BOOMERANG - Key Persons

Job Titles:

• Project Leader

Ally Thill is a Project Leader at Boomerang Ventures, where she utilizes her mechanical engineering background to conduct technology and market assessments for potential projects as well as manage and collaborate on projects that are brought into the studio.

Job Titles:

• Member of the Board
• Studio Board Member

Ariel MacTavish, a Studio Board Member at Boomerang Ventures, is an innovative medical device professional with broad-based experience in several product categories in both strategic and transactional marketing and general management. Ariel has served more than a decade in executive positions at Medtronic, a leading global healthcare technology company, and is currently President of Medtronic's Respiratory Interventions Operating Unit. Her other positions at Medtronic include Vice President and General Manager of Respiratory Interventions and Vice President of Global Marketing for Respiratory Interventions. Prior to joining Medtronic, Ariel held positions at Johnson & Johnson, including Director of Worldwide Marketing for Ortho Clinical Diagnostics and Wound Closure Group Product Director at Ethicon. Ariel received a Bachelor of Science in History from Dartmouth College and an MBA in International Business at Darla Moore School of Business at the University of South Carolina.

Job Titles:

• Chief Innovation Officer
• Partner

Audrey Beckman, Partner and Chief Innovation Officer at Boomerang Ventures since 2020, brings healthcare ideas to life by identifying new value drivers, de-risking key uncertainties, and providing necessary resources to first-time founders, universities, corporate clients, and healthcare systems. Audrey is a seasoned executive, serving over 15 years in several executive roles with Zimmer Biomet Holdings Inc., one of the world's top medical device companies. After beginning her career at Zimmer Inc. in 1986 as a summer intern in Knee Development, she returned full-time to the company as a product development engineer. During her early career, Audrey developed and commercialized numerous knee implant and instrumentation systems, leading multi-functional technical and international surgeon teams in parallel with hands-on design activities. After helping develop and commercialize one of the world's best-selling knee implant systems, Audrey began her management career in 1996, assuming the leadership of Zimmer's Knee Development Engineering team. Audrey held global leadership roles in product development, upstream marketing, medical training and education, and strategic quality initiatives. Excelling in the leadership of technical and nontechnical teams throughout her tenure, Audrey led international teams of engineers, marketing staff, and orthopedic surgeons. She was recognized for her skill at developing and executing complex strategies and initiatives. Her leadership path continued through numerous restructurings and integrations to Vice President of Global Product Development at Zimmer Biomet Holdings, with an international team of more than 350 technical staff, including project office, prototype shop and packaging design. Recognized for leadership, portfolio management and product development process, she gained P&L experience as a leader of Zimmer's largest global business unit in its initial years as a publicly-traded company. She also participated in corporate strategic and financial planning sessions for 15+ years, during which Zimmer developed and executed the industry's leading minimally invasive surgery strategy for total hip and total knee replacement. The orthopedic industry went through a significant change relative to relationships with surgeons who are both customers and consultants. Audrey was an essential leader of the Zimmer R&D leadership team as it developed new methods of valuing intellectual property, compensating consultants, and documenting the needs for consulting activities for internal approval and external oversight. She rebuilt and led the Global Medical Education and Training team, improving educational effectiveness and aligning practices with AdvaMed guidelines. With an annual budget exceeding $70 million, the team grew from 30 to 100 people across more than 20 countries, training 28,000 healthcare professionals annually. Audrey also negotiated and collaborated with industry associations to develop and implement new third-party administered grant and donation practices for orthopedic professional education and to support needy patients worldwide. Her last role with Zimmer Biomet Holdings was to lead a 1,300-person technical team formed to update and remediate quality system documentation for historical products developed or manufactured at four sites. In this role, she reported to the CEO, made quarterly presentations to the board of directors, and submitted quarterly updates to the FDA. Audrey led the senior leadership steering committee for the initiative and was the only executive to stay with the initiative for over two years, seeing the effort to completion in 2016. Audrey began angel investing with VisionTech Partners in 2012, focusing her investments on start-up life science companies. After leaving Zimmer Biomet in 2016, she began advising start-ups on pitch decks, business opportunities and scaling activities. Audrey became the first independent board member for Board Management Software Inc., which primarily serves nonprofit organizations. She serves as a board member for Enlighten Mobility, a health tech start-up developing innovative, data-driven mobility care solutions. Audrey has volunteered with Junior Achievement, teaching middle school through high school students about business. She also served on the board of directors for a nonprofit, Court Appointed Special Advocates of Kosciusko County in Warsaw, Indiana, chairing the governance committee after serving as president for a two-year term. Audrey currently resides in southwest Florida, sings in the Marco Island Community Chorus, and volunteers with community organizations. Audrey earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Notre Dame and an MBA from Ball State University. She is an active participant on Notre Dame's Department of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering Industry Advisory Board, the College of Engineering Advisory Council to the President, and the Women in Engineering Advisory Council. She was instrumental in helping the College of Engineering receive multiyear research grants for pioneering research related to a new medical device technology.

Job Titles:

• Partner
• Co - Founder and COO of Global Transact

David Helmer, a Partner at Boomerang Ventures since 2020, is an entrepreneur and strategist with 40+ years of experience across international companies and organizations. He recently successfully exited Helmer Scientific, a global laboratory equipment company he co-founded in 1977. David is co-founder of Global Transact, an international trade finance company. He is also a Principal in Collaborosity, an investment company where he engages in philanthropic and capital adventures. Throughout his career, David has served on boards and as Executive Director for multiple international humanitarian organizations. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Minnesota. David Helmer is a serial entrepreneur with 40 years of experience in international companies and organizations. He is the co-founder and owner of Helmer Scientific, an advanced manufacturing medical and laboratory equipment company with distribution in 130 countries. ​ David is also co-founder and COO of Global Transact, which specializes in financing international trade in developing economies. He is co-founder and president of Center for Global Sports, an East African-based international sports consulting and management company and co-founder of Bigger Future, a development and investment company in Rwanda. He is also a partner, advisor and investor with VisionTech Partners, which has the most active angel investing network in the Midwest with more than 40 portfolio companies and some $20 million in invested capital. David serves on the board of Sagamore Institute and has previously served as executive director for multiple international humanitarian organizations. He earned a Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering from the University of Minnesota.

Job Titles:

• Global Leader
• Studio Director

Dick Aderman is a global leader who has built a career of broad experience across many types of businesses and is the Studio Director for Boomerang Venture's studio side of the company, and is President of The iTeam, a network of CEO think tanks in Indianapolis. Previously, he was an Executive in Residence (XiR) at Boomerang Ventures. Dick has led corporate, private equity, and venture organizations with a mindset to innovate for growth. He has a successful track record of value creation with more than two decards of P&L responsibility. He is a leader, mentor, and multiplier with over 20 former direct reports currently serving as presidents or CEOs. Dick has held senior-level global positions in healthcare IT, medical devices, clinical diagnostics, and healthcare services firms. He has raised $50M+ for private equity and venture-backed businesses. Dick currently serves as board chair for ImmunArray. This venture-backed, in-vitro diagnostics company develops tests based on microarray chip technology, and novel biomarkers focused on a suite of tests for acute brain injury. Dick also serves on the Board of Advisors for the Haworth College of Business at Western Michigan University and is President of the board for Fountains of Hope, a faith-based nonprofit that provides water purification systems to villages and communities in parts of Africa, India, Central America, and the Caribbean. Dick is a graduate of Western Michigan University, earning a Bachelor of Business Administration with concentrations in Marketing and Economics, as well as a Bachelor of Science with a concentration in Speech Communications and Psychology.

Job Titles:

• Chief Medical Officer
• Partner

Eric Beier brings his extensive leadership experience as both a physician entrepreneur and investor to his position as Partner and Chief Medical Officer at Boomerang Ventures. Eric, who joined Boomerang in 2020, has over 25 years of experience spearheading strategic collaborations, leading high-performance teams, and achieving targeted organizational results. Previously, Eric was the startup Chief Executive Officer of two physician revenue cycle management companies, achieving successful exits from both. In his role as CEO of the firm he founded, MedOptima, he also helped launch and manage three physician practices. Eric also was the startup CEO for Matrix-Bio Inc., a Purdue tech transfer cancer diagnostics company that raised over $1.3 million in angel capital and negotiated a seven-figure commercialization development agreement with Quest Diagnostics. He has made over 25 angel and private equity investments and founded the Fort Wayne chapter of VisionTech Angels.

Job Titles:

• Executive
• Executive - in - Residence ( XiR )
• Founder and Managing Director of Life Sciences Technology Group, Ltd

Gary L. Smith joined Boomerang Ventures as an Executive-in-Residence for the Boomerang Studio. He has successfully led multiple medical technology and life sciences start-ups from concept through market entry and growth. With unlimited energy and enthusiasm, Gary brings a robust combination of medical industry knowledge, business-technology strategy, and entrepreneurial drive. He has developed significant technology commercialization expertise while nurturing strong relationships with clinical, technology, and investment leaders worldwide. Gary is the Founder and Managing Director of Life Sciences Technology Group, Ltd., an innovative med-tech/life science technology commercialization consulting enterprise. He is President and Chief Executive Officer of INFINITY Angioplasty BalloonTM Co, an early commercial-stage medical device company developing innovative catheter-based technologies for the treatment of peripheral artery disease, and Principal Investigator for ThermoMorph, QuickflowTM LLC., an early-stage MedTech company focused on endovascular mechanical embolectomy. Additionally, he serves as an Executive in Residence for ProMedica Health Systems Innovations, evaluating emerging technology commercialization opportunities for the healthcare system. In prior work, Gary served as founding CEO of VentureMed Group, Inc., guiding the Company from concept to commercialization in the US and EU, raising over $20M through Series B. Gary served as CEO of CleveX, Inc., a surgical suture-less skin biopsy platform for melanoma detection, which he co-founded with the Cleveland Clinic Innovations; and Interim CEO for Prognostix, LLC, a cardiac biomarker diagnostic company founded at the Cleveland Clinic, which later became Cleveland Heart Labs. Before embarking on his journey with medical technology start-ups, Gary held the position of Vice President at Battelle Memorial Institutes Life Science group. During his tenure, he was instrumental in commercial medical research, technology development and commercialization, fostering collaborations between Fortune 50 medical companies worldwide and five key DOE National Laboratories across the US. Gary holds a BS in Human Physiology and an MBA in Marketing and Finance from the University of Toledo; he completed graduate studies (Ph.D.) in Cardiovascular Physiology (ABD) from the Medical College of Ohio and postgraduate studies in Technology Entrepreneurship at Temple University, Philadelphia. Additionally, he recently completed an Executive Leadership Certificate Course from The Wharton School - Institute of Executive Education. Gary has served on dozens of boards and advisory roles for industry-leading companies.

Job Titles:

• Venture Partner

Josh Nickols, Ph.D., is a Venture Partner at Boomerang Ventures and Chief Executive Officer at AgriThera Inc., an Atlanta-based pharmaceutical start-up focusing on bringing new cannabinoid therapeutics for the treatment of seizure disorders, anxiety, and chronic pain to market. Josh also advises the development of assets from the portfolio at the University of Louisville. Previously, he was CEO at GlobalCastMD, an Ohio-based company that offers services that enables healthcare professionals and institutions the ability to shape their knowledge into engaging and more widely accessed content. He also was CEO of XII Medical, a private health technology company developing a neuromodulation solution for the treatment of obstructive sleep apnea. He previously served as a committee member at NIH Center for Accelerated Innovations (NCAI), headquartered at Cleveland Clinic, and as Executive in Residence at CincyTech USA, a public-private seed-stage investor that helps transform ideas into high-potential life science and digital companies in southwest Ohio. Josh earned a bachelor's degree in Biology at Washington University in St. Louis, a doctorate in molecular neuroscience at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, and an MBA in finance and marketing at Vanderbilt's Owen Graduate School of Management.

Job Titles:

• Executive
• Executive in Residence ( XiR )

Mark Schindel joined Boomerang Ventures as an Executive in Residence (XiR), bringing 25+ years of experience spanning environmental, human and animal health industries, having held leadership positions, including C-level and Board roles in start-ups through larger corporations. Mark has broad international experience in the medical device (Biomet, Zimmer, Tornier), pharmaceutical/biotech (Roche), life-science (Vanderbilt University Tech Transfer) and Government (US DOE/Battelle) sectors. Mark's expertise spans marketing, sales, brand/product management, project management, R&D, clinical, and business development (M&A, licensing). Specific to medical devices, Mark has worked across craniomaxillofacial, pediatrics, plastic surgery, cardiothoracic/cardiovascular, hips, knees, shoulders, foot and ankle and regenerative medicine. Products have ranged from pre-operative technologies to implants (including biologics, synthetics and xenografts) and delivery technologies (robotics, patient-specific instruments, computer-assisted surgery, injectables, disposables, etc.). As an entrepreneur, Mark served as CEO, Co-founder, and Board Member for Owl Manor Medical, LLC, an animal health biologics/medical device company with a focused regenerative medicine portfolio targeting equine and companion animal joint and soft tissue preservation. Following a successful Series A financing round, Owl Manor grew in revenues and profitability through its globally recognized portfolio. In addition to building a direct U.S./Canada sales channel, Owl Manor established a successful international business through a combination of distribution and direct sales across Europe, the Middle East, Australia, and Mexico. Founded in February 2015, Owl Manor was acquired on June 1, 2021, by Zoetis, the World's Largest Animal Health company. Mark holds an MBA from Vanderbilt University and a B.S. with honors from Purdue University.

Job Titles:

• Founder
• Managing Partner

Oscar Moralez, a serial entrepreneur, mentor/coach, educator, and venture capital investor, co-founded Boomerang Ventures in 2019, an Indianapolis-based growth-stage venture capital firm focusing on technology companies in health care and the life sciences. A year later, Oscar formed the Boomerang Studio, a diverse team of successful founders and entrepreneurs to serve as advisers, mentors, strategists, and guides to new founders and entrepreneurs. He is also the founder and managing director of VisionTech Partners / VisionTech Angels, which launched in 2009. VisionTech Angels is among the Midwest's most active angel investing networks. In 2002, Oscar founded BioStorage Technologies Inc. in Indianapolis and served as Chief Operating Officer. BioStorage was acquired in December 2015 by Brooks Automation (NASDAQ: BRKS), and the company is now part of the Brooks Life Sciences division. Prior to BioStorage, Oscar worked in various executive management roles in health care with Covance Clinical Laboratories, Mayo Medical Laboratories, and Boulder Community Hospital. In addition to his experience with startups, investing and capital formation, Oscar's background includes more than 30 years of technical, operations, and management experience in the healthcare and life sciences sectors. He currently serves on the board of GeoH, Inc. and has served in the past as a director for OrthoPediatrics, SonarMed, Apricity, BoxFox, The Venture Club of Indiana, The Speak Easy, Leaf Software Solutions, and the Indiana Center for Biomedical Innovation. Oscar is a regular speaker and presenter at universities across Indiana and serves as a mentor, coach, and judge for regional accelerators in the Midwest. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Medical Technology from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas and an MBA from the Leeds School of Business at the University of Colorado in Boulder.

Job Titles:

• Entrepreneur - in - Residence

Phil Tran joined Boomerang Ventures in November 2023 as an Entrepreneur-in-Residence (EiR) for HabitHalo, a company he founded. Phil is an entrepreneur, vape researcher/expert, and ex-vaper. He came from venture capital, started or joined various start-ups, and studied Business, Analytics, and Vaping at Indiana University. Phil was dependent on vaping for five years, tried various quit methods, and successfully quit using a custom tool he created. He spent years researching nicotine and developing a patent-pending tool to help vapers taper off - a device with which he's won two pitch competitions. Through conversations with thousands of vapers and collaborating with addiction scientists and cessation therapists, Phil hopes this tool can one day help millions quit, and he partnered with Boomerang to fulfill this vision. He's been an expert panelist on Indiana's Teen Vaping Echo, a government-sponsored program through Indiana University to educate medical professionals on youth vaping behavior, bridging the gap between their past studies and emerging science.

Job Titles:

• Member of the Board
• Respiratory Care Medical Director
• Studio Board Member

Rajat (Raj) Kapoor, a Studio Board Member at Boomerang Ventures, is an experienced physician leader, medical director, innovator, and educator at Indiana University Health and IU's School of Medicine. Raj currently serves as Respiratory Care Medical Director at IU Health, supervising the Respiratory Care Medical Department for the Academic Health Center in Indianapolis. He is also a Clinical Professor in the medical school's Department of Medicine, Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine. As a physician leader, Raj has led quality initiatives, protocol development, and the LEAN approach to continuous improvement to improve access and patient experience, physician burnout, and employee engagement. Raj earned Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery Medicine degrees from Maulana Azad Medical College, a top medical education college in India. He also received an MBA in the Business of Medicine from IU's Kelley School of Business. He is board certified in internal medicine, critical care medicine, and pulmonary medicine.

Job Titles:

• Investment Analyst

Tejas Vijh joined Boomerang Ventures as an Investment Analyst with an impressive background in the venture capital sector, focusing on investment analysis, due diligence, and supporting startups in technology sectors including Health Tech, EdTech, and Generative AI. His experiences at New York Angels and Big Idea Ventures, alongside roles at Owl Ventures and First Cheque, have honed his skills in evaluating startup potential and making strategic investment decisions. Tejas brings insight, integrity, and a forward-looking perspective to emerging technologies and businesses, combining analytical prowess with technical expertise. His dedication to entrepreneurship and innovation extended beyond his professional roles. During Tejas' graduate studies at Columbia University, he founded the Columbia Entrepreneurship and Venture Society (CEVS), an initiative to connect aspiring entrepreneurs with the venture capital ecosystem, exploring the intricacies of startup development and growth. This effort underscores his commitment to fostering a culture of innovation and bridging the gap between academic learning and industry practice. Tejas holds a Master of Science in Business Analytics from Columbia Engineering & Columbia Business School and a Bachelor of Technology in Computer Science from SRM Institute of Science and Technology.

Job Titles:

• Chief Financial Officer
• Partner

Tony Petrucciani has been an entrepreneur since 1985 when he founded a software company serving manufacturers and service management organizations during his senior year of college. Over the next two-and-a-half decades, he grew Single Source Systems, Inc. to more than 1,000 customers in 29 countries. This led to a successful exit in 2011 when Infor, a global enterprise software firm acquired the Infor-related assets of the company. Tony granted equity in Single Source Systems to his remaining employees and continues in a coaching role as they regrow the organization. In 2014, Tony joined VisionTech Partners as a managing partner. VisionTech Angels is among the Midwest's most active angel investing networks, with more than 40 portfolio companies and some $20 million in invested capital. Tony brings technology, sales, management, and analytical experience to the Boomerang team. He currently serves on nine boards. He earned a Bachelor of Science in computer science and Spanish from Ball State University and is a graduate of The Entrepreneurial Masters Program, an entrepreneurial executive leadership program sponsored by MIT University and INC Magazine. He led Single Source Systems to two appearances on the Inc 500 list of fastest growing companies in America and was recognized among Indianapolis' 40 under 40 by the Indianapolis Business Journal. Tony enjoys investing in and mentoring startup companies, keeping up with technology, problem solving and golf, sometimes all at the same time.