Abstract

With the pandemic forever changing the world we live in, John's talk will cover how Spartan Bioscience is helping to solve the need for rapid COVID-19 point-of-care testing with the Spartan Cube - a portable PCR-based testing platform the size of a coffee cup. He will provide practical insights as an entrepreneur on how Spartan founded, raised capital and scaled, as well as the journey from prototype to commercialization.

Speaker Biography

John is a biotech entrepreneur with over 15 years of experience in life sciences, genetics, medical devices and capital markets. He has founded multiple companies, raising over $50M in capital. 
 
John is currently the co-founder and CEO of Lobo Genetics, a direct-to-consumer genetics company that helps consumers have a safer cannabis experience through genetics, data and engagement. He is also the co-founder and former VP of Corporate Development of Spartan Bioscience, a biomedical device company with the world's smallest DNA analyzer with applications in companion diagnostics, infectious disease and environmental testing. 
 
John started his career in finance with Waterfall Investments, a Toronto-based hedge fund, where he specialized in Canadian and US healthcare investments. Waterfall was acquired by Sentry Investments, a $19-billion asset management company. John holds a BASc in computer engineering from the Engineering Science program at the University of Toronto.