Kirsten Morbeck | Managing Director
Kirsten is Managing Director of SpringRock Ventures. She has spent the past twenty years building and investing in early stage technology and healthcare companies. Her investment portfolio includes ten investments in companies that have gone public or been acquired. She has made notable investments across four sectors: (i) healthcare (Vascular Solutions (VASC), Pet’s Choice (acq by VCAI)); (ii) mobile (Tegic Communications (acq by AOL), (iii) software (Sabrix, acq by Thomson), and (iv) internet services (InterNAP (INAP), aQuantive (acq by MSFT) and BlueBox (acq by IBM)). Kirsten currently serves as a Board Director/Observer for six venture-backed companies including Opya Care, Saykara, Virtudent, InDemand Interpreting, Hint Health and Bright.md.
Her venture experience includes senior investment professional positions with Mohr Davidow Ventures, and two successful regional venture funds. Kirsten was a Board Director and Chair of the Strategic Committee for Wireless Matrix Corporation, a publicly-traded, leading fleet management SAAS company that was acquired by CalAmp Corporation (WRX/CAMP) in 2012.
Operationally, Kirsten co-founded a mobile security company in 2007 that was backed by Shasta Ventures, MDV & Bezos Expeditions, and was acquired by Visa in 2016. In addition, she has worked for Microsoft’s Seed venture group, Archon Capital, and Lehman Brothers.
Kirsten is married with a son. She was an All-American lacrosse player while earning her degree at Middlebury College.
+1 (206) 849-8492
kmorbeck@springrockventures.com
<strong>Eric Bell</strong> | Managing Director
Eric Bell is Managing Director of SpringRock Ventures. He has spent his entire career helping life sciences organizations translate innovation into commercialization. Eric is currently on the Board of Directors of Offor – a provider of hospital quality, remote site, anesthesia services and CurvaFix – a novel bone screw that can be flexibly inserted and fixed in a curved position. Eric is also SpringRock’s board observer of Cyrus Biotechnology – a company creating therapeutic products using their computation biology expertise and Hint Health – the backend software provider for direct primary care. Some of Eric’s notable investments include: Illumina (ILMN), Rosetta Inpharmatics (RSTA – acquired by MRK), Vascular Solutions (VASC), HemoSense (HEM acquired by IMA), SignalSoft (SGSF), C-SATS (acquired by JNJ), and Artemis Medical (acquired by JNJ).
Before co-founding SpringRock, Eric headed the Small and Medium Enterprise Program for the Invention Development Fund (IDF) at Intellectual Ventures (IV). Among prior work at IV, he led an international team focused on building a portfolio supporting his investment thesis in medical devices, using IV’s “invention capital” to build a new model for medical device innovation financing – a seed medical device aggregator. At IV, Eric also guided small companies from industries including life sciences, agriculture, energy, and construction in the protection of their innovations, intellectual property, and their global business development reach.
Prior to IV, Eric had spent most of his career in venture capital. He was an investment professional at Vulcan Capital, Paul Allen’s investment vehicle, and Tredegar Investments. At both funds, he was responsible for early and mid-stage life sciences investments. Eric has also been Director of Business Development with Corixa Corporation, an immunomodulation focused biotechnology company in Seattle, WA. There he headed the out-licensing effort for Corixa’s preclinical programs and was responsible for initiating and closing the WT-1 cancer vaccine transaction with the biotechnology division of Kirin Breweries based in Tokyo, Japan.
Prior to business school, Eric had worked for a start-up medical device company developing a home hemodialysis machine, Aksys, Ltd. (AKSY). While there, he was awarded several patents for his work on dialyzer reuse. Eric has an M.B.A. from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, an M.S.E. in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Pennsylvania, and a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Worcester Polytechnic Institute.
Dr. Joel Berg | Venture Partner
Dr. Berg is the Dean of the UW School of Dentistry. Previously, Dr. Berg was the VP for Clinical Affairs at Phillips Oral Healthcare, the Chief Clinical Officer of Sonicare, the VP for Research & Clinical Affairs at ESPE America, and the VP of R&D for Ionos-America. Dr. Berg was the Chair of the UW Department of Pediatric Dentistry and served on the dental faculty at the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Texas. He is a Fellow of the American College of Dentists and International College of Dentists, as well as a Board Director of the American Academy of Esthetic Dentistry and past President of the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry.
Dr. Randy Axelrod | Venture Partner
Dr. Axelrod is a health care consultant to employers, health plans, integrated delivery systems and the healthcare industry including several startup companies. In his consulting role, Dr. Axelrod provides strategic and operational expertise and guidance to improve clinical and financial outcomes for each client.
Before his current private consulting career began, Dr. Axelrod served as the Executive Vice President and Chief Clinical Officer for Providence Health & Services, organizing system wide quality and safety, clinical programs, clinical innovation and research evaluation and key supply chain and capital purchase strategies. Previously he served as SVP for Healthcare Management at WellPoint, the VP and Executive Medical Director at Sentara Healthcare and the President of HealthSpring Medical Group. In addition he worked with the US Department of Energy and their Special Medical Care Program in the Republic of the Marshall Islands.
Dr. Axelrod’s work on the use of artificial intelligence in health care resulted in internationally accepted publications and several national awards. Recently Dr. Axelrod and the POWERDOT team won first-place in the Heritage Health Plan predictive modeling contest at the first and second milestones and final competition – a contest predicting readmissions. In the past he received the Virginia Public Health Association Recognition Award, the Innovator’s Award from HIAA and the Pinnacle Award from the American Pharmaceutical Association Foundation for “Resistance Kills,” a program on community antibiotic resistance.
Chuck Brynelsen | Venture Partner
As Senior Vice President of Abbot Vascular, Chuck Brynelsen leads an organization focused upon reducing the global impact of cardiovascular disease. Chuck was previously the Global President of Early Technologies for Medtronic and President of Early Technologies for Covidien. Chuck has also spent seven years as CEO of Intrapace, a start-up medical device company treating obesity. Before Intrapace, Check spent 24 years at Medtronic in various regional, business unit and corporate leadership roles as the company went from a $250 million pacemaker company to a diversified medical technology enterprise with over $10 billion in revenues.
Peter Horadan | Venture Partner
Peter Horadan leads software development and operations at Avalara. His extensive background includes leadership positions in engineering, operations, and client services. In addition to building and operating SAAS services, Peter has a long history of creating industry-leading commercial software products. Before joining Avalara, Peter served as a technology executive for several private and publicly traded companies, most recently Scout Analytics. Additionally, he has directed research and development at Concur Technologies, and has held leadership roles at Microsoft, Corillian, and BEA Systems.
Colleen Birdnow Brown | Strategic Board Director
Colleen currently advises media, technology and information companies. She previously was director, president and CEO of Fisher Communications, Inc. (FSCI). The company owned ABC, CBS, NBC and FOX affiliated television stations, radio stations, interactive networks and technical facilities. Brown led the company’s turn around and its successful sale in 2013.
Brown currently serves on the board of True Blue (TBI), a leading provider of specialized workforce solutions. She previously served as Chairperson of the Board for American Apparel (APP) during its reorganization; and on the boards of Fisher Communications, (FSCI), BECU (Boeing Employee Credit Union), CareerBuilder.com, ClassifiedVentures.com (cars.com), United Way, Belo Interactive, and The Center for Creative Leadership. She began her career in finance and accounting, and has served in the C-Suite of a Fortune 1000 company (AHC) and as a senior leader in a Fortune 100 company (GCI).
Jim Dwyer | Strategic Board Director
Jim Dwyer is president and chief executive officer of Delta Dental of Washington with over $1b in revenues serving 2.5m members. He also is Vice Chairman of Delta Dental Plans Association (DDPA) a national association of member plans from the 50 states and Puerto Rico. DDPA members provide more than $14 billion in dental care services per year to more than 51 million people. Jim also serves on the board of DeltaUSA, which oversees policy and marketing issues for DDPA’s national products and plans. He is a board member of Encara, a company offering individual products in the dental space nationally. He is currently chairman of the board of Healthentic a data analytics company focusing on the whole health population metrics of employees.
Prior to joining Delta Dental, Jim was the chief executive of the Port of Seattle. He was responsible for domestic and international lines of business, more than 1,000 employees, assets of more than $1 billion, and annual budgets of $250 million. He has a strong background in operations, risk and investment, sales and marketing, strategic planning and public affairs. His experience also includes serving as president and CEO of a $30 million wholesale distribution company operating in six states. Prior to that Jim was a partner and director of international commercial law for a leading Pacific Northwest law firm.
Jeff Seely | Strategic Board Director
Jeff Seely most recently was Chairman and CEO of HR software firm Recruiting.com from 2008 until it’s sale in 2010. Prior to that he was Chairman and CEO of the online investing firm ShareBuilder Corporation from 1998 until it’s acquisition in 2007 by ING Direct. Jeff is a trustee of the Washington State Investment Board, which oversees more than $100 billion of pension assets for state employees. He is a Director and the Executive Chairman of Lighter Capital, a venture-backed company that makes small business loans to growth companies and a Director of insurer Delta Dental of Washington. He is also on the board of independent radio station KEXP. He was previously Director and audit committee chair of software company Concur Technologies for nine years prior to its acquisition by SAP. Before ShareBuilder, Seely spent 15 years in investment banking at Robertson Stephens & Co., Dean Witter and Smith Barney, where he focused on financings, IPOs, and mergers and acquisitions for financial services firms and consumer businesses.
Lucinda Stewart | Strategic Board Director
Lucinda Stewart is an executive search consultant for Spencer Stuart’s Technology, Media & Telecommunications, Financial Officer, Private Equity and Board practices. Before joining Spencer Stuart, Lucinda served as vice president of corporate development for Fisher Communications.
Previously, Lucinda was a general partner and co-leader of the IT practice at OVP Venture Partners, focusing on digital media, wireless, enterprise software, SaaS, healthcare IT and services spaces. While at OVP, she served on more than 20 boards, launched OVP’s advisory board and managed strategic relationships with venture firms on both coasts. Earlier in her career, Lucinda was on the investment team at Frazier Healthcare, a $1.8-billion healthcare-focused venture capital firm. She also worked as an investment banker at Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette in New York, and was part of the startup team at National Surgery Centers, identifying development and acquisition targets and opportunities for operational center improvement.
Dennis Weston | Strategic Board Director
Denny is Senior Managing Director of Fluke Venture Partners II, LP and FFK VIII, LP, both Kirkland, Washington, based venture capital funds focusing on early-stage, high growth companies in the Pacific Northwest. Denny formerly served on the boards of Payscale, Inc. (acquired by Warburg Pincus), Sur La Table (acquired by Investcorp), Confirma (acquired by Merge Healthcare) and Redhook Brewery (Nasdaq: HOOK). He has served extensively on the boards of many for-profit and not-for-profit organizations over his 34+ year career as a VC.
Denny, a former CPA, earned his BA in Accounting from Central Washington University, where he was named a Distinguished Alumni for the School of Business, and his MBA, with honors, from the University of Washington Graduate School of Business where he received the Outstanding Entrepreneurial Leadership Award.
Derek Streat | Venture Partner
Derek Streat is an accomplished healthcare technology entrepreneur and executive, having co-founded and/or been at the earliest stages of five venture-backed companies, four of which he led as CEO and that successfully exited in sales to much larger companies.
Most recently Derek was Vice President of Digital Solutions at Johnson & Johnson, the world’s largest healthcare company, after C-SATS, a company he co-founded and led as CEO, was acquired. Under Derek’s leadership C-SATS brought to market innovative AI-driven technologies to objectively analyze surgeon skills through video analysis of their procedures resulting in significant improvement in clinical outcomes and cost savings for patients, surgeons and the health systems that utilized it’s platform, including five of the ten largest hospital networks in the U.S.
Previously, Derek was Co-Founder and CEO of Medify, an online medical research service that rapidly became used by 1 in 10 doctors each month. Medify was acquired by Alliance Health Networks where he served as Senior Vice President of Corporate Development & Strategy.
Prior to his work in healthcare, Derek co-founded and led a venture-backed online advertising company, Adready (acquired by CPXi), and was a member of the initial executive team at Classmates Online. As Vice President of Strategic & Corporate Development, he helped build Classmates into a social network serving 80 million consumers that was sold to a public company, United Online, in 2004.