Although Michael wears many hats, he is primarily an entrepreneur and inventor. His innovative technologies have been integral to the 12 startup companies he founded, as well as for other startups in the medical, agricultural and retail product industries. Combined, his startups have raised over $500 million in capital. Seven startups with his technology have been acquired, including NxThera by Boston Scientific, Salient Surgical by Medtronic, Aegea Medical by Cooper Surgical, Uptake Medical by Bronchus, Ontek by Kyser, Vessix Vascular by Boston Scientific and Agricultural Solutions product distribution by GEA. Major medical companies such as Medtronic have commercialized many of his products. Today, he is working on his most personally meaningful startup, Francis Medical, named after his father, who died from prostate cancer. The company is developing water vapor therapy to treat prostate cancer while protecting surrounding structures. Like many of his startups, he has served as president and other top roles at Francis Medical. Today he serves as founder, board director, and chief technology officer.As an expert in the interaction of thermotherapy and tissue and a prolific inventor, Michael has over 150 patents granted and numerous patents pending in the U.S. alone, most in the medical device field. Michael’s inventions include platform technologies for products sold or in development for cardiac surgery, oncology, orthopedics, pulmonology, general surgery, urology, gynecology, and vascular surgery applications. Michael is a general partner at Solas BioVentures, a venture capital firm investing in early-stage biotech, medical device, and pharmaceutical businesses. Before his startup ventures, Michael was a faculty member who taught and performed research at the University of Minnesota in Physiology, Urologic Surgery, Engineering, and Management. He also taught in the Biological Sciences at Hamline University in St. Paul, Minnesota.Additionally, Michael has served on many boards, including the University of Minnesota School of Engineering Advisory Board, the University Senate Finance and Planning Board, the University of Minnesota Institutional Review Board, and as an Executive Board Chairman of Affinity Plus, a financial institution he grew from $100+M to $2.5+B. Currently, he serves on the boards of Frontline Medical and Morari Medical.