John is a senior executive with over 25 years’ experience at transforming technology-based companies into product-based organizations. He combines a unique set of strategic, financial, talent management, and operating skills to identify unmet medical needs optimizing an organization to translate cutting–edge technology into products that address our most pressing hard to treat diseases to enhance people’s lives.
Prior to co-founding and joining Cour, John was Co-Founder and CEO of Tolera Therapeutics. He led the company from initial startup through manufacturing optimization, pre-clinical, completion of a Phase 2 clinical trial, and filing of a Phase 3 Special Protocol Assessment (SPA) with the FDA. The company built significant barriers to entry by achieving several orphan drug designations and issuance of composition of matter patents utilizing a unique patent strategy.
John was also instrumental to the startup of Cleveland Heart Labs (sold to LabCorp). He has served on the boards of Third Wave Technologies (NASDQ:TWTI) and ProNAi Therapeutics (NASDQ:DNAI), Tolera Therapeutics. John is a current board member at Cour Pharmaceuticals and advisory board member of NewCures of Northwestern University. He is also a member of the Economic Club of Chicago.
Prior to Tolera, he was President and CEO of Third Wave Technologies (NASDAQ: TWTI), a biotechnology company, where he led the transformation of a non-sustainable genomics tools business into a robust growth-driven molecular diagnostics company primarily by leading the development of hard to detect infections and cancers. Third Wave was eventually sold for $600 million. John also served as a strategic consultant to DEKALB Genetics Corporation (NYSE) that was ultimately sold for $3.2 billion. Earlier in his career, John was with Spencer Stuart and Egon Zehnder International, in their life sciences practice groups where he consulted with biotech and pharmaceutical firms. After receiving his BS in Accounting from Northern Illinois University, John started his career at Arthur Andersen and also worked for Price Waterhouse. He received his MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.