About
Inquis Medical is a privately funded clinical stage medical device company based in Silicon Valley. Inquis Medical was founded in 2020 by seasoned entrepreneurs with more than three decades of experience.
Our company legacy is built on decades of developing, launching, and supporting novel, physician-tested medical devices that address unmet needs, with a long-lasting impact.
Inquis Medical’s team is focused on improving the management of venous thromboembolic diseases. Our innovative team has developed a proprietary next-generation thrombectomy technology, enabling an efficient single-pass thrombectomy with minimal blood loss.
Founders
Vahid Saadat
Co-Founder & CEO
Vahid Saadat
Co-Founder & CEO
Vahid Saadat is a serial medical device entrepreneur with over 25 years of experience developing medical devices. Prior to Inquis Medical, Vahid was the CEO of Arrinex, the maker of ClariFix, an innovative product that provides long-term relief to chronic rhinitis sufferers. Vahid also started an electrophysiology company named Voyage Medical Inc., where he developed IRIS™, the first direct endocardial visualization system. Vahid’s other startups include Baxano, a spinal stenosis treatment company, USGI, which specializes in incisionless surgery technology, and AngioTrax, an interventional cardiology company. Prior to AngioTrax Vahid spent several years on executive leadership positions of different medtech companies. Vahid holds a BS degree in Electrical Engineering and a MS degree in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin.
Mojgan Saadat
Co-Founder & President
Mojgan Saadat
Co-Founder & President
As an entrepreneur for most of her career, Mojgan has many years of hands-on start up experience. Mojgan has been a partner at Nidus Medical, LLC, a medical device incubator and angel investment entity, and has led the launch of Nidus Medical spinoff companies. Prior to Inquis Medical launch, she co-founded Arrienx, Inc., and served as its President. Arrinex Inc., now part of Stryker ENT, changed the treatment paradigm for patients with chronic rhinitis. Prior to Arrinex, Mojgan co-founded the eHealth company CongniTX, utilizing Heads Up Displays (HUDs) to help individuals with cognitive disorders. Prior to CogniTX, Mojgan led the launch of Seris Medical, a China-based company developing a device for passive drainage of ascites fluid in patients with late stage liver disease. Mojgan holds two Bachelor of Science degrees in Biology and Computer Science.
Leadership
Dan George
Chief Financial Officer
Dan George
Chief Financial Officer
Dan has over 25 years of experience in finance and accounting with private and public companies in both a full-time and consulting capacity. Dan manages his professional services practice that specializes in executive financial services to healthcare companies, including mergers and acquisitions across a broad range of specialties. Most recently, Dan served as the Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer of Lucira Health, Inc., a medical diagnostics company, bringing it to the public market. Previously, he served as Vice President, Finance for Avinger Inc. that specializes in peripheral atherectomy, supporting its public offering (NASDAQ: AVGR); Vice President of Finance for ApniCure, Inc. that focuses on the treatment of sleep apnea; Chief Financial Officer for Avantis Medical Systems, Inc. that specializes on colonoscopy visualization technology; and Sr. Director of Finance at FoxHollow Technologies Inc, supporting its public offering. Dan began his career in the assurance and business advisory practice of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP. Dan holds B.S. degrees in both Accounting and Finance from California State University, Long Beach.
William Jason Fox
Chief Technical Officer
William Jason Fox
Chief Technical Officer
Jason has over 20 years of experience developing medical devices, therapies, and IP primarily focusing in the ENT, cardiovascular, and vascular specialties. Most recently, he served as VP of R&D for Arrinex (acquired by Stryker). Prior to Arrinex, Jason was the Chief Development Officer at SinuSys developing an osmotic sinus dilation technology. Prior to SinuSys, Jason assisted in the develoment of the Nellix EVAR system (acquired by Endologix). Prior to Nellix, Jason held multiple roles in research & development at Guidant Corp. (acquired by Abbott) and AcelRx Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Jason has co-authored over 30 Patents and Patent Applications in the laser and medical device fields. Jason holds a BS in Mechanical Engineering from the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology and post graduate certifications from Stanford University.
Marc Penna
Chief Clinical Officer
Marc Penna
Chief Clinical Officer
Marc has more than 20 years of experience developing and executing all phases of clinical research supporting both PMA and 510K clinical and regulatory strategies as well as product commercialization and adoption. Since 2014, Marc has worked on early-stage ventures focused on opportunities in cardiology, vascular disease, and oncology. Most recently, Marc served as Vice President of Clinical Affairs for both Intact Vascular and Vesper Medical, which were purchased by Royal Philips in 2020 and 2022, respectively. Previously, Marc was the Senior Director of Clinical and Medical Affairs at AngioDynamics. Marc is a graduate of Central Connecticut State University with a BS in Management Information Systems. In addition, Marc serves as a clinical advisor to several early-stage medical device companies and clinical trial service providers.
Advisors
Mehdi Shishehbor,
DO, MPH, PhD
Chief Medical Advisor
Mehdi Shishehbor, DO, MPH, PhD
Chief Medical Advisor
Dr. Shishehbor is an interventional cardiologist with expertise in vascular medicine and minimally invasive procedures to treat coronary, carotid and abdominal aortic aneurysms, peripheral artery disease (PVD) and venous disease. Currently, he serves as the President, University Hospitals Harrington Heart & Vascular Institute, as the co-chair of the PVD Council for Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions (SCAI) and as a member of PVD council for the American College of Cardiology (ACC). Dr. Shishehbor is a National Institutes of Health scholar, winner of the Thomas J. Linnemeier Spirit of Interventional Cardiology Young Investigator Award and the VIVA/LINC Young Leader’s Award in Vascular (2009). He was the writing member ACC/AHA/SCAI/SVS/SIR Guidelines for Lower Extremity Peripheral Artery Disease (2017, 2021) and a member of the Appropriate Use Criteria committee for renal and peripheral intervention for SCAI (2017). He served as the chair of the Masters’ Approach to Critical Limb Ischemia Symposium (2016) and co-founded the not-for-profit Cardiovascular Innovations Foundation.
Jim Heslin
Chief IP Advisor
Jim Heslin
Chief IP Advisor
Jim Heslin recently retired from the partnership at Wilson Sonsini where he focused on helping medical device companies protect and enforce their domestic and international intellectual property rights, as well as advising venture capitalists who invest in medical technology companies. Jim’s medical and surgical device clients spanned a broad array of technologies, including angioplasty, atherectomy, thrombectomy, stent delivery, arthroscopic treatments, suturing devices, ultrasound imaging and therapy, gynecological devices, minimally invasive surgical equipment, hearing aids, surgical robots, implants for structural heart treatments, drug delivery systems, orthodontics, orthopedics, and diagnostics.
Prior to joining Wilson Sonsini, Jim was the founder and leader of the medical device technology patent group at Townsend and Townsend and Crew (now Kilpatrick Townsend). He also served as Vice President and General Counsel for Align Technology.
Over his career, Jim was recognized as a leading intellectual property attorney by the Daily Journal, IAM Magazine, Managing IP Magazine, LMG Life Sciences, Best Lawyers, Northern California Super Lawyers, and held an AV-Preeminent rating from Martindale Hubbell for over 20 years. Jim holds a BS in Chemical Engineering from UC Santa Barbara and a JD from UC Berkeley.
Board of Directors
David A. Lamond
Chairperson
David A. Lamond
Chairperson
David A. Lamond joined Inquis Medical’s Board of Directors in December 2019 and serves as its Chairperson. Since April 2016, Mr. Lamond has served as president of En Pointe LLC, an investment firm. From 2011 to 2016, he served as the President, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Investment Officer of Lamond Capital Partners LLC. Mr. Lamond also is currently the chairman of the board of directors of Quince Therapeutics and a member of the board of directors of Applied Molecular Transport (AMTI). He previously served on the board of Arrinex, a medical device company until its acquisition by Stryker Corporation in February 2019, and on the board of Lucira Health Inc, a molecular diagnostics company. In addition, Mr. Lamond is on the board of directors of two non-profit organizations, Tipping Point Community and Ubuntu Pathways. Mr. Lamond holds a BA in History from Duke University and a JD from Duke Law School.
Vahid Saadat
Co-Founder & CEO
Mojgan Saadat
Co-Founder & President
Bruce Shook
Board Member
Bruce Shook
Board Member
Bruce Shook is a seasoned medical technology entrepreneur with over 35 years of industry experience, including multiple early-stage ventures focused in cardiac surgery, cardiology, neurosurgery, psychiatry, and vascular disease. In 2016, Mr. Shook formed Vesper Medical as a spinout of Intact Vascular, where he served as President & CEO. Previously, Mr. Shook served as co-founder, Director, President, and CEO of both Neuronetics and Neuron Therapeutics; President at Abiomed, where he successfully obtained PMA approval for the first, FDA-approved ventricular assist device. Mr. Shook has served on several corporate boards, including Devoro Medical (acquired by Boston Scientific), Surgiquest (acquired by Conmed), Respicardia (acquired by Zoll), and CoTherix (acquired by Actelion). Currently, he serves as the Board Chair for Life Sciences PA and the Penn State Research Foundation. Mr. Shook obtained advanced degrees in Biomedical Engineering from Columbia University and Business Administration from the MIT Sloan School of Management. He also holds a BS degree in Chemical Engineering from Penn State University.