FRAMINGHAM, Mass., Sept. 21 /PRNewswire/ -- Boston Heart Lab (BHL), a pioneer in specialized diagnostics for patients with heart disease, has closed on a $10 million Series C round of financing led by Bain Capital Ventures and has named Susan Hertzberg chief executive officer. A seasoned leader with more than 20 years of experience in global diagnostics companies, Ms. Hertzberg (52) is the former president and CEO of Ipsogen, Inc., the North American division of French cancer and molecular-diagnostics company, Ipsogen, SA.
“Susan has a stellar track record as a growth leader and change-agent, with a full gamut of executive experience from product development through global commercialization,” said BHL Chairman, Peter Parker. “We are thrilled that she has joined us to lead BHL as we embark upon this exciting phase of the company’s development. I’d also like to welcome new board members, Alice Limkakeng and Jeff Crisan, both from Bain Capital Ventures, who have already been putting their considerable leadership talent and expertise to work on behalf of BHL.”
Commenting on the Bain Capital Ventures investment, Ms. Limkakeng said, “Boston Heart Lab’s services fall within the sweet spot of the changing healthcare paradigm known as personalized medicine, using outcomes-based medicine to save health dollars and improve treatment for patients. We are pleased that Bain Capital Ventures can help be a catalyst to enable BHL to thrive and improve the care of millions of cardiac patients.”
Ms. Hertzberg added, “Boston Heart Lab has been making a name for itself since its inception. The market opportunity is tremendous -- there are 19 million people in the U.S. alone with established heart disease and another 45 million at risk. I am honored to join BHL’s talented team as we realize our aggressive growth goals by increasing our diagnostic offerings, developing new strategic partnerships, and serving many more patients.”
Ms. Hertzberg, who will also serve on the company’s board of directors, succeeds BHL’s founding CEO, Wolfgang Daum, Ph.D., who will remain a consultant to BHL. Mr. Parker continued, “On behalf of the board, I’d like to thank Wolfgang, and outgoing board members, Drs. Katsu Nakajima and Bela Asztalos, for their dedication and leadership in transforming BHL from an idea-stage organization into a successful operating company, with a growing revenue base.”
Prior to joining Ipsogen, Ms. Hertzberg was an executive at Abbott Diagnostics, where she was responsible for building a global account management team to support strategic customers around the world in private and commercial labs, integrated delivery networks, and hospital systems. Before that, she spent much of her career at Quest Diagnostics, progressing through many management and leadership positions, including sales, marketing, and supply chain. She has also worked in managed care overseeing all ancillary services contracting for Oxford Health Plans. Ms. Hertzberg holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Clemson University and a M.B.A. from Columbia University. She also serves on the board of Theracare, a private healthcare and special educational services business.
About Boston Heart Lab (www.bostonheartlab.com)
Boston Heart Lab enables cardiologists and other clinicians to prescribe personalized treatment plans for cardiovascular disease and lipid disorders that offer patients the best opportunity for improved health outcomes, based on a panel of tests that provides the most comprehensive assessment available detailing the cause and state of the patient’s disease. The company’s proprietary two-dimensional gel electrophoresis of HDL particles reveals the entire reverse cholesterol metabolism to sub-classify the disease, while its proprietary plant sterol analysis evaluates how well the patient produces and absorbs cholesterol. Boston Heart Lab currently offers more than 35 proprietary, state-of-the-art tests to assess the patient’s cardiac health and risk profile and an algorithm for developing a tailored treatment protocol (Boston Heart Navigator) based on the latest peer-reviewed scientific data. A privately held company, Boston Heart Lab began clinical operations after receiving its CLIA license in July 2008.
About Bain Capital Ventures (www.baincapitalventures.com)
Bain Capital Ventures is the venture capital affiliate of Bain Capital, which has approximately $67 billion of assets under management worldwide. Focusing on sectors such as healthcare, business services, consumer, internet & mobile and software, Bain Capital Ventures benefits from the broader resources of Bain Capital, which includes more than 350 investment professionals, a network of over 250 portfolio companies and the knowledge from 25 years of successful venture investing. Bain Capital Ventures has been an active venture and growth investor in the healthcare market including companies such as Ameritox, Nanosphere, Liberty Dialysis, Precision Therapeutics, MedeAnalytics and Humedica. Some notable past investments include MinuteClinic, Brontes Technologies, and Dade Diagnostic, among others.
Media Contact: Caroline Grossman 781.771.5579 caroline.grossman@gmail.com
SOURCE Boston Heart Lab
