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"Reed Prior is one of the very few senior
executives who can blend strategic analysis and tactical execution to help drive an enterprise to gaining commercial traction.
I have seen the blended capability at work in several company engagements. Indeed, impressive!" --
Frederick Frank, Vice Chairman, Peter J. Solomon Company, and former Vice Chairman, Lehman Brothers
"As a young man, Gary Stroy started LifeScan to develop a home glucose test; it became a huge business and societal
success. Since then, Gary, on a steady and regular schedule, brought many new innovative life sciences products and
concepts to the world using his canny ability to see market trends before anyone else." -- Jean Deleage, Ph.D., Founding
Partner & Managing Director, Alta Partners
"I have known Steve Peltzman for over twenty years and worked with
him on many different projects from large biotechs to start-ups. He has an impressive knack for grasping the big
picture, identifying the key issues, getting the team aligned and managing for success. I would recommend Steve for
any company that is looking for charismatic leadership." -- Arthur Bruskin, Ph.D., Former EVP &
Head of Global Research, OSI Pharmaceuticals
“I have had the pleasure of knowing
and working with Reed Prior for almost ten years. As Chairman and CEO of
[our portfolio company], Reed did a spectacular job of truly building value and
maximizing shareholder return in light of challenging clinical data. Reed is
an exceptional leader, builds phenomenal teams and posses an extensive understanding of product development from the preclinical
stages through commercialization." -- Jean George, General Partner, Advanced Technology
Ventures
"Reed was recruited by the board to lead the strategic direction of [our portfolio company] and did a wonderful
job in managing a complex product development effort, raising both venture and strategic capital, as well as structuring a
series of important partnerships for the company. Of particular note, Reed was a very effective recruiter and leader of the
team, and was well-liked by everyone. I would not hesitate to back him again." -- Michael A. Greeley,
General Partner, Flybridge Capital Partners (formerly IDG Ventures)
“I was once a director of a biotech
company that Reed’s team had been brought in to lead and to fix, and I was very impressed with their performance.
I only wish that the company’s academic founders could have had access to a service like Mackinaw Bioscience Management
back at the time of the company’s founding. Perhaps then, things might have been better structured for long term
economic viability, thus eliminating the need for remedial restructuring later on. I would strongly recommend Reed and
his team to any university inventor or licensing office seeking leadership for a new bioscience startup. I believe that they
can help you get the company organized, focused, and financed optimally from the beginning.”
-- John R. Silber, Ph.D., President Emeritus and University Professor, Boston University
"Gary Stroy has
a talent for finding opportunities others don’t see, and for finding the right people to pursue those opportunities.
With all of his success, he remains a true gentleman: fair-minded, even humble. You can count on him to do things right while
doing the right things. I don’t know anyone who has worked for him who wouldn’t jump at the chance
to do it again." -- Charles Hsu, Ph.D., MBA, Venture Partner, Bay City Capital
"I recruited [Reed] as a "turn around CEO" for a small privately owned UK development
stage [bioscience] business of which I was Chairman at the time. Following his appointment Reed consolidated operations
from seven facilities down to two, reduced world wide headcount from 100 down to 67, refocused the management team and reduced
cash burn by 35% while increasing revenues by 11%. I can therefore recommend Reed to anyone seeking such expert input
for development stage companies." -- Sir Charles Masefield, President,
BAE Systems and Chairman, Helvetica (Swiss Bank)
“I worked with
Reed for nearly three years while he was CEO of MicroCHIPS. Although I served as the [Chief Scientific Officer] of the company,
Reed included me in all the other aspects of the business, including fundraising, deal making, and strategy development. Reed
was a important mentor to me and helped prepare me to successfully take on the role of CEO. . .” -- John T. Santini, Jr., Ph.D., Cofounder, and now President & CEO
of MicroCHIPS (a bioscience company spun out of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology)
"Gary Stroy was hired as CEO of a very early stage bio
medical company with little cash and a small venture investor group. His first
task was to secure a major investment from larger national venture capitalist groups. In a short period of time, he not only
was able to obtain a term sheet from two very prominent west coast venture firms, but an excellent letter of intent for an
acquisition from a public company. The Board, with Gary’s leadership, decided on the acquisition, resulting in a very
nice IRR for the management and the investors. Gary displayed great leadership and put the investor/company interests ahead
of his personal interests." -- Jack Ahrens, Founding Partner and Managing Director, TGap Ventures LLC
"I was a Director at [a bioscience company] and Reed was CEO. In the face of failure of the primary
technology he licensed a new technology platform from [a major university] and on that basis sold the company
to [a large biotech firm]. Reed's actions avoided significant losses by the investors." -- John
Fried, Ph.D., former Vice Chairman & President of the Research Division, Syntex Pharmaceuticals
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