About Embolx
Embolx is an emerging commercial-stage medical device company in Silicon Valley developing microcatheters for arterial embolization procedures. Embolx is committed to dramatically improving the treatment of a variety of conditions including cancerous tumors, benign prostatic hyperplasia and uterine fibroids. The Sniper® balloon occlusion microcatheter sets a new standard for precise embolic delivery and superior target filling by controlling pressure to direct blood flow while protecting non-target surrounding tissues. Embolx is a privately held company.
Management Team
Michael Allen
President & Chief Executive Officer
Michael Allen is a Silicon Valley entrepreneur with 30 years’ experience leading diagnostic and medical device companies from inception to exit. He held the position of President & CEO at Metrika (acquired by Bayer) and XLumena (acquired by Boston Scientific). At ChemTrak, Mr. Allen was the Vice President of R&D which went public in 1993. Prior to that he was a research and development scientist at Syntex. He holds a degree in Biochemistry from University of California Berkeley and has 15 publications, 35 issued and pending patents and six products that are being sold to hospitals, physician offices and over the counter.
Tom Breton
Manager of Research & Development
In his 30+ years working almost exclusively in smaller start-ups, Mr. Breton has gained broad experience in Device Innovation, Product Design & Development, and Clinical Involvement. His extensive background extends into Cardiology, Peripheral Vascular, Surgery, and Neurovascular Radiology. He’s been instrumental in developing a number of medical devices that led up to eventual acquisitions by Medtronic, Boston Scientific, WL Gore, J&J and others. He is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts-Lowell with a BS Degree in Mechanical Engineering. He also holds a number of patents and patent applications related to innovative medical devices.
Board of Directors
Norman Gitis
Chairman
Dr. Norman Gitis serves as the Member of Screening Committee at Band of Angels. He founded and served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Center for Tribology. He is also an Angel Investor. He obtained his Ph.D. (1983) in Mechanical Engineering from the USSR Academy of Sciences in Moscow. He was twice named the CEO of Top20 Fastest Growing Private Companies in Northern California by the Business Journal. Norm is a life member of the engineering society of India and is a visiting professor of two universities in China.
Michael Allen
President & Chief Executive Officer
Michael Allen is a Silicon Valley entrepreneur with 30 years’ experience leading diagnostic and medical device companies from inception to exit. He held the position of President & CEO at Metrika (acquired by Bayer) and XLumena (acquired by Boston Scientific). At ChemTrak, Mr. Allen was the Vice President of R&D which went public in 1993. Prior to that he was a research and development scientist at Syntex. He holds a degree in Biochemistry from University of California Berkeley and has 15 publications, 35 issued and pending patents and six products that are being sold to hospitals, physician offices and over the counter.
Frank Grillo
Secretary
Mr. Grillo is President, CEO and a member of the BOD of AirXpanders. He has over 20 years of experience in the US medical device industry. He previously served for ten years in multiple roles with Boston Scientific Corporation, including Vice President, Marketing for its Women’s Health, Urology/Gynecology Division. Mr. Grillo was then recruited to Kyphon as Vice President, Marketing and Business Development. After Kyphon was acquired by Medtronic, Mr. Grillo then joined Intuitive Surgical Inc where he was VP, Marketing and Business Development for over six years. Most recently, Mr. Grillo was at MRI Interventions, a publicly traded neurological navigation company, where he served as President and CEO. Mr. Grillo holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical Engineering from Tufts University and a Master of Business Administration degree in Marketing, Finance and Operations from the J.L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University.
Paul Rogan
Board Member
Mr. Rogan has extensive start-up and small business experience including the formation and profitable exits of multiple companies. His experience spans a number of industries and product segments including semiconductor equipment, medical device, contract manufacturing/engineering services, and energy storage. Companies which Mr. Rogan either founded or was the seed investor include Equipe Technologies, E Machine, Global Blood Resources, Esystems Technologies (Dba Britelab, Inc), Mettle Machine, and Park-Rogan International. Mr. Rogan has a wealth of managerial and operational experience. He continues to serve on numerous corporate boards.
Tianhong Xu
Board Member
Dr. Tianhong Xu is a Co‐Founding Partner at VI Ventures. Dr. Xu’s life science experience spanned over 15 years as venture capitalist, UN officer, entrepreneur,research and clinical doctor. He focuses on investments in the medical device, biotech and healthcare service space. He earned his PhD in Molecular and Human Genetics from Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas, and MD from Fudan University.
