Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States
TThe company I founded became the largest VC-backed medtech acquisition on record. In 2019, Auris Health was acquired by Johnson & Johnson for $3.4 billion cash plus $2.35 billion in milestone payments. I co-founded the company, hold 23 US patents, and was in the room when those terms were negotiated. Then the earnout triggered 7 years of Delaware Chancery Court litigation. 33 witnesses. A 10-day trial. The Delaware Supreme Court issued its ruling in January 2026. That experience changed how I think about exits. I've spent decades in rooms where these deals get made — negotiating term sheets, structuring acquisitions, advising founders across three continents, and mentoring at Harvard University's Innovation Labs. And over and over, I watched something troubling: founders who built incredible companies walked away confused, disappointed, or bitter. Not because they failed, but because no one taught them the structural mechanics that determine who captures value and who doesn't. Today I teach what I wish I'd known. AEIOU Academy's 7 Proficiencies framework covers the operating system behind founder outcomes: psychology & resilience, brand authority, capital architecture, negotiation under asymmetry, governance & control, systems for scale, and exit orchestration. Here I post about: exit mechanics, earnout structures, M&A governance, board dynamics, term sheet traps, and the hard-won lessons from a $5.75B transaction that took nearly a decade to resolve. If you're a founder, executive, board member, or investor navigating growth, exits, or governance — follow along. I share what the textbooks leave out. → Take the Structural Literacy Assessment: aeiouacademy.org
Teaching founders the structural literacy that VCs, lawyers, and boards take for granted — before the term sheet is signed. 42% of funded founders walk away from successful exits with less than their employees. Not because they failed. Because no one taught them how deals actually work. AEIOU Academy covers cap table mechanics, governance structures, liquidation preferences, and high-stakes negotiation — the knowledge that determines who gets paid when a company exits. Founding cohort launching February 2026.
Developed and led early-stage strategy and vision for one of the largest exits in MedTech history. Architected the robotic microsurgical platform that became Monarch™. Recruited top management.
Developer of immune-based diagnostic and therapeutic platform for infection and sepsis. Raised $16M in government grants. Led platform into first-in-human trials.