WHO WE ARE
FOUNDER / MANAGING PARTNER
JAMES DREHER
James has founded and helped launch a number of highly valued start-ups including: General Surgical Innovations, Inc. (acquired by Tyco Healthcare in 1999), Embolic Protection, Inc. (acquired by Boston Scientific in 2001), HotSpur Technologies (acquired by Teleflex in 2012), Access Closure (acquired by Cardinal Health in 2014) and both Axiom Technology Partners & Atsina Surgical (Axiom was acquired in 2012 and Atsina in 2015). When James is not playing hockey, baseball, or basketball with his son Dash, he also serves as an Industry Mentor & Advisor to UCLA’s MedTech Innovations Program. Prior to his entrepreneurial career, James held various US and International Senior Management positions at Johnson & Johnson and Baxter Healthcare. James has authored and co-authored a number of patents and patent applications. He attended the Sorbonne University in Paris and obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree from Wabash College, where he also serves on the College's Advisory Board for The Center for Innovation, Business, and Entrepreneurship (CIBE).
DIRECTOR SALES & MARKETING
JESSICA MUND
Jessica has over 10 years of medical device sales and marketing experience. She has an established track record of launching new technologies for start-up and small organizations that are looking to gain a strong sales footprint in highly targeted markets. She first joined Option3 in 2010 and helped launch one of Option3’s first companies, Axiom Technology Partners. Axiom was later acquired by Teleflex Surgical in 2012. Jessica’s sales and marketing experience covers both minimally invasive surgery as well as the neurovascular interventions space, the two primary areas of focus for Option3 and it’s affiliate companies. Jessica holds a B.S. from W.P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University. In her free time, Jessica loves to travel, ride horses and play Yahtzee.
PRINCIPAL
JEMIMA ESCAMILLA, PhD
Jemima joined Option3 in to focus on opportunity sourcing, due diligence, new company formation, and project management. She is instrumental in moving the process of product selection &development forward and has supported the oversight and management of several incubator portfolio companies. Prior to joining Option3, she was a Fellow in UCLA’s MedTech Innovations Program as well as a freelance technical consultant. Jemima completed her Bachelors degree and PhD studies in Molecular and Medical Pharmacology at UCLA. She co-founded the Advancing Women in Science and Engineering (AWiSE) program at UCLA whose mission is to provide women in science and engineering with the tools and mentorships to land high-ranking leadership positions.
CHIEF OPERATIONS OFFICER / PARTNER
KEN PEARTREE
Ken is a seasoned product development and Operations executive and has been bringing innovative new medical technologies to market for the past 20 years. He is an author on numerous patents and has introduced products in a range of surgical specialties including general surgery, vascular surgery, urology, and ophthalmology. Ken and James first worked together in the late 1990s at General Surgical Innovations, Inc., which was acquired by Tyco Healthcare. They joined together again in 2010 with Axiom Technology Partners (acquired by Teleflex in 2012). In 2011 he founded Ocunetics, Inc. and sold its technology to Iridex Corp where he remained as VP of R&D until 2015. Ken enjoys time with his family in the great outdoors, skiing, exploring, and loves to tinker with old cars. He is a Bay Area native, graduate of UC Berkeley’s College of Engineering, and holds an MBA from the Columbia Business School in New York.
CHIEF TECHNOLOGY OFFICER / PARTNER
JEFF KROLIK
Jeff Krolik is a medical device entrepreneur with over 21 years of experience. Before joining Option3 in 2014 he served as Vice President of Engineering at Hotspur Technologies, where he led the development of the GPSCath PTCA catheter, which was sold to Teleflex medical in July 2012. Prior to that, Jeff served as Vice President of Research and Development at SquareOne, Inc. where he led the development of the BOSS Ostial Stent System from inception through its first human clinical use. Jeff also served as the lead engineer on the FilterWire EX™ Embolic Protection System for Embolic Protection Inc., later acquired by Boston Scientific. Prior to that, Jeff contributed to the development of the MIDCAB™ minimally invasive bypass system for Cardio Thoracic Systems, Inc., which was subsequently sold to Guidant Corp. Jeff is an inventor on 54 issued US patents and holds a B.S. in Materials Science and Engineering from San Jose State University.
PROJECT COORDINATOR
GESENIA SALAZAR
Gesenia is a San Francisco native whose background is in nursing and customer service. She was recruited by Option3 shortly after nursing school and combines her strengths in the medical and consumer fields to bring a fresh perspective to all projects. She ensures projects are completed on budget and on time. Gesenia’s remarkable organizational and interpersonal skills make her a great asset to this company. She is passionate about entrepreneurial work in the medical technology field and someday hopes to head projects of her own.
MARKETING & CREATIVE DIRECTOR
SCOTT WETHERBY
Scott spent many years running a successful entertainment advertising agency and specializes in marketing and branding. He is a creative director and designer by trade. Scott now uses his expertise to create an image for each Option3 company and product. Before starting his career, Scott received his liberal arts degree from UCLA where he majored in economics, but you could mostly find him spending his time in the design and filmmaking classes. So you can bet if he's not working, he's probably eating some good food and watching a movie somewhere.