UConn TIP: Innovation & Investment Series - The Trials and Tribulations of a Serial Entrepreneur: Manny Villafaña

FULL INFO & REGISTER TO ATTEND:  http://bit.ly/UConnUBS

Innovation & Investment Series

The Trials and Tribulations of a Serial Entrepreneur: a Different Point of View with Manny Villafaña

 

Join us for what is sure to be a fascinating presentation by Manny Villafaña, an internationally recognized entrepreneur and medical device developer. 

Manny Villafaña, whose companies have revolutionized cardiac surgery and improved the lives of millions of people, will share insights from his career—and will focus on what it takes to succeed in commercializing technologies and inventions.

Read more about our Manny Villafaña below.  

A networking reception will follow the presentation. 
Special thanks to our event sponsor, UBS. 
  

 
 
 
 
 
UConn Innovation & Investment Series -- a sequence of events in which industry leaders share advice and expertise on investment, research and business best practices with the UConn community.   

The presentation will be followed by a networking reception. 

Thank you to our Sponsors

This event is supported by 
UBS
and our UConn TIP Sponsors through 
the TIP Enhancement Fund

Lead Sponsors:                        
Fiondella, Milone 
& LaSaracina, LLP                                                
Medtronic    

Wiggin and Dana, LLP

Gold Sponsors:                         
American Laboratory Trading
Locke Lord, LLP    

Silver Sponsors:                         
Aon                          
Cohn Reznick, LLP                              
Fisher Scientific               
Horizon Technology Finance   

More about Manny Villafaña

His rich biography is a tale of a rough start in the South Bronx to become the founder of several successful medical device companies, including St. Jude Medical (now a key component of Abbott), Cardiac Pacemakers (now a key component of Boston Scientific) and ATS Medical (now a key component of Medtronic) in addition to several other companies that went public. 

After beginning his medical career with the medical device exporter Picker International, Villafaña joined Medtronic in 1967 and became the company’s first international sales administrator. In the early 1970s, he found.ed Cardiac Pacemakers Inc, which pioneered the first lithium-powered pacemakers and defibrillators—technology that is incorporated into virtually every pacemaker and defibrillator in the world. In 1976, he established St. Jude Medical Inc., which developed a mechanical heart valve that continues to dominate the market.

Villafaña has established other successful medical technology companies over the past several decades. His most recent startup, Medical 21 Inc., is focused on the development of an artificial artery that would spark a major advancement in coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) surgery