Michael Urdea

Quantum Dot Corp. develops and markets novel solutions for biomolecular detection. Its products and services employ quantum dot particles, tiny semiconductor crystals that emit light brightly in a range of sharp colors. The company was founded by Bala Manian in 1998 and is located in Hayward, CA.

Halteres Associates LLC is a consulting firm founded in 2002 and based in an undisclosed location. The American company provides strategic and tactical consulting services to organizations in the areas of diagnostics, health, medical devices, and life science research. The private company leverage a robust network of industry professionals across multiple disciplines to assist organizations with technology creation and applications, product and market development, opportunity and economic analyses, business modeling, and more. The company's clients include large multinational companies, nongovernmental organizations, and emerging industry innovators. Halteres Associates is passionate about improving healthcare and can help create impact and value by matching medical innovation to market needs.

Singulex, Inc. provides biotechnological research and development services. It also provides instrumentation and immunoassays with the requisite sensitivity and specificity to enable biomarker discovery and validation for drug safety and efficacy. The company was founded by Robert S. Puskas in November 1997 and is headquartered in Alameda, CA.

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation was formed in 1997 as the William H. Gates Foundation. In 1999, the foundation was renamed the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Trust was created in January 2000 through the merger of the Gates Learning Foundation, which worked to expand access to technology through public libraries and the William H. Gates Foundation, which focused on improving global health. The foundation participates in preventive approaches and collaborative endeavors with government, philanthropic and not-for-profit partners. Priority is given to grants that leverage additional support and serve as a catalyst for long-term, systemic change. The foundation also provides funds to promote greater equity in global health, education and public libraries. Through their partnerships in communities across the US, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is committed to raising the high school graduation rate and helping all students, regardless of race or family income. The foundation is headquartered in Seattle, Washington.

Tethys Bioscience was dedicated to the discovery, development and commercialization of novel biological markers biomarkers that provided a practical tool to address the growing global challenge of chronic metabolic diseases such as diabetes. By developing new tests that used protein and other blood borne biomarkers to identify people at high risk for devastating and preventable diseases, they can arm patients and physicians with knowledge they can use to help prevent disease progression. These biomarkers gave a snapshot of an individual's current risk, which may be modifiable. Their goal was to provide clinicians with an objective and convenient means to risk-stratify their patients and help them focus appropriate intervention strategies on those most likely to benefit. Their research strategies lead to sets of biomarkers that can be used to quantify the level of an individual's risk. The company had become a pioneer in the discovery, development and value creation of novel biological markers for the clinical diagnostics marketplace: The company had built expertise, created significant intellectual property, and was executing its business plan around three key areas: Biomarker Discovery, Clinical Validation and ValueCreation. It was focused upon introducing products that yield significant savings to the health care system and improve the quality of life for patients.