Visualase, Inc. was founded in 2005 as a spin-off from BioTex, Inc., the original developer and current manufacturer of the Visualase technology. Visualase, Inc. is currently a privately held company located in Houston, Texas.

Research and Development

Visualase, Inc. is focused product development, clinical evaluations, manufacturing, and marketing of advanced laser and image-guided technologies for thermal ablation markets. Our goal is to provide physicians with a superior platform for minimally invasive thermal tumor therapy and merge existing diagnostic and therapeutic environments for improved patient care.

Investor Relations

For information regarding investment in Visualase, Inc. and its array of technologies, please contact us. Presentations are available for download in PDF and Powerpoint format upon request.

Management Team

Bill Hoffman, CEO Bill Hoffman has extensive commercial execution experience with early stage medical device companies, especially those focused on novel and potentially disruptive technologies. Bill’s most recent position was Chief Operating Officer at Rubicor Medical, a Northern California based company focused on an image guided, percutaneous lumpectomy device, as well as a novel hand held breast biopsy device. He hired the executive team, helped raise $27.5M Series C commercialization funds, and brought both products to market within 18 months. Prior to that, Bill was Vice President of Sales at FoxHollow Inc., building from scratch a team of 250 sales professionals, and driving arguably the fastest, most explosive revenue ramp in the history of medical device sales: from no revenue in Q2 2003 to $138M in calendar year 2005. Bill’s first experience in early stage commercialization was at RITA Medical Systems, the first volumetric, radiofrequency ablation company in the US. As Director of US Sales, he executed the hiring plan and revenue growth ramp that resulted in a successful IPO in 2000.

Ashok Gowda Ph.D., Founder and COO Dr. Gowda has over 10 years experience in directing medical device technology development and has contributed to the Visualase effort on both the scientific and management fronts. Dr. Gowda currently oversees a number of aspects of the Visualase commercialization effort, including organizing clinical collaborations, maintaining a strong intellectual property program, and ensuring adequate financial and personnel resources to fulfill the Company vision. Dr. Gowda received his B.E. degree in Biomedical Engineering from Vanderbilt University in 1991 and the M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Bioengineering from Texas A&M University in 1998.

Roger McNichols Ph.D., Founder and CTO Dr. McNichols is responsible for overseeing all aspects of research and development of the Visualase technology. Dr. McNichols has extensive experience in biomedical based optical sensor design and hands on development of optical sensors. Dr. McNichols received a Bachelor’s Degree in Electrical Engineering from the Ohio State University in 1992 and the Ph.D. degree in Biomedical Engineering from Texas A&M University in 1998. He has served as a lecturing faculty member in the Biomedical Engineering department at Texas A&M University and has a strong background in the life sciences including a year of formal training in medical school.

Thom Farris, Director of Business Development Prior to joining Visualase, Thom helped to begin the commercialization process by taking on various sales and sales management positions with emerging technology companies including Rita Medical Systems, FoxHollow Technologies, and Rubicor. Thom has more than fifteen years of sales and sales management experience dealing with the launching of new procedures and commercial products. He began his career as a territory manager for Baxter Hospital Supply prior to joining J&J/Ethicon as an endo-mechanical specialist at the beginning of the laparoscopic boom in general surgery. He then joined Scimed Life Systems prior to the mass acceptance of angioplasty and coronary stenting. Thom graduated from the University of Georgia with an undergraduate degree in Biochemistry and a Masters degree in Physiology.

T. Andrew Keene, Dir of Business Development, has over 20 years of medical sales experience mostly in early stage companies commercializing novel medical devices in new markets.  Prior to joining Visualase, Andrew was part of the original sales and management team at Foxhollow.  Andrew was instrumental in building both the PAD market and company sales of over $138M.  Foxhollow had a successful IPO in 2004, was eventually sold to EV3.  Prior to that Andrew, was the first sales manager hired to help to build and manage the sales team at Rita Medical. Rita developed and commercialized the first volumetric RF ablation technology, and Andrew’s efforts led to a successful IPO in 2000 and an eventual acquisition by Angiodynamics. Before helping to bring emerging technologies to market, Andrew held various sales and sales management positions at Medtronic and Johnson & Johnson’s Ethicon division.

Robert R. Tillman, Member, Board of Directors Mr. Tillman is a member of the board of directors of Visualase, Inc. and currently operates as a mergers and acquisitions, turnaround and startup business consultant when not employed full-time in an operating role. He has served as President and CEO at RRTI, Inc., Rootsweb.com, Inc., Storm Technology, Inc., and Sunshine Medical Instruments, Inc. As a Product Marketing Manager at Nellcor Incorporated, he authored both the business plan and the FDA application for the first commercially successful noninvasive pulse oximeter. Mr. Tillman holds a B.A. degree from Harvard University and an M.B.A. degree from the Stanford University Graduate School of Business.