TEAM

Fred Seddiqui – Lugano Founder & Senior Partner
Fred Seddiqui has over 30 years of executive management experience in emerging companies both in the high tech and life science industries.  Prior to Lugano Ventures, he served as CEO and Chairman of the Board of Axis Surgical Technologies Inc. (now Trice Medical), and Avantis Medical Systems and played a key role as a Principal of Silicon Valley Venture Partners since 1998. Through his management, he built value by attracting reputable Fortune 500 executive teams and developing strategic partnerships. He sold PS Inc., an internet based medical company to Packet Stream Inc. in 2002, Sharp Surgical to Cook Medical in 2008.  Some of is other startup companies such as AFx Inc. was acquired by Boston Scientific in 2004 and Vivant Medical Technologies was acquired by Covidien in 2005. Fred has a proven track record of achieving collaborative outcomes from a cadre of culturally diverse technical and business teams, and has created a record of excellent operational and financial performance.

Fred is past chairman of ASME/American Society of Mechanical Engineering, Santa Clara Valley Section. Fred currently serves on the Boards of Directors of several private companies and non-profit agencies. Since 2002 he has served as Chairman of the APL Foundation. As a serial entrepreneur, he has been invited to speak and share his experience in several MBA schools here in the US and abroad. Fred has authored a book titled Engineering Functions Concerning Industry, published by Vantage Press, New York, received an honorary Doctorate degree in Business Psychology from Pacific Graduate School of Psychology (now Palo Alto University) in 2008, and is a graduate of the Stanford University Executive Management Program, Stanford Business School. He also holds an M.B.A. from Golden Gate University , as well as a B.S. and M.S. in Engineering, both from Fairleigh Dickinson University.

Email: fred@luganoventures.com

Jacques Van Dam, M.D., Ph.D. – Lugano Senior Partner
Jacques Van Dam is Professor of Medicine and Clinical Scholar at the Keck School of Medicine of USC. Dr. Van Dam’s research efforts include developing methods for the endoscopic diagnosis and treatment of gastrointestinal cancer. Dr. Van Dam also serves as Vice President of Medical Affairs for Rani Therapeutics, Inc. Dr. Van Dam received his M.D. and Ph.D. degrees from Georgetown University School of Medicine and completed his postgraduate medical training at Harvard Medical School where he remained on the faculty for more than ten years. He was recruited to Stanford University School of Medicine in 2000 and then to USC in 2010. His ongoing multidisciplinary efforts include low cost screening for esophageal disease including Barrett’s esophagus, esophageal cancer, and esophageal varices. His publications have appeared in Nature, the New England Journal of Medicine, and Gastroenterology. Dr. Van Dam is Past President of the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy and the Bockus International Society of Gastroenterology. Dr. Van Dam is a member of the National Academy of Inventors and is the author of more than 300 scientific papers, reviews, and abstracts.

Email: jacques@luganoventures.com

Kristen McEntyre – Lugano Partner
Kristen McEntyre has 13 years experience developing technology and media enterprises. Kristen currently serves as co-Founder and President of Tutti Dynamics, an education software company. Kristen started her career as an investment banker at Roberston Stephens focused on life sciences. There, she worked on private placements, convertible debt offerings, and a medical device IPO. She later joined Cambridge Associates where she focused on venture capital and private equity.  More recently, Kristen gained operational experience at technology companies including FiLife (a start-up in partnership with the Wall Street Journal), and Google News. As a volunteer at Operation HOPE, she helps entrepreneurs in New Orleans develop business plans and marketing strategies. Kristen graduated from Williams College and Stanford University where she studied digital media at the Journalism Program and entrepreneurship at the Graduate School of Business.

Email: kristen@luganoventures.com

Rusten Gomez, JD/MBA – Lugano Partner
Rusten Gomez is Founder and Principal at Renaissance Gate Consulting, a consulting firm that specializes in helping small-to-medium sized businesses increase profits and growth. Rusten received his JD and MBA degrees concurrently from the University of Oregon where he focused his studies on innovation and entrepreneurship. Prior to graduate school, he received his BS and BA degrees in Biology, Chemistry, and Japanese from the University of Utah. Rusten has worked extensively in the genetic, biotechnology, software, medical IT and legal industries. He has spent time working with businesses and entrepreneurs across the United States and Japan, where he became fluent in Japanese.

Email: rusten@luganoventures.com