MedTech Malta

With 10+ years in operational roles in deep-tech projects, Joana Cartocci has a multidisciplinary and multicultural background. Her career spans from linguistics and international relations to coordination roles in deeptech projects that bridge tech, citizen movement, art, well-being and politics. In 2017, she co-founded Robeauté with Bertrand Duplat, to create the next generation smart neurosurgical delivery device to better understand and treat brain pathologies.

Alex Condon is a co-founder of Galen Data, a medical device cloud data platform. Previously, Alex was the Chief Strategy officer at Tietronix Software, a NASA contractor focusing on Life Sciences innovations. Alex has represented Healthcare and Space technologies on six Mayor-led international trade missions for the City of Houston.

Andrew Glass is the CEO of Vivasure Medical, an innovative medical device start-up based in Ireland. Previous to Vivasure, Andrew was a senior executive at Abbott Laboratories for over fifteen years.  He has significant multi-cultural leadership experience in Asia, Europe, and the United States.  Andrew holds a BSE in Chemical Engineering from Princeton University and an MBA from the Harvard Business School.

Anita manages Rex Health Ventures (RHV), the corporate venture fund of UNC Health, the largest academic health system serving the state of North Carolina. RHV’s mission is to spur innovation in healthcare through equity investment and partnership with emerging health companies. She currently serves on the boards of Bio54, Biostable Science and Engineering, ReDiscovery Life Sciences, Vergent Bioscience, and Censinet.

I am a biomedical scientist and entrepreneur with commercialisation experience in the start-up phase in the field of regenerative medicine and medical devices. My background is a mix of applied research focused on product development and business development of biomedical innovations. I have worked with biotechnology and pharmaceuticals, stem cells, and medical devices. My expertise ranges from developing products from the idea stage to proof of concept and the non-clinical development stage. Having worked in various start-ups for 15 years, I am used to wearing many hats and have developed a broad range of commercials skills including commercial technology appraisal, intellectual property portfolio management (freedom to operate analysis, patent filing), securing funding (academic and government grants, venture capital), and expanding and promoting research (academic publications, conference presentations). Currently I manage the development of a novel total artificial heart, the Realheart TAH, focusing on minimising the impact caused by shear stress and foreign materials on the blood cells and proteins.

Bertrand is at the origin of Robeauté with the vision of developing a therapeutic microrobot for the brain. He designed and built the first microrobot building-blocks to prove the feasibility of his vision early on. Currently he is driving Robeauté’s R&D, as well as the management side of the company

CATHY SKINNER, CEO is an Executive Healthcare leader with 20+ years of successful experience building businesses, differentiated products, and services that manage healthcare costs and improve patient outcomes.

David Sylvan will assume the newly designed role of Chief Strategy and Innovation Officer in October. He will remain the President of UH Ventures – the innovation and commercialization division of University Hospitals (UH), a comprehensive health system with annual revenues of $5.2 billion, 23 hospitals (including 5 joint ventures), more than 50 health centers and outpatient facilities, and over 200 physician offices located throughout 16 counties. David and his team will synergize Ventures’ design and process expertise with the Strategy & Planning platform, accelerating University Hospitals’ dominance as the premier healthcare provider in Northeast Ohio. This role places him at the forefront of UH’s efforts to drive system-wide transformation, streamline clinical operations, and expand their presence in the healthcare sector. David is directly responsible for strategic planning, spearheading innovative initiatives, identifying disruptive healthcare trends, and aligning them with UH’s mission. These duties are in addition to fostering a culture of innovation and integrating advanced technology solutions to ensure patient care excellence, enhance employee experiences, and maintain financial sustainability. As President, David’s responsibilities span core operations, industry partnerships, technology transfer, commercialization, investments, business development, and strategic initiatives. Collaborating with UH leaders and the broader ecosystem, he propels system growth through fresh business ventures and program expansions. He also identifies and evaluates opportunities via acquisitions, investments, joint ventures, and more. With over 35 years of diverse corporate experience, including a successful 15-year capital markets and investment banking tenure with Keybanc Capital Markets. David excels in team- building and operational platforms nationwide. Prior roles include 8 years at sports marketing giant IMG, and his career’s genesis was in public accounting with Deloitte in Johannesburg, South Africa. Beyond various board and advisory positions, he served as interim CEO and Board Member for Paradigm, a Singapore-based FinTech firm. He was recognized by Becker’s Healthcare Review as one of the top 113 healthcare leaders in 2022. David is an adjunct professor at Case Western Reserve University’s (CWRU) Weatherhead School of Business in their department of Design & Innovation. He is a frequent panelist and contributor at various industry-specific forums, and actively mentors and coaches both students and practitioners throughout their professional journeys. David received a Bachelors in Commerce and Business Law from the University of the Witwatersrand, in Johannesburg, South Africa, and an MBA from the CWRU Weatherhead School of Management.

Sanchita Pasi is a Senior Investment Manager at Sagana with a Pharm.D and an MBA from SDA Bocconi. Sanchita’s experience spans across international MedTech product management and commercialization from her time at Abbott Laboratories. She then transitioned to venture capital starting at Nina Capital and now impact investing at Sagana. She is excited to meet founders who are need-driven and fueled by the goal to improve access and affordability for healthcare worldwide. She has indian roots, a mediterranean upbringing, and is also a painter by night.

Josep has more than 15 years of experience as VC, first co-founding Ysios Capital in 2008 and more recently founding Asabys Partners in 2018 which is managing close to € 300 Mio in health innovation investments. He has specialized in life sciences and healthtech investments in Europe, Israel and the US with more than 10 investments and Boards in the space and some successful exits. Previously he has had a hybrid career in law and finance in the pharma and healthcare world working for Cuatrecasas, KPMG, DomusVi and Almirall. Josep has a Law Degree from Universitat Pompeu Fabra, a Master of Laws from University of Michigan and an MBA from IESE Business School.

Darshana is Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Catalyst Health Ventures. She is actively involved in all aspects of fund management and has led CHV’s investments in the medical device and diagnostics markets. Darshana currently serves as an advisor of the Deshpande Center for Technological Innovation at MIT, as a Board Director of the New England Venture Capital Association and as a lead advisor to the Portfolia FemTech Fund.

A medical device executive with 20 years of experience developing high impact innovative medical devices and an author of 90+ US patents and patent applications.
An early employee of Baylis Medical (acquired by Boston Scientific), Sadra Medical (acquired by Boston Scientific), Symetis (acquired by Boston Scientific) and co-founder of AboGen (acquired by Orasure Technologies). Co-founder of Anchor Orthopedics, a commercial stage medical device company, CEO of BariaTek, an obesity company, and CEO of Holistick Medical, a structural heart company.

Greg Walters (BS Physics/MBA) is a serial entrepreneur and medical device development expert/CEO.  He served in several product development roles for Kensey Nash (acquired by DSM) and was the founder of Essential Medical (acquired by Teleflex).  He holds 50+ patents, co-developed Angio-Seal® and is the inventor of the MANTA® Large Bore Closure device. He is presently the Co-founder and CEO of Excision Medical, a development stage company dedicated to the removal of diseased aortic leaflets to facilitate secondary TAVR procedures.