Investment Team
Steve Hochberg, Managing Partner
Geoffrey W. Smith, Managing Partner
Arthur Tinkelenberg, Ph.D., Partner

Claudio Bertuccioli, Ph.D., Partner

Lawrence S. Atinsky, Partner and General Counsel

Jeffrey M. Sauerhoff, Partner and Chief Financial Officer

Lisa Shapiro Strovink, Principal

Jon Edelson, M.D., Venture Partner

Kurt Vedder, Executive-in-Residence

Selected Scientific Advisors
Gunnar Andersson, M.D., Ph.D.

Stephen J. Benkovic, Ph.D.

Alejandro Berenstein, M.D.

Elazer Edelman, M.D., Ph.D., F.A.C.C.
Peter Milner, M.D.
Hansen A. Yuan, M.D.

Investment Team

Steve Hochberg, Managing Partner
Steve has been an active founder and investor in early-stage medical technology companies since 1992. Companies co-founded by Steve include Biomerix Corporation, Eminent Research Systems Inc. (acquired by PPD, Inc. in 2003), Clinsights, Inc. (acquired by PPD, Inc. in 2003), Med-E-Systems/AHT Corporation (initial public offering in 1996), and Physicians' Online (acquired by Mediconsult in 1999). Steve currently serves on the Board of Directors of Biomerix Corporation, Synecor, LLC, Crosstrees Medical, Inc., and Ouroboros.    Steve is member of the Board of Governors of the New York Academy of Sciences.  Steve is also a member of the Board of Trustees and Executive Committee and Chairman of the Finance Committee of Continuum Health Partners, one of the largest non-profit hospital systems in New York City.

Earlier in his career, Steve was an investment banker with Alex. Brown & Sons and a strategy consultant with Bain & Company in the technology and healthcare areas.

Steve holds a B.S. from the University of Michigan and an MBA from Harvard Business School.

Geoffrey W. Smith, Managing Partner

Geoff has been an active founder, manager, and investor in healthcare and technology companies since 1995.  He currently serves on the Board of Directors of Azevan Pharmaceuticals, Biomerix Corporation, Anterios Inc., and Metronome Therapeutics and is a Board Observer for Cara Therapeutics.  Geoff is a Visiting Scholar at The Rockefeller University where he directs the Science & Economics Program.  He is a member of the Leadership Council of the Biomedical Research Institute at Brigham & Women’s Hospital.  Geoff is also a member of the Graduate School of Biological Sciences Committee at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine.

Earlier in his career, Geoff was a corporate attorney in New York City. Prior to receiving his law degree, he served as a Research Associate at Harvard Business School.

Geoff received a B.A. (with honors) from Williams College and a J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania Law School.

Arthur Tinkelenberg, Ph.D., Partner
Prior to joining ABV, Arthur worked in the Healthcare Investment Banking and Mergers and Acquisitions Groups at Robertson Stephens, where he advised clients on strategic and financing alternatives, and participated in over $250 million in public, private, and merger transactions for biotechnology, medical device, and diagnostics companies. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of Ouroboros, XLumena, and is a Board Observer for Azevan Pharmaceuticals.

Arthur conducted research in lipid metabolism, genomics, biochemistry, and cell biology as a Research Scientist at Columbia University, and is an inventor on a number of issued and pending patent applications.

Arthur earned his Ph.D. in molecular genetics from The Rockefeller University where he studied cell growth regulation and signal transduction as a Rockefeller and National Science Foundation Fellow, and earned his B.A. in Biology (with honors) from Grinnell College.

Claudio Bertuccioli, Ph.D., Partner

Claudio Bertuccioli brings to ABV 18 years of professional experience in life sciences, first as an academic research biologist, then as a venture capitalist.

Prior to joining ABV, Claudio was a Principal with Rho Ventures, a $1.2 billion VC firm with a broadly diversified portfolio of healthcare and technology companies, where he was responsible for primary deal screening and due diligence for healthcare investments.  During his time with Rho, he invested $175 million into more than 20 biotech and medical technology startups and achieved a number of successful IPOs and exits.

Prior to Rho, Claudio gained investment experience with Atlas Ventures in Boston and as a co-founder of Dwarf, an Internet-focused angel investment fund in New York.  He started his career in finance as a management consultant with Oliver, Wyman & Co., a strategic management consultancy focused on the financial services industry.

Claudio began his professional career as a molecular biologist studying the function of genes involved in early embryonic development.  Following a B.A. with 1st class honors from Cambridge University in molecular biology and genetics, Claudio completed a Ph.D. in molecular biology and embryology at The Rockefeller University, where he was the recipient of research funding from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.

Lawrence S. Atinsky, Partner and General Counsel

Lawrence has more than 11 years experience in private equity financing and mergers and acquisitions. A part of ABV since inception, Lawrence has primarily focused on the execution of ABV's investments, including, the structuring and valuation of potential investments, performing due diligence analysis and monitoriing of portfolio activities.

Prior to joining ABV, Lawrence was a Mergers & Acquisition attorney at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom in New York, where he was involved in structuring and negotiating numerous private and public transations. He has also been the General Counsel of several private companies in the healthcare industry.

Lawrence holds a B.A. (with honors) from the University of Wisconsin and a J.D. from New York University School of Law.

Jeffrey M. Sauerhoff, Partner and Chief Financial Officer

Jeff has more than 35 years experience in financial management working with early-stage medical technology and services companies.   Jeff has been involved with a number of companies co-founded by Ascent partners including Biomerix Corporation, Eminent Research Systems, Inc., Clinsights, Inc., and Med-E-Systems/AHT Corporation.  A part of ABV since inception, Jeff has responsibility for the fund's accounting and financial functions as well as providing financial oversight of portfolio activities.

Prior to joining ABV and its predecessor companies, Jeff was Chief Financial Officer of Erisco, Inc., a subsidiary of the Dun & Bradstreet Corporation.

Jeff holds a BS in Accounting from the C. W. Post Campus of Long Island University.

Lisa Shapiro Strovink, Principal

Lisa has more than 13 years experience in the health care industry.  Prior to joining Ascent Biomedical Ventures, Lisa was at Johnson & Johnson, most recently serving as the Director of Strategic Planning for the Medical Devices and Diagnostics group.  Other roles included being the Director of U.S. Marketing for Cordis Endovascular where she was responsible for the in-line marketing activities of the company, and the Director of the Carotid Stent Program where she oversaw the pre-commercial development of a product line that created a new interventional cardiovascular market.  She had also been a founding member of the Stroke Management Group that was building a business across J&J (device, pharmaceutical, and consumer sectors) to develop new therapies for treating stroke.  Lisa began her career as a management consultant with McKinsey & Company where she advised pharmaceutical and medical device companies and hospitals on strategic management issues.

Lisa received a B.A. (summa cum laude) in neurobiology from the University of Pennsylvania and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School.

Jon Edelson, MD, Venture Partner
Jon has been an active founder and chief executive officer of private and public medical technology companies since 1989. Jon was co-founder and chief executive officer for Aureon Laboratories (private company founded in 2001); Med-E-Systems/AHT Corporation (initial public offering 1996); Physicians' Online, Inc. (acquired by Mediconsult in 1999): and Medical Decision Resources, Inc. (acquired by Value Health in 1990). Jon has been a co-inventor of diverse molecular and information technologies and is a patent-holder.

Previously, Jon was an internist and conducted clinical research at Harvard's Brigham & Women's Hospital. Jon's research has been published in several of the world's leading medical journals.

Jon holds a B.A. (summa cum laude) from Yale University and a M.D. (with honors) from the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine.

Kurt Vedder, Executive-in-Residence

Kurt Vedder has more than 20 years of experience in the healthcare industry. He is currently General Manager and EVP for Sales and Marketing for Biomerix Corporation.    Before joining Ascent Biomedical Ventures as a consultant, Kurt was Director of Strategic Business Development, then Principal at De Novo Ventures from 2004 - 2007.  While at De Novo, Kurt led strategic investment initiatives.  His Board involvement included Facet Solutions Inc. and Luminous Medical.

Prior to joining De Novo Ventures, Kurt held increasing leadership and management roles in sales, business development and finance at Guidant Corporation.  He began his advanced medical device field sales career with Medtronic, Inc.

Selected Scientific Advisors

Gunnar Andersson, M.D., Ph.D.
Professor and Chairman, Department of Orthopedic Surgery,
Rush-Presbyterian-St. Luke's Medical Center

Stephen J. Benkovic, Ph.D.

Evan Pugh Professor and Eberly Chair of Chemistry, The Pennsylvania State University
Member, National Academy of Sciences

Alejandro Berenstein, M.D.

Chief, Interventional Radiology, Beth Israel Medical Center and St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital Center

Elazer Edelman, M.D., Ph.D., F.A.C.C.
Thomas D. and Virginia W. Cabot Professor of Health Sciences and Technology, MIT,
Director of the Harvard-MIT Biomedical Engineering Center,
Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School,
Associate Physician, Brigham and Women's Hospital

Peter G. Milner, M.D.

President and Co-Founder, ARYx Therapeutics,

Member, SAB, Novartis Institute of Biomedical Research,

Member, Board of Directors, California Healthcare Institute

Hansen A. Yuan, M.D.

Professor of Orthopaedic and Neurological Surgery,
State University of New York Upstate Medical University,

President, Spine Arthroplasty Society