/GYN, intensive care therapy, angioplasty, stent, coronary artery bypass grafts, AAA, custom stent delivery systems, mitral valve repair, and most recently worked on a critical care monitoring diagnostic tool for predictive health. Most notably, Eric has served as the Director of Manufacturing Operations at XTENT (NYSE: XTNT), the Director of Manufacturing Engineering at Evalve (acq. by Abbot), and most recently the Director of Manufacturing at Potrero Medical. All in all, Eric has worked at startup and corporate environments and has been involved with six acquisitions by large medical technology companies. Eric earned his Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Studies from California State University, San Diego.
Fun Fact
- Enjoys spending time on outings with his wife, two daughters, and family dog.
- Eric has been sailing small and big boats since a young boy and currently enjoys longboard windsurf racing with Fleet 18 in Foster City.
- Spends too many Saturdays cleaning his wife’s classroom turtle tank.
- Was the official nail polisher for his daughters until they became teenagers and outgrew this passion.
Micah Bongberg
VP of Commercialization
Micah Bongberg
VP of Commercialization
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Bio
Micah is the VP of Commercialization at Avive where his focus is on bringing Avive’s fantastic AED unit to the masses. Previously, Micah ran a San Francisco-based AED distribution and CPR training organization that provided services for leading organizations across the United States. Most recently, Micah was the CEO of the world’s largest distributor of AED units and supplies. Over his career, Micah has been responsible for the sale and deployment of tens of thousands of AED units which have saved hundreds of lives (and counting!).
Fun Fact
- Micah loves authentic Mexican food; so much so that he opened and ran a popular taco truck one summer.
- Micah is an avid 49ers fan and somehow convinces himself every offseason that “this will be the year….”
- During his time in northern Wisconsin, he used to snowmobile to work, a faster mode of transportation than a car.
Fouzia Babar
VP of Business Operations
Fouzia Babar
VP of Business Operations
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Bio
Fouzia is the VP of Business Operations at Avive, where she wears many hats from capital management and budgeting, to human resources. Prior to joining the team, her most notable role was as the Director of Financial Operations at Hospital Corporation of America (HCA). She received her Bachelor’s in Accounting from Virginia Commonwealth University, and her MBA in Entrepreneurship from Pepperdine University.
Fun Fact
- Greatest fear – a bee going into her mouth, again. Alas, she didn’t get stung, but said bee died.
- If you like Death Cab, then you are automatically in her Circle of Trust.
- Her guilty pleasure is singing karaoke, anytime, anywhere.
- Wanderlust has taken her to 15 countries so far. The real dream is to go to Antarctica, but no one wants to go with her.
Jess Koenig
Head of People
Jess Koenig
Head of People
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Bio
Jess is passionate about building out the People function as Head of People at Avive. She has over 8 years of HR experience in growing startups and comes most recently from Concord in the Contract Lifecycle Management space. Prior to finding her love of HR, she taught elementary Art for several years.
Fun Fact
- Every Halloween Jess gets to showcase her art background by carving portraits in pumpkins, some of her favorites include RBG, Frida Khalo, and Steve Jobs.
- An avid traveler, Jess has been to all 7 continents.
- Jess spends her weekends recharging outdoors: hiking, camping, kayaking and exploring the city with her dog.
Chris Kohlbrecher
Director of Software
Chris Kohlbrecher
Director of Software
Linkedin
Bio
Chris Kohlbrecher is the Director of Software Engineering at Avive with 20+ years of experience in creating novel and high-performing software solutions as both a leader and hands-on technical expert. He has over 10+ years of expertise in Medical Device development including leading software and systems engineering teams, 510k / CE Mark submissions, alpha, beta, release to market, QMS, audit and post-market. Chris has a track record of success developing and implementing software products, systems integration, device integration, analytics, cybersecurity, SaaS and Cloud solutions from concept to production release. He holds a Bachelors of Science degree from Illinois State University in Applied Computer Science.
Fun Fact
- He is a dedicated, hands-on sports dad. He doesn’t miss an opportunity to root for his kids at baseball, basketball, football or gymnastics.
- He loves to cook for his family and friends. His wife and friends most enjoy any meat he smokes and his friends want him to open a restaurant.
- He will always participate in Karaoke when available and is partial to performing in a duet.
- He loves the family’s pug to the point where his kids wonder who is higher priority.
Jimy Pesin
Director of Systems Engineering
Jimy Pesin
Director of Systems Engineering
Linkedin
Bio
Jimy is the Director of Systems Engineering at Avive Solutions. He has worked both in several start ups as well as large corporations developing medical devices. His past experiences include leading a technical team developing high power laser systems for stone and tissue ablation in the urinary pathway, developing neurostimulation systems for peripheral neuropathy and overactive bladder, and designing a novel respiratory monitoring system for premature infants. He holds a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering from RIT in Rochester, NY and a PhD in Biomedical Engineering from the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology in Haifa, Israel.
Fun Fact
- Loves to cook and experiment in the kitchen which have led to various fermentation projects/explosions.
- Fascinated by linguistics, etymology and their cultural evolution.
- Has a dog, Mango, that managed to eat batteries and a toaster when he was home alone. Mango was unfazed and is happy and healthy.
- “Secretly” wants to buy a plot of land, build his own house with a woodshop and pottery studio, start a small self-sustaining farm and raise alpacas.
Greg Feneis
Senior Electrical Engineer
Greg Feneis
Senior Electrical Engineer
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Bio
Greg is a Senior Electrical Engineer at Avive Solutions. He has over 20 years of electronics design and manufacturing experience, and nearly 10 of those years have been focused on medical device products. Throughout his career, Greg has developed a variety of Class II and III medical device products that have gone on to receive FDA approval. His most recent role prior to joining Avive was as a Senior Electrical Engineer at Element Science – a medical device company that has developed a novel wearable defibrillator technology. Greg received his bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering Technology from Old Dominion University, where he specialized in machine controls and control system theory.
Fun Fact
- Greg is an avid baker, and frequently enjoys the peace of mind and satisfaction that comes from baking rustic artisan loaves on a daily basis.
- He once belonged to an award-winning NASCAR team that took Rookie of the year, track champion, and second place, all in 3 seasons.
- In a previous work situation he was given the nickname “Ol’ Greg” a la The Mighty Boosh’s character of the same name.
- Greg likes to sing karaoke but struggles with pop music because it’s typically performed by tenors or higher registers, and poor Ol’ Greg is a baritone.
- He thinks puns are mountainous (beyond hill areas), and they’re great because Annie Juan can do it.
Dan Galkowski
Software Architect
Dan Galkowski
Software Architect
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Bio
Dan is a Software Architect at Avive Solutions. He has over 30 years of experience as a software developer developing software for a number of industries, most notably banking and medical devices. His most recent role prior to joining the team has been as Principal Software Engineer of CRISI Medical Systems (acq. by Becton Dickinson). Dan is a strong software engineering professional with a BA in Computer Science from University of California, San Diego.
Fun Fact
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- Avid fish collector. Has 4 aquariums with ~100 Lake Malawi African cichlids and a backyard pond containing ~20 Koi.
- Enjoys creating art work using various paint pouring techniques and turned his half of the garage into a painting studio.
- Once accepted a pushup challenge and was able to complete 1,004 pushups in one hour.
Chris Lawson
Senior Firmware Engineer
Chris Lawson
Senior Firmware Engineer
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Bio
Chris is a Senior Firmware Engineer at Avive Solutions. He has over 20 years of experience designing embedded systems for products in various industries, including ag-tech and healthcare. Throughout his career, Chris has taken numerous complex electro-mechanical products from concept through commercial production. He received his bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering from The University of Nebraska. Go Huskers!
Fun Fact
- Loves all things soccer. Plays futsal with friends each week, coaches his kid’s teams, and watches Premier League games whenever possible.
- Plays the bass guitar, because bass holds the band together.
- Has an overly technical process of making homemade popcorn, which includes spinning and tossing the bowl to evenly distribute butter and salt.
- Developed a product that was used by the USA Bobsled Team during training, leading to a gold medal in the 2010 Winter Olympics!
Carly Jackson
Public Access Defibrillator Specialist
Carly Jackson
Public Access Defibrillator Specialist
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Bio
Carly is a Public Access Defibrillator Specialist at Avive. Her initial involvement in the AED industry began almost a decade ago as a CPR & AED instructor, which led her to working in AED sales, and later managing the AED division of a Canada based AED distributor. She has held the position of Director of Distribution, and has championed public awareness campaigns dedicated to promoting awareness and understanding amongst the public of the importance of AEDs. Carly has played an integral role in creating two nonprofit organizations dedicated to placing AEDs in communities, as well as spearheading the development of startup companies in the field of AED accessories & AED remote monitoring. Most recently, she worked as a Medical Device Consultant allowing her the opportunity to work hand in hand with multiple AED distributors and manufacturers. Carly received her Bachelor’s of Science degree in Physiology and Master of Science degree in Physiology & Pharmacology.
Fun Fact
- Is an avid lover of heights and some may have even called her an adrenaline junkie. This continued even after a rare malfunction occurred with the deployment of her shoot while Skydiving, but slowly came to a halt after an unfortunate bungee jumping mishap.
- If she could spend her day anywhere it would be boating in Muskoka with her family, friends, and of course her golden retriever!
- Her home town is a place called Utopia, Canada – and yes it is quite literally the perfect place.
Gaurav Rao
Software Architect
Gaurav Rao
Software Architect
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Bio
Gaurav is the Software Architect at Avive, where he leads the development of the product’s backend architecture. Prior to joining the team, Gaurav built up 8 years of valuable experience with software and web development, database management, and data analysis. Gaurav received his Bachelor’s and a Master’s degree in Computer Applications as well as a Master’s degree in Entrepreneurship, Technology, and Innovation in Halifax, Canada.
Fun Fact
- You may find a collection of more than two dozen cellphones in his desk drawers.
- He is surprisingly, a lover of nature over technology.
- Like a true renaissance man, he has modified two cars and one bike.
Richard Denton
Lead Quality Assurance Engineer
Richard Denton
Lead Quality Assurance Engineer
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Bio
Richard is the Lead Quality Assurance Engineer at Avive. Prior to joining the team, Richard was a Quality Assurance Technician for CRISI Medical Systems (acq. by Becton Dickinson), where he ran verification and validation testing and systems engineering for their 510(k) medical device.
Fun Fact
- Connoisseur of eclectic music; from twelve-tone serialism to avant garde jazz to technical metal – the stranger the better!
- Regularly submits self to the tortures of cat allergies in order to experience the joys of the relentlessly adorable and world’s greatest domesticated predator.
- Avid lover of both astronomy and sushi – plans to retire on whichever colonized Jovian moon has the largest sustainable salmon farms.
- Firm believer in the dietary discipline of ‘breakfastism’ – a practice that sees no distinction relating the time of day and the consumption of traditional breakfasts foods.
Priscilla Agosto
Mechanical Engineer
Priscilla Agosto
Mechanical Engineer
Linkedin
Bio
Priscilla is a Mechanical Engineer at Avive Solutions. Her most recent role prior to joining the team was working as a Mechanical Engineer at Brooks Automation where she contributed to designing and building a cryogenic sample management robot as well as using machine learning to predict the performance of semiconductor automation robots. Prior to her time at Brooks Automation, Priscilla worked at Medtronic where she was a part of a team that designed and built a surgical robot system. Priscilla received her Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from MIT. During her time at MIT, Priscilla mentored students taking a Design and Manufacturing class as they used machinery to build robots.
Fun Fact
- Was born and raised on an island but somehow dislikes seafood and swimming.
- Hopes to attend all four Grand Slam singles finals before turning 30. Has so far been to none of them.
- Loves to rock climb but is terrified of heights.
Golda Cenadoza
Quality Specialist
Golda Cenadoza
Quality Specialist
Bio
Golda is a Quality Specialist at Avive Solutions. Prior to joining Avive, she worked on the Manufacturing and Operations team at Potrero Medical where she helped develop and standardize new processes for for the company’s Class II medical device.
Fun Fact
- Fun Fact: She has fun!
- Can’t get enough of driving up and down the Pacific Coast.
- Is notorious for assuming her friends are interested in spontaneous urban and natural treks which consume the daylight hours.
Andreea Martin
Electrical Engineer
Andreea Martin
Electrical Engineer
Linkedin
Bio
Andreea is an Electrical Engineer at Avive Solutions. Prior to joining the team, she worked as an Electrical Engineering Intern at Fitbit where she worked on developing an alternative heart rate monitoring solution for the Alta HR and their future devices. Andreea received her Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering from MIT. During her time at MIT, she focused her research efforts on power electronics and has a pending publication from the work she did during her time at the Research Laboratory of Electronics at MIT.
Fun Fact
- As an Electrical Engineer, she secretly wishes more people who ask about MCUs actually want to talk about Marvel.
- She lurks on cinematography forums with the hope of one day actually making a film.
- She’s a pro at making sangria (or maybe just forgets things in the fridge for too long).
- She once got stuck in a stand-off with a gator at the dead-end of a swamp trail.
Deval Gupta
Firmware Engineer
Deval Gupta
Firmware Engineer
Bio
Deval is a Firmware Engineer at Avive Solutions. Prior to joining Avive, he was the sole firmware engineer at another medical device startup, where he developed low power firmware for a micro-needle based continuous glucose monitoring system as well as the software for its manufacturing platform. He is passionate about solving complex hardware/software problems in the medical device and biotechnology startup space, and developing products that can improve and save lives. He received his Bachelor’s degree in Engineering from Harvey Mudd College and then his Masters in Biomedical Engineering from UC San Diego.
Fun Fact
- Loves to play tennis, or any other racket sport; you can usually find him on the tennis court
- Is an avid reader, whether it be science fiction, economics/history, or novels
- On a mission to explore all the US National Parks!
Andrew Galkowski
Software Engineer
Andrew Galkowski
Software Engineer
Bio
Andrew is a Software Engineer at Avive Solutions. Prior to joining the team, he was a Software/QA Intern at CRISI Medical Systems (acq. by Becton dickinson), where he performed AD HOC QA testing, ran verification and validation testing and developed test applications for the company’s Class II medical device.
Fun Fact
- I have a 3rd Degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do
- I can come close to the world record snapping speed (296 snaps in 1 minute)
- I love playing laser tag and attend hour long laser tag events with my father and friends.
Manasvi Sharma
Manufacturing Engineer
Manasvi Sharma
Manufacturing Engineer
Linkedin
Bio
Manasvi is a Manufacturing Engineer at Avive focused on manufacturing operations with the goal of setting up highly efficient, effective, sustainable, and robust manufacturing/supply chain operations for the AED Units. Prior to joining the team, he has worked as an Engineering Intern at Maruti Suzuki India Limited (subsidiary of Suzuki Motor Corporation of Japan) in the Operations and Process Control department and contributed in updating certain processes resulting in significant reduction in defects. He also interned at Mahindra and Mahindra Limited where he worked on developing models to optimize inventory and supply chain operations. Manasvi received his Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from Jaypee University of Engineering and Technology and then a Master’s degree in Manufacturing Engineering from Arizona State University.
Fun Fact
- As a kid, was really afraid of water and spent first month of his swimming lessons hiding in the locker room, eventually got over it, learned swimming, and won various swimming championships.
- In high school, worked with his dad (who is a doctor) to design and install an elevator at his dad’s clinic to move the patients to the second floor. He’s fascinated by powerful cars, follow Formula 1, and regularly do karting with friends.
Marta Sanchez
Quality Assurance Specialist
Marta Sanchez
Quality Assurance Specialist
Bio
Marta is a Quality Assurance Specialist at Avive. She brings twenty eight years of experience in the Medical and Pharmaceutical Device Industry, at both large and small companies. She has supervised production teams of various sizes. At Avive she handles IQC/inspection, NCR, CAPA, materials, purchasing, shipping & receiving, production documentation, and office administration items, among other things.
Fun Fact
- Marta enjoys gardening, cooking and barbecuing with her family and friends.
- She used to enjoy mountain biking, but after taking a few falls, settled upon hiking as her new favorite outdoor activity, which she loves to do with her husband, two sons and daughter.
- Is passionate about ancient history. In her spare time she loves to read, watch documentaries, and learn about the places she visits.
Ben Yuan
Senior Firmware Engineer
Ben Yuan
Senior Firmware Engineer
Bio
Ben is a Senior Firmware Engineer at Avive. He has over 30 years of experience in embedded systems R&D. He is a lifelong dreamer with ambitions of working on the greatest technologies and building the very best products. During his career he has worked on everything from surveillance cameras, to monitor wall processors, to hi-fi smart speakers, to vapor devices. Prior to joining the Avive team, he led the firmware team at Pax Labs.
Fun Fact
- Ben is often told, “You look younger than your age!” In fact, he was asked to show his ID to prove his age when purchasing wines at Costco just a few years ago.
- Could not swim a single lap long until joining his college's winter swim team! The training exercise for his first lap was in an outdoor non-heated pool with freezing cold water. It took just a moment for him to reach the other side. He is grateful that his survival instinct kicked in!
- He will always participate in Karaoke when available and is partial to performing in a duet.
- Ben loves to garden, hike, and cook. He cooks every dish with unique flavors and lets his life circumstances and feelings guide him in the kitchen. He does not rely upon specific ingredient lists or measurements. His Sweet and Sour Ribs and Mapo Tofu are the best in the entire world, according to his friends.
Gina Rodriguez
Marketing Manager
Gina Rodriguez
Marketing Manager
Bio
Gina is a Marketing Manager at Avive where she facilitates the creation of engaging content and events. She recently worked for the State of Nevada in the economic development arena, planning all aspects of the Governor's international trade missions. Her other work experiences in the Washington, D.C. area and Nevada have been geared toward effective organizational management to drive positive social change. She earned her Bachelor's degree from UC Davis and her MPA from the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey. She served as a Peace Corps volunteer in El Salvador.
Fun Fact
- Gina, along with her husband, two daughters and two Pugs, have traveled nearly all drivable miles of Route 66 together. This epic cross-country road trip took place before their French Bulldog joined the family.
- Gina is passionate about Halloween costuming.
- She is a collector of heart-shaped rocks, and a lover of cacti and camping.
Yvette Tam
Visual Designer
Yvette Tam
Visual Designer
Bio
Yvette is the Visual Designer at Avive and responsible for managing the Avive brand while leading creative initiatives. Yvette brings diverse design experience from a variety of industries and holds a Bachelors of Science in Graphic Design from the Academy of Art University.
Fun Fact
- Yvette enjoys the outdoors, especially sunrises and sunsets, but she doesn't love camping.
- She is the master of one-pot meals!
- Yvette loves to do something creative every day.
McKenzie Ycmat
Senior Content Marketing Manager
McKenzie Ycmat
Senior Content Marketing Manager
Bio
Mckenzie is the Senior Content Marketing Manager at Avive. A Salt Lake City native, Mckenzie first moved out to San Francisco in January 2020 focusing on marketing for a virtual reality tool used in physical and occupational rehabilitation. Mckenzie has worked in the digital marketing space for over 7 years ranging from social media, video, podcasting, website management, and SEO. She received her BA in Journalism from the University of Utah and her MBA from Western Governors University.
Fun Fact
- Loves to cook and find new recipes that are challenging. She’s most likely to provide home-cooked treats in the office!
- Mckenzie's claim to fame is being able to play the piano, flute, guitar, and ukulele after trying a career in writing music scores for movies. Turns out there's a lot more math involved in writing music than she thought!
- Mckenzie has hiked and/or camped in all five national parks in the state of Utah and currently has a goal to do the same in California.
Michael Robinson
Embedded Test Engineer
Michael Robinson
Embedded Test Engineer
Bio
Michael is an Embedded Test Engineer at Avive. He creates data-driven embedded software test automation frameworks. He is skilled in test case development, test case automation, and test case failure analysis. He has extensive experience in the automotive industry.
Fun Fact
- Michael is a SCUBA diver.
- He previously worked as an Automotive Diagnostic Technician.
- Michael loves motorcycles!
Bob Barrera
Senior Materials Analyst
Bob Barrera
Senior Materials Analyst
Bio
A seasoned procurement professional with over 25 years of supply chain experience, Bob brings significant procurement skill and knowledge to his Senior Materials Analyst role at Avive. Bob has experience working in regulated industries, procuring a broad range of commodities, at both large and small companies, and has worked as an individual contributor and managed a large staff. He is well versed in Supplier Qualification, Auditing, Supplier Relationship Management, Contract Negotiations, New Product Introduction, and Procurement Process Development. Bob earned a BA in Business Administration, and MBA in Global Business.
Fun Fact
- Bob has parachuted out of an aircraft, and repelled out of a helicopter, but is deathly afraid of bungee jumping.
- His family owns and operates a 4000 acre cattle ranch is northern Mexico.
- "I can lift 100 lbs all the way over my head." (Seinfeld)
Jeff Trost
Board Member
Jeff Trost
Board Member
Linkedin
Bio
Jeff is currently the Managing Partner at Laerdal Million Lives Fund. Formerly, he founded and served as the managing director of Greenbox Venture Partners, while also managing the venture investing at Rock Health. Prior to forming Greenbox, Jeff was the director of healthcare investment banking at GCA Savvian, where he worked with and advised venture-backed, private equity and multinational public companies on fundraising, M&A, joint ventures, partnering and other strategic transactions across various areas of healthcare, including digital health, diagnostic imaging, connected and remote patient monitoring devices and many more. He has specific experience in the cardiac arrest/defibrillator industry, having advised Nihon Kohden on the acquisition of Defibtech, and other industry transactions. Jeff received his Bachelor’s Biomedical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, and Economics from Duke University.
Fun Fact
- Escapes the cold summers of San Francisco for as many Chicago Cubs games as possible.
- Has an overflowing vinyl record collection, but continues digging for near-mint copies of anything in Rod Stewart’s catalog.
- Enjoys viewing the streets of San Francisco through a Canon lens.
Amir Jafri
Board Member
Amir Jafri
Board Member
Linkedin
Bio
Amir is a founding Board member of Avive. He has over 25 years of experience in healthcare technology and medical devices in Fortune 50 companies as well as his own startups. As a senior executive, he has managed multi-billion dollar product lines on a global basis and is highly experienced with global regulatory environments. Most notably, Amir has held the titles VP/CTO, VP R&D, and VP Operations at Cardinal Health, where he managed products with over $1 Billion in annual revenue. Currently, Amir is the CEO and founder of Immunicom, a company developing a revolutionary treatment for cancer.
Fun Fact
- While his professional pursuits keep him busy, his main profession is driving his wife to question her sanity for choosing him as her spouse of 25 years.
- His simple hobbies include restoring American muscle cars (1965 Mustang), model trains, radio control airplanes, matchbox cars, and collecting the complete power tool inventory at Home Depot; of which he knows how to use none.
- He thought he had fixed the brake line in his Mustang, only to have the brakes fail late at night when he was test driving near his house.
Darshana Zaveri
Board Member
Darshana Zaveri
Board Member
Linkedin
Bio
Darshana is a Founder and Managing Partner of CHV. She is actively involved in all aspects of fund management, including investments and capital raising in the medical device, women’s health and diagnostics markets. She led CHV I investments in Augmenix (acquired by Boston Scientific), nVision Medical (acquired by Boston Scientific), and Aria CV. Prior to joining CHV in 2007, Darshana was an Investigator at Vertex Pharmaceuticals, and an integral part of drug development programs in oncology, metabolic disease, and immunology. She also has experience in biotechnology and completed an internship at the United Nations. She has authored several publications and scientific journal articles. Darshana currently serves on the Board of several medical device companies, including Avive’s, and is an advisor for various foundations and investment funds. Darshana received an M.P.A. from Harvard University, an M.A. in Cell and Molecular Biology from Boston University, and a B.S. in Biochemistry from Bombay University in Bombay, India.
Fun Fact
- Usually sings Indian classical music but has also been known to belt out Abba’s “Dancing Queen” when pushed to perform.
- Darshana is an avid global traveler but is known to frequently lose her passport, sometimes in foreign lands and has to be rescued by the American consulate.
- Takes pride in cooking at least 4 meals a week, each of a different cuisine as long as the good wine keeps flowing!
Advisors
Megan Moynahan
FDA Strategist
Megan Moynahan
FDA Strategist
Linkedin
Bio
Megan is Avive’s FDA Strategist, and advises the company on its regulatory strategy and participates in all FDA interactions. Most notably, Megan was the former FDA Branch Chief of Cardiac EP Devices, where she led the Cardiac Electrophysiology and Monitoring Network. Specifically, she was responsible for ensuring coordinated regulation of pacemakers, defibrillators, EP devices, and cardiac monitoring systems at FDA.
Darlene Crockett-Billig
Regulatory Advisor
Darlene Crockett-Billig
Regulatory Advisor
Linkedin
Bio
Darlene is Avive’s Regulatory Advisor, and supports Avive’s day-to-day interaction with regulatory agencies. During her 40+ year career in the medical device industry, Darlene has directed over 300 successful submissions, including PMAs, IDEs, 510(k)s, HDEs, De Novos, Technical Files and Design Dossiers. She has been responsible for regulatory affairs, quality systems and clinical research activities for a myriad of products, including implantable and active implantable devices, combination products, in vitro diagnostics, and instruments.
Dr. Ronald Berger
Medical Advisor
Dr. Ronald Berger
Medical Advisor
Linkedin
Bio
Dr. Ronald Berger serves as a Medical Advisor to Avive and is one of the company’s clinical experts for interaction with the FDA. He serves as the Chief of Cardiology at Johns Hopkins University. Dr. Berger has nearly 250 papers published in peer-reviewed medical journals and holds over 30 patents in the fields of arrhythmia detection, catheter ablation, defibrillation, and cardiopulmonary resuscitations. Finally, he has received numerous honors including a FIRST award from the NIH and an Established Investigator Award from the American Heart Association. Dr. Berger received his Bachelor’s, Master’s, and Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from MIT, his M.D. from Harvard University, and completed his Cardiac Electrophysiology Fellowship at Johns Hopkins University.
Dr. Fred St. Goar
Medical Advisor
Dr. Fred St. Goar
Medical Advisor
Bio
Dr. Fred St. Goar serves as a Medical Advisor to Avive Solutions. He is known as a an active participant in the medical device industry, and was part of the founding teams at Evalve (acq. by Abbott) and Heartport (acq by Johnson & Johnson). Dr. St. Goar is still a practicing interventional cardiologist at El Camino Hospital and serves as the Medical Director of the Norma Melchor Heart and Vascular Institute based at El Camino. He also serves as the Vice Chairman of the Board at the Fogarty Institute for Innovation. Dr. St. Goar received his M.D. from Harvard Medical School and completed his medical and cardiology training at Stanford University.
Dr. Maulik Majmudar
Medical Advisor
Dr. Maulik Majmudar
Medical Advisor
Linkedin
Bio
Dr. Maulik Majmudar serves as a Medical Advisor to Avive Solutions. Known as a renowned cardiologist and “master of bringing technology into the clinic”, Dr. Majmudar was hired by Amazon to help implement and massively scale new healthcare innovation. Prior to his role at Amazon, Dr. Majmudar practiced cardiology and served as the Associate Director of the Healthcare Transformation Lab at Massachusetts General Hospital – where he successfully incubated numerous healthcare technologies and had a specific focus on leveraging technology to improve the experience and value of care for both patients, providers, and the health system. He also served as a lecturer and visiting scientist at MIT, as well as an Assistant Professor at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Majmudar received his M.D. from Northwestern University, completed his residency at Johns Hopkins Hospital, and completed his cardiology fellowship at Duke University Medical Center and Brigham & Women’s Hospital.
Dr. Joseph Smith
Medical Advisor
Dr. Joseph Smith
Medical Advisor
Linkedin
Bio
Dr. Joe Smith serves as a Medical Advisor to Avive Solutions, and is one of the company’s Key Opinion Leaders in the med tech industry. His current role is as President and Chief Executive Officer of Reflexion Health, a Digital Health Corp company. Dr. Smith’s leadership background also includes serving as Vice President of Emerging Technologies for Johnson & Johnson, Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer of Guidant/Boston Scientific’s Cardiac Rhythm Management division, and Professor of Medicine and Biomedical Engineering at Washington University in St. Louis. Before that, Dr. Smith was a practicing cardiologist/electrophysiologist for almost twenty years, training at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, with subsequent sub-specialty training in clinical cardiac electrophysiology and faculty appointments at Washington University in St Louis and Johns Hopkins University. He also Founded the Arrhythmia Institute, which specializes in interventional cardiac electrophysiology and clinical research. An international speaker on healthcare innovation, Dr. Smith has testified before various Congressional committees on the value of healthcare technology, and has served on the Food and Drug Administration Safety Innovation Act (FDASIA) workgroup. He’s also held various advisory and board roles in an array of start-up companies, foundations, and universities, and is a graduate of the Johns Hopkins University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Harvard Medical School.
Dr. Ricardo Martinez
Medical Advisor
Dr. Ricardo Martinez
Medical Advisor
Linkedin
Bio
Dr. Ricardo Martinez serves as a Medical Advisor to Avive Solutions. As a nationally recognized emergency physician, he is the company’s Key Opinion Leader to the emergency medicine community. Currently, Dr. Martinez is the Executive Vice President and Chief Medical Officer at Adeptus Health, a leading patient-centered healthcare services company that is also the parent company of the largest freestanding emergency-room network in the U.S. – First Choice Emergency Room. Among many notable senior roles that he has held in business, academia, and federal government, Dr. Martinez previously served as the Executive Vice President of Medical Affairs for the Schumacher Group, a leading emergency medicine practice management company, and was also appointed Federal Administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) by President Clinton. Finally, he has been a senior medical advisor to the National Football League since 1988, facilitating medical care, emergency planning, preparedness and public health for The Super Bowl. Dr. Martinez received his M.D. from Louisiana State University School of Medicine, and completed his residency at LSU-Charity Hospital, where he was Chief Resident.
Mark Hermes
Strategic Advisor
Mark Hermes
Strategic Advisor
Linkedin
Bio
Mark Hermes serves as a Strategic Advisor to Avive, guiding the company on commercialization and sales strategy. Mark has over 14 years of experience in the AED industry at Cardiac Science Corporation. Most recently, he was the Vice President of Sales at Cardiac Science during a time where the Company significantly grew market share and was eventually acquired by ZOLL Medical Corporation in 2019.
Mark Taylor
Strategic Advisor
Mark Taylor
Strategic Advisor
Bio
Mark Taylor serves as a Strategic Advisor to Avive. He began his career in Medical Equipment sales in 1999. In 2011, he founded Master Medical Equipment (MME) with the goal of being able to fill the gap in quality sales and service of small electronic medical equipment, specializing in Professional Grade Defibrillators and AEDs. Over the last 10 years, MME has become one of the leading AED distributors in the country. Mark is also the founder and President of ReNew Biomedical, a Medical Services company specializing in Repair and Service of Electronic Medical Equipment.
Dr. Frank Laws
Clinical Expert & Medical Advisor
Dr. Frank Laws
Clinical Expert & Medical Advisor
Bio
Dr. Frank A. Laws serves as a Medical Advisor to Avive, and is one of the company’s clinical experts for pre-clinical validation work and interaction with the FDA. He is one of a handful of physicians in the country that practices as both an Interventional Cardiologist and Electrophysiologist. Dr. Laws serves as the Director of the Heart and Vascular Institute and Director of Cardiovascular Innovations and Research Institute at Valley View Hospital in Colorado, where they perform some of the most cutting edge cardiovascular procedures in the U.S. Dr. Laws received his M.D from University of West Indies (Jamaica), and he completed his fellowship in Interventional Cardiology from University of Texas – Houston Medical School and his fellowship in Cardiac Electrophysiology from Tufts University School of Medicine.
Meir Berkman
Public Safety & Healthcare Advisor
Meir Berkman
Public Safety & Healthcare Advisor
Linkedin
Bio
Meir serves as a Public Safety & Healthcare advisor to Avive. With 10 years of service in the 911 industry, Meir offers expertise in digital health, Public Safety, EMS, home health, and healthcare insurance. Meir currently leads healthcare partnerships at Butterfly Network, a recently publicly listed medical device company. He previously led healthcare partnerships and strategy for RapidSOS, which manages the flow of data for over 200M annual 911 calls. Prior to his time at RapidSOS, Meir worked in regulatory affairs at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, and served as the Executive Director of an Upstate New York Emergency Medical Service Group. Meir received his bachelor’s degree and Masters in Public Administration from Binghamton University, and continues to volunteer as a medic in New York City.
Walt Bochenko
R&D / Quality System Advisor
Walt Bochenko
R&D / Quality System Advisor
Linkedin
Bio
Walt serves as an R&D and Quality System Advisor to Avive, and plays an important role in product development and quality system documentation review. He has over 30 years of R&D/Quality System experience in the medical device industry, and during that time has developed and launched over 20 regulated medical devices that had to either go through 510k or PMA approval pathways. His most recent experience was as the VP of Product Development and Quality at CRISI Medical Systems (acq by Becton Dickinson). Walt received his Bachelor’s in Electrical Engineering and MBA from Rochester Institute of Technology.
Joseph Calabro
Operations/Manufacturing Advisor
Joseph Calabro
Operations/Manufacturing Advisor
Linkedin
Bio
Joe serves as an Operations and Manufacturing Advisor to Avive, and helps the company interface with its various manufacturing partners and suppliers. He has over 30 years of experience working in lead operations/engineering roles for Fortune 50 companies, as well as startups, to bring innovative medical devices to market. His most notable experience was as the VP of Operations at CRISI Medical Systems (acq by Becton Dickinson). Joe received his Bachelor’s and Master’s in Mechanical Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and later went on to receive his MBA from Boston University.
Dr. Asif Ali
Medical Advisor
Dr. Asif Ali
Medical Advisor
Linkedin
Bio
Dr. Asif Ali serves as a Medical & Business Development Advisor to Avive, and is influential in connecting Avive with prominent physician and potential industry collaborators across the country. He is one of the leading Cardiologists in the Greater Houston Area, and is a champion for prevention of cardiac arrest (specifically mass AED dissemination), and has served as a Medical Expert for legislative efforts that pertain to this topic in Texas. Dr. Ali received his M.D. from University of Texas – Houston Medical School.
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