Our Board
Our Board of Directors brings their deep expertise in the medical device industry to Olympic Ophthalmics, as we develop new neurostimulation technologies.
Michael Gertner
Founder and CEO
Mike is a dry eye sufferer and inventor of the iTEAR®100 device. After receiving a B.S. from Columbia University and an M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from MIT, Mike completed medical school at Cornell University. He then completed his residency in general surgery at UCSF, where he became fascinated with the impact technology development can have on patients. Mike spent several years practicing general surgery and Trauma and Critical Care, while also co-founding a surgical innovation program at Stanford. Mike’s philosophy is that simpler is better, less is more, and the highest value treatments are found in modulations of natural processes that are rooted in evidence-based medicine. Mike has raised over $100 million and founded several companies, including Oraya Therapeutics (Zeiss) and Minimus Surgical Systems (Allergan/Apollo Endosurgery). He has over 200 patents, many of which he has licensed, and is the author of over three dozen journal articles and book chapters. Mike splits time between the San Francisco Bay Area and Seattle and enjoys spending his spare time with his wife Angelie and their children.
Michael Fulton
Founding Investor
Dr. Michael Fulton is a Senior Managing Director at Biostar Capital and a founding investor in Olympic Ophthalmics. He has spent his entire career in healthcare, including over 20 years as a successful early-stage investor and entrepreneur. Prior to joining BioStar, Michael was a Managing Director of Hopen Life Science Ventures, a healthcare-focused venture capital firm. Michael received his B.A. from Northwestern University and M.D. from Cornell University Medical College. He also completed two years of neurosurgery training at the Cleveland Clinic.
Louis Cannon
Founding Investor
Dr. Louis Cannon is a founding investor of Olympic Opthalmics, as well as founder and senior managing director at BioStar Capital and the BioStar Ventures Funds. He is also founder and President of the Cardiac and Vascular Research Center of Northern Michigan and has been repeatedly honored as one of “America’s Top Interventional Cardiologists.” A previous Judah Folkman scholar in residence, Louis has authored hundreds of articles for medical publications and has served on the advisory boards for Fortune 500 companies such as Medtronic, Abbott, Boston Scientific, Johnson and Johnson, and Covidien, as well as many early developing medical technology companies. He recently served on the public Board of Directors of Corindus (CVRS: NYSE), acquired by Siemens Healthineers (OTC: SMMNY) which had over a 500% increase in market cap over 2 years since his tenure on the board.
Immanuel Thangaraj
Founding Investor
Immanuel Thangaraj is a founding investor in Olympic Ophthalmics, with over 20 years of experience as a seasoned investor in operations, venture capital and growth equity opportunities. He began his career at ARCH Venture Partners (“AVP”), a leading venture capital firm with over $2 billion under management, and focused on early stage technology and healthcare investments. He also served as a Managing Director at Essex Woodlands Health Ventures for over 20 years. Immanuel was an early investor and board member of Tear Science (Johnson & Johnson) and serves on the Board of Directors for Acura Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: ACUR), Serene LLC, Kona Medical, Inc., and Proteus Digital Health. He serves as the Co-Chair of the Council of the Booth School of Business and the Visiting Committee of the College, both at the University of Chicago. He is also a Trustee of Trinity School in Menlo Park, California, on the Board of the India Community Center in Milpitas, California, and the former Chairman of MAP International. Immanuel holds both a Bachelor of Arts degree and a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Chicago.
