Activ Surgical is pioneering digital surgery imaging

Manisha Shah-Bugaj

Manisha Shah-Bugaj has a long-standing track record as a successful global medtech executive, key influencer and transformational leader, both globally and domestically, with a core strength in developing and protecting team culture founded in transparency, recognition, and acknowledgment of areas of improvement, with identified countermeasures. She joined Activ Surgical in January 2022 as Chief Operating Officer, responsible for overseeing all business operations for the company, including oversight of the commercialization of its ActivSight™ enhanced visualization imaging module and the implementation of its surgical visualization technology at established pilot hospital sites in 2022. Prior to Activ Surgical, Shah-Bugaj architected the gynecology unit at Olympus from the ground up in the U.S., ultimately serving as General Manager and Global Vice President for the company and played an integral role in expanding the gynecology business internationally. She has more than two decades of experience, including building and implementing corporate business plans, directing regional and global businesses aligned to financial and operational targets, hiring and establishing new teams, and managing product portfolios.

Paul Meister

Mr. Meister brings over three decades of experience to Activ Surgical’s board, serving in senior executive and board roles for high-growth and publicly traded companies. Most recently, Mr. Meister served as President of MacAndrews & Forbes Incorporated, a private company that owns or controls a diverse set of companies, including Revlon, Scientific Games, Harlan Clarke Corp., and SIGA Technologies. Prior to that role, he was Chairman and CEO of inVentiv Health (now Syneos Health) and Chairman of the Board at Thermo Fisher Scientific. Mr. Meister co-founded Liberty Lane Partners, LLC, a private investment company and Perspecta Trust, a trust company that provides trust and investment services. He is currently Director of the boards at Arbor Biotechnologies, Inc., Core & Main LP, Magnolia Medical Technologies, Inc., PharmaLegacy Laboratories (Shanghai) Co., Ltd., Quanterix Corporation, Revlon, Inc., Scientific Games Corporation and Wheelabrator Technologies Holdings Inc., as well as Vice Chairman at The General Chemical Group.

Mr. Meister holds a B.A. from the University of Michigan and a M.B.A from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management.

Emily Brown

Mrs. Brown is a member of DNS Capital, the investment office for the business enterprise of Gigi Pritzker, Michael Pucker and their immediate family. Previously, she was an investment banking analyst in the Global Industrials Group at Goldman Sachs in Chicago, supporting financing and advisory transactions for sponsor and corporate clients. Mrs. Brown serves on the Board of Directors of Breakwater Studios, and serves as a Board Observer of Truvian Sciences and Farmer’s Fridge. She received her B.B.A. in Finance with Highest Distinction from the University of Iowa.

Austin Walne

Austin Walne is a Partner at ARTIS Ventures focused on investing in breakthrough technologies, primarily at the convergence of technology and biology. Before ARTIS, he advised institutional investors in the secondary market for private company shares and held positions in software development and product management in a variety of sectors. Previously, he managed political and public affairs campaigns at the state and federal levels for candidates, interest groups, and corporations including serving as digital director for a major presidential campaign.

Austin serves as a Board Director of Second Front Systems and is a Board Observer at Locus Biosciences. Previously, he was a Board Director at Stringify and a Board Observer at Looksharp.

Austin received his B.A. in Communication Studies from the University of Tennessee and holds FINRA Series 62, 63, 65 licenses

Dr. Peter Kim

Dr. Kim, a world-renowned surgeon and medical technologist, is a founder of Activ Surgical and the inventor of its technology, which he developed over seven years with more than $13 million in non-dilutive grant funding while leading the Shaikh Institute at Children’s National Medical Center in Washington, D.C. Previously, he served as Associate Surgeon-in-Chief of the Joseph E. Robert, Jr., Center for Surgical Care at Children’s National. He was also the lead for the FDA funded National Capital Consortium for Pediatric Device Innovation (NCC-PDI). Dr. Kim joined Children’s National from the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, Ontario, a national and international leading institution in pediatric research and care. Dr. Kim received his medical training, including the distinction of Master of Surgery, at McGill University. He completed his surgical residency training at the University of Toronto as well as his fellowship in pediatric surgery at the University’s Hospital for Sick Children.

Will Cowen

Will Cowen is an investor and operator with decades of experience building successful digital health and medtech companies. He co-founded LRVHealth in 2000 and has led the firm’s investments in prominent companies including Convergent Dental, GetWellNetwork, LifeImage, MedVentive (now part of NASDQ: CHNG), Phreesia (NASDAQ: PHR) and SilverCloud. Prior to LRVHealth, Will co-founded and was CEO of NaviNet (sold to Highmark and other BCBS plans), CEO of Pegasus Medical (sold to McKesson), and VP of Thermocell (sold to the Hunter Douglas Company). Will earned a B.A. from the University of Colorado and M.B.A. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Bobby Yazdani

Bobby Yazdani is a partner and the founder of Cota Capital, an investment firm that specializes in technology companies, which has invested in over 150 private companies. Earlier in his career, Bobby founded Saba, the pioneer of Learning Management and Talent Management Solutions, serving over 30 million people from 2,200 customers across 195 countries and in 37 languages worldwide. In 2014, Bobby was ranked #1 out of 2,000 angel investors for successful follow-on funding by CB Insights. Born in Tehran, Iran, Bobby completed high school in England and received a B.A. in Applied Mathematics at University of California, Berkeley.