Team

Allied Minds is a U.S. private equity corporation capitalized and owned by seasoned entrepreneurs and investors. We have offices in Boston, MA, and Los Angeles, CA. 

• Christopher Silva

  Chief Executive Officer

  Chris Silva is the Chief Executive Officer of Allied Minds, Inc. Before joining Allied Minds, Chris was a Partner at JSA Partners, a professional M&A and strategy consultancy in Boston, MA, which provides high technology companies with market entry, competitive strategy, acquisitions and investment decisions. His consulting background includes three years with A.T. Kearney's Aerospace Aviation and Defense Practice. Chris was also the Director of Business Development for GRC International, a scientific and technical support contractor to the Department of Defense and US Intelligence Community. Earlier, Chris served in the U.S. Air Force and Intelligence Community. His education includes a degree in economics from Tufts University and a Masters of Business Administration.

• Mark Pritchard

  President & Founder

  Mark Pritchard is President and Chairman of the Board of Allied Minds, Inc. After a career in investment banking in the City of London, latterly with Nomura International, Mark set up an investment fund specializing in early stage high tech investments which over time became an active investor in many of the portfolio companies. Allied Minds was a project Mark started working on in early 2005 and after considerable background due diligence on the concept, the company commenced operations in early 2006.
  
  Mark was until recently Chairman of FuturaGene PLC, a biotech business focused on enhancing production yields and biomass in crops for the fuel and fibre industries. Established in 2004, with Mark as a founding investor, FuturaGene was built around intellectual property licensed from a number of prestigious universities. Suzano Papel e Celulose SA, a Brazilian based multinational, acquired FuturaGene for approximately $100 million in July 2010. Mark sits on the board of a number of other companies. He graduated with honors from Cass Business School, London in 1984.

• Marc Eichenberger

  Chief Operating Officer

  Marc Eichenberger is the Chief Operating Officer of Allied Minds, Inc. Before joining Allied Minds, Marc established his own professional services firm. His previous roles have included valuation, management advisory, M&A support and temporary senior executive roles, most recently as a Senior Vice President of Mergers & Acquisitions with a transportation services firm. He also served as Vice President of Marketing and Business Development for a small manufacturer of expansion joints. Prior, Marc was a Senior Principal with the leading consultancy A.T. Kearney. For over 10 years, he supported acquisitions, strategy development, and drove the restructuring of underperforming businesses. Marc's education includes a degree in economics and German from New York University and an MBA from the Wharton School of Business. Marc was awarded the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation.

• Omar Amirana, MD

  Managing Director, Life Sciences

  Omar is the Managing Director of Life Sciences for Allied Minds. Omar previously served as a Partner at Oxford Bioscience Partners, a Boston-based venture capital firm with ~$1B under management. He sourced and led the Series A investment in nFocus Neuromedical which commercialized a catheter-based aneurysm therapy and was recently sold to Covidien for ~$100M. He has served on the boards of Flowmedica (renal therapy; sold to AngioDynamics), SmartPill (GI capsule technology; sold to Given Imaging), Coherex (catheter closure of LAA and PFO), Mitralign (percutaneous heart valve repair), and Cambridge Endoscopic Devices (articulating laparoscopic surgical tools). He was the co-founder of Cardima (AF ablation; IPO) and Resolution Medical (cardiac mapping) based in Silicon Valley. He was also the VP of Marketing of MedicaLogic/Medscape, (EMR/HCIT), and served as VP of Business Development at St. Jude Medical (STJ, $5.2B in revenue). He has developed and launched products worldwide. He is currently on the board of Cardiofocus (AF catheter ablation) as well as the Oversight Committee for the Coulter Translational Research Partnership at Columbia University. As a co-founder of Propel Careers, he is passionate about helping aspiring entrepreneurs in life sciences. Omar earned a BS in Mechanical Engineering from Tufts University and an MD from Eastern Virginia Medical School.

• Thomas Sharpe

  Senior Advisor

  Thomas R. Sharpe is Senior Advisor at Allied Minds. He comes to Allied Minds with a 35 year career in academic research and administration. Most recently Dr. Sharpe was Associate Vice President for Economic Development at the University of Iowa where he led the IOWA Centers for Enterprise, an umbrella organization that included five units responsible for economic development activities of the University: the University of Iowa Research Foundation (UI's tech transfer and business development unit), the University of Iowa Research Park, the UI BioVentures Center and UI Technology Innovation Center (UI's technology business incubators), the Office of Corporate Partnerships, and the John Pappajohn Entrepreneurial Center.
  
  Previously, Tom served as Executive Director of the University of Missouri Office of Technology & Special Projects, the tech transfer and business development office for the UM System and its four campuses (Columbia, Kansas City, Rolla, and St. Louis). Prior to that he was a research professor in the University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy, where he ultimately acted as Director of its Research Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, a separate state agency operating within the University. At Mississippi, he launched and directed the University's tech transfer and business development programs from the early 1980's until 1999. He holds a B.S. degree in Pharmacy from the University of Illinois at the Medical Center and Master's and Ph.D. degrees in Health Care Administration from the University of Mississippi.

• Vincent Chun

  Vice President

  Vincent Chun is a Vice President at Allied Minds, Inc. Previously, Dr. Chun was senior manager in finance and operations at EMC, a large data storage company, managing projects to improve revenue performance by developing and collecting operational metrics, by standardizing global structure and processes, and by streamlining and enhancing IT infrastructure. His business experience includes several years as a consultant with A.T. Kearney where he participated and led strategic and market analyses, operational improvements and performance optimization efforts. Dr. Chun spent seven years as Vice President and Chief Technical Officer at a biotech subsidiary of Photon Research Associates, Inc., developing and commercializing molecular modeling software and services, through collaborations with academic and industry researchers and liaison with a major software distributor. Prior to that, he spent nine years in aerospace engineering, performing dynamics and controls modeling, simulation, and assessment for spacecraft and aircraft. Vincent's education includes a PhD from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and an MBA from Kellogg School of Management. He has published 18 journal articles, and has served as peer reviewer for several professional publications.

• John Serafini

  Vice President

  John Serafini is a Vice President in our Boston office where he focuses upon the commercialization of technologies originating from U.S. federal research institutions. Before joining Allied Minds, John was a Principal at Good Harbor Consulting where he partnered with Mr. Richard Clarke (former Special Advisor to three Presidential Administrations) and Paladin Capital as a venture capital/growth equity investor and M&A specialist with sector concentration in cybersecurity and expertise in managing investments impacted by U.S. national security regulations. During this time, John was also responsible for the origination and transaction of numerous acquisitions, joint ventures, and strategic partnerships for Good Harbor and its affiliated investment funds and provided cybersecurity advisory services for governmental, commercial, and investment fund clients. In addition, John provided advisory and board services to a number of venture-capital backed cybersecurity firms. A former U.S. Army infantry officer, John earned a B.S. degree with highest honors from the United States Military Academy at West Point, an MBA degree from the Harvard Business School, and an MPA degree from the Harvard John F. Kennedy School of Government. John is a Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst and a Chartered Financial Analyst candidate.

• Roger Yang

  Director

  Roger Yang is a Director at Allied Minds, Inc. in our Los Angeles office. Roger has extensive experience in technology assessment and planning, implementing integrated business and supply chain solutions as well as negotiations. He has worked both in industry and management consulting and was most recently with the turnaround and restructuring firm AlixPartners. His experience spans industries as diverse as High Tech and Aerospace to Consumer Packaged Goods and Energy around the world. Earlier in his career, Roger worked for Philips Lighting as a manufacturing engineer where he managed projects in their U.S., Mexico, and China facilities. Roger holds a Masters of Science in Industrial Administration with an emphasis on Operations and Strategy, from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and a Bachelors of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of California at San Diego. He is fluent in Mandarin Chinese.

• Jeff Caputo

  Director

  Jeff Caputo is a Director in our Boston office. He brings over 13 years of relevant experience in medical devices, early-stage high tech, and healthcare. Before joining Allied Minds, Jeff spent eight years in sales and marketing management at Aspect Medical Systems, most recently as Manager of Market Development and Strategic Alliances. In this role, he launched and managed products within surgery verticals, managed global strategic alliances with industry leaders such as GE, Philips, and Draeger, and assisted with business development efforts to identify and evaluate synergistic technologies for acquisition. Previously, Jeff was a territory manager within the surgical sales team. Prior to Aspect, Jeff held sales and marketing positions in the internet start-up industry, as well as provided direct patient care in emergency, cardiology, and neurology departments. Jeff's education includes a BA in Biology and Psychology from St Olaf College, and an MBA from Boston College with a focus in Venture Capital and Entrepreneurial Management.

• Dan Espinal

  Director

  Dan Espinal is a Director in our Boston office where he focuses upon the commercialization of technologies originating from U.S. federal research institutions. Before joining Allied Minds, Dan was a management consultant at JSA Partners where he provided strategic counsel to a number of tier one defense suppliers, both within the U.S. as well as internationally, including Lockheed Martin, Spirit Aerosystems, Thales, and Hamilton Sundstrand. While at JSA, Dan also conducted a number due diligence and advisory engagements for private equity firms seeking acquisitions in the aerospace and defense industries. A U.S. Army infantry officer, Dan is currently a captain serving in the Rhode Island Army National Guard as an Officer Candidate School instructor. Dan earned a B.A. from Tufts University and an MBA from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Sloan School of Business.

• William Reardon

  Director

  Will Reardon is a Director in our Boston office where he focuses upon the commercialization of technologies originating from U.S. federal research institutions. Before joining Allied Minds, Will worked in finance for Raytheon’s Integrated Defense Systems. A former Lieutenant Commander in the U.S. Navy, Will served on active duty for 11 years as a Navy SEAL and was a Troop Commander on the Naval Special Warfare Development Group. Will earned a B.A from Miami University and is currently completing his MBA from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Sloan School of Business.

• Sara Toussaint

  External Relations

  Sara Toussaint brings over 12 years of relationship management and marketing experience in a variety of industries including academia, sports and law. She currently focuses on partnering with university technology transfer offices to help identify potential investment opportunities for Allied Minds. In addition, she's responsible for the marketing efforts of the firm and its subsidiary companies. Before this role, Sara served as an Associate Director of Alumni Relations for the University of Chicago overseeing the Mid-Atlantic and New England regions. Previously, she spent seven years in sports as Director of Business Development for the Boston Blazers (a startup lacrosse team), an account executive for Major League Soccer (managing Hispanic marketing initiatives for Allstate, AT&T, Burger King, Makita, and The Home Depot) and as a coordinator of Labor Relations for Major League Baseball. Sara spent four years at the law firm of Covington & Burling in Washington, DC first as a legal assistant in their Communications & Media practice and later in public relations and marketing. Sara graduated from the University of Chicago with a degree in Public Policy and earned her MBA from the NYU Stern School of Business.