Board of Directors
The Accidental Entrepeneurs:
New York Times Article
DR. NEAL WALKER
Dr. Walker is a co-founder of Octagon Research Solutions, Inc. Dr. Walker is a serial entrepreneur and Board-certified dermatologist with almost 15 years of biopharmaceutical and life science industry experience. He began his career in 1992 in Quality Assurance at Johnson and Johnson. He then became a clinical/medical consultant for various biopharmaceutical companies such as Johnson and Johnson, AstraMerck, AstraZeneca, and Genta, Incorporated. While at AstraMerck, Dr. Walker had the honor of serving on the FDA Advisory Committee safety team for the Prescription to OTC switch of Prilosec®.
In 2004, Dr. Walker served as Chief medical officer and principal of Trigenesis Therapeutics, Inc, a Dermatology specialty (development stage) pharmaceutical company. Within 6 months of commencing operations, the company was sold to Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories. Dr. Walker then founded Cutix, Inc., a company focused on the acquisition of dermatology therapeutics. In 2005, Cutix acquired the PreSun® sunscreen brand, a well known in-market (since 1973) sunscreen franchise from Bristol-Myers Squibb.
Additionally, Dr. Walker has several years of business development experience working with large biopharmaceutical companies, start-ups, and universities in the identification, acquisition/licensing, and financing of novel development stage assets and in-market brands. He has worked with various technology transfer/venture arms at University of Pennsylvania, Vanderbilt University, University of Maryland, and Johns Hopkins in the formation of start-up companies around novel biopharmaceutical technologies. Most recently, he co-founded Omentec, Inc., a company formed around a novel target for the treatment of diabetes and obesity discovered at the University of Maryland.
Dr. Walker currently serves on the Advisory Boards of Specialty Diets, Inc., Patient Care Management Associates, Inc., and Flexible Medical Systems, Inc.
JOHN MARTINSON
John Martinson, Managing Partner, Edison Venture Fund with 28 years of venture capital experience, John has guided 150 equity financings. John has served on the Board of Directors of 40 companies. He made multiple investments in application software serving the drug industry, customer relationship management, education, human resources, manufacturing and enterprise solutions.
In 1986 he established the Edison Venture Fund, which financed more companies in NJ, PA, MD, and VA than any other private equity firm.
John is past Chairman of both the National Venture Capital Association (NVCA) and Greater Philadelphia Venture Group (GPVG). He served as director for eight years at both NVCA and GPVG. He is co-founder and former Chairman of the New Jersey Technology Council (NJTC). He served as Chairman of the Mid-Atlantic Venture Fair and founded the New Jersey Venture Fair.
From 1979 to 1986, John was a Principal of the InnoVen Group a $100 million venture capital fund backed by Anheuser Busch, Emerson Electric and Monsanto. From 1976 to 1979, John managed the rapid expansion of Qwip Systems, the facsimile industry pioneer. John began his venture career investing with Exxon Enterprises.
JAMES WALKER
Mr. Walker has been working in the pharmaceutical industry for 17 years. He is founder of Octagon Research Solutions, Inc. Prior to founding Octagon, he worked as the Senior Manager of Worldwide Regulatory Affairs for the Schering-Plough Corporation ("Schering"). While at Schering, he was responsible for clinical and pre-clinical in the antihistamine, central nervous system, and critical care therapeutic areas. Prior to joining Schering, Mr. Walker worked across multiple therapeutic areas in the Regulatory Affairs/Clinical and Clinical Quality Assurance department at the R.W. Johnson Pharmaceutical Research Institute (PRI). Mr. Walker has extensive experience in and knowledge of all phases of clinical research and both FDA and European regulations. He is skilled at process improvement and providing insight across multiple disciplines within drug development.
Mr. Walker holds a B.S. in Biological Sciences from Villanova University, a Masters in Environmental Sciences from Rutgers University, and an M.B.A. from Duke University.
JO WEBBER PH.D., FRSC CCHEM
Dr. Webber has over 15 years of experience with the development, implementation and marketing of enterprise software solutions to companies operating in FDA regulated environments and has worked with most of the worlds leading pharmaceutical companies. Dr. Webber holds a Ph.D. in Quantum Mechanics from Nottingham Trent University and Manchester University. Dr. Webber is a Chartered Chemist and Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry.
Dr. Webber served as President and CEO of InnaPhase Corporation, which was acquired by Thermo Electron (TMO) in 2004 for $70M. During her tenure at InnaPhase, Dr. Webber led InnaPhase in its acquisition of the Laboratory Automation Operations division of Beckman Coulter in 2003.
Dr. Webber became Vice President of GM Thermo Informatics in September 2004 where she oversaw their restructuring until 2005.
TYLER WICK
Tyler Wick, Principal, Ticonderoga Capital
Mr. Wick co-founded Ticonderoga and has over nine years of industry tenure including seven years of private equity experience. His private equity experience includes being an Associate at Dillon Read Venture Capital. Previously, Mr. Wick was an Associate in the healthcare practice of the investment-banking group of Advest, Inc., where he focused on private placements and mergers and acquisitions for middle market healthcare services companies. Prior to Advest, he was a consultant with the Mentor Group, an international legal consulting firm. Mr. Wick is a member of the Board of Directors of PPOnext and Astoria Software. Mr. Wick received a B.A. degree Cum Laude from Amherst College.
CHARLES T. SALDARINI
Charles T. Saldarini is a successful, innovative entrepreneur credited with a leading role in the development of one of the healthcare service industry's leading markets—contract sales, approximately valued at $900 M—and one of its most respected service companies, PDI, a major player in the market for outsourced sales and marketing solutions sold to the biopharmaceutical industry. During his 18 year tenure with PDI, he led the company's development from a concept stage through to its maturity as a publicly traded company with annual revenues of approximately $365M. He retired from PDI in October, 2005.
