Board

John M. Rice, PhD, Chairman

John is founder and Managing Partner of Triathlon Medical Ventures based in Cincinnati and brings 18 years of venture investing and 13 years of research and R&D management experience in biotechnology, devices, and diagnostics. John was a Managing Director of Senmed Medical Ventures from 1989 until 2003 where he was a member of the investment committee and led the emerging medical technology investment efforts. Prior to joining Senmed, John spent 13 years with Battelle Memorial Institute serving in various research, research management, and business development capacities. Locally and regionally, John was among the early organizers of Bio/Start, Cincinnati’s biomedical business incubator and currently serves as Chairman of its Board of Trustees. He is also a trustee of BioOhio, Ohio’s life science economic development organization and of the Global Cardiovascular Innovation Center at the Cleveland Clinic. John represents Triathlon on the boards of Akebia Therapeutics Inc. and Syntherix as Chairman, and Kereos Inc., and is an observer on the boards of CS-Keys, CoLucid, and Endocyte.

John earned his BS, MS and PhD degrees in Microbiology and Virology from The Ohio State University.

Steven E. Linberg, PhD, President and Chief Executive Officer

Steve has more than 30 years of both academic clinical research, and drug and biologics development experience. Steve initially worked in academia as a faculty member and clinical investigator. He has since held senior positions in the drug and biologics industry and at contract research organizations. From 1996 to 2002, Steve served as Managing Director and Vice President for Cato Research Ltd.’s Washington DC office. From 2002 to 2010, Steve served as Managing Director, Vice President and Treasurer of Chiesi Pharmacueticals Inc., the US subsidiary of Chiesi Farmaceutici S.p.A of Parma, Italy. As President and Chief Executive Officer for Airway Therapeutics, Steve has primary responsibility for the day-to-day running of the company, and participates in overseeing the development of the company’s products. Steve is also the editor and a contributing author of the text Expediting Drug and Biologics Development, now in its 3rd edition, and teaches graduate courses in Drug and Biologics Development, Clinical Trial Design, and Clinical Trial Operations for the Johns Hopkins University.

Steve earned a BA in Biology from the University of Delaware and MS and PhD degrees in Physiology from the Pennsylvania State University.

Nicole C. Robinson, PhD

Nicole is the Executive Director of the Center for Technology Commercialization (CTC) at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center. Dr. Robinson has been a member of the CTC and entrepreneurial community in Cincinnati for 5 years. Dr. Robinson received her Ph.D. in Cell Physiology from the University of Chicago, where she studied the function of chloride channels in disease. Since receiving her doctorate, Dr. Robinson has been actively engaged in academic technology transfer, and before coming to Cincinnati, she was a member of the University of Chicago technology transfer office.

Mike Venerable

Mike Venerable is an executive-in-residence for information technology at CincyTech and a member of the CincyTech investment committee. He evaluates investment opportunities, advises startup companies and helps them prepare to receive venture capital.

Mike has more than 20 years of experience as a software industry entrepreneur and executive. He was co-founder and CEO of Talus, a leading data warehouse consultancy, from 1993-1998. Talus was then acquired by Sagent Technology, where he led the company’s services organization through the company’s successful IPO in 1999. Mike has specific experience in raising angel and venture capital, software business design and operation, software product management, business valuation, financial analysis and intellectual property.

As an industry practitioner, Mike is an expert on data warehouse design, business intelligence and analytic applications and software development processes. He has consulted with a variety of large organizations and software companies on product development and strategy. Mike is also the co-author of Data Warehouse Design Solutions (Wiley & Sons). Mike has consulted on strategic product development initiatives for leading technology companies, including Siebel, Advent and Micros.

Prior to joining CincyTech Mike was a managing director of Scius Capital, a NY-based boutique investment bank focused on early-stage capitalization and liquidity strategies for intellectual-property owners in biosciences, information technology and industrial technology. At Scius Mike assisted in raising capital for companies in the life sciences, software and advanced manufacturing markets.