How to Maintain and Grow a Successful Biotech Company

Mark Chamberlain
Vice President of Operations,
Bioness, Inc.

April 4, 2005
CLU - Richter Hall Ahmanson Science Building

Creating, growing, and maintaining a biotechnology company is one of the most rewarding experiences because of the humanitarian impact that benefit from the inventions, but also is one of the most difficult entrepreneurship journeys to undertake. In this endeavor lie the confluent drives of a society that is profit driven but controlled by powerful insurances and safety agencies, and of very educated patients and empowered advocates. Add to this the standard challenges of technology development, market penetration, and funding, and you have a very complex incubation ground to nurture and evolve. Growing a successful biotech company is not for the weak of heart. The most efficient way to learn is to listen to the ones who have done the journey several times and have derived some wisdom from walking the path.

Marck Chamberlain

Mark Chamberlain has traveled down that path with 3 different Al Mann Bio-tech companies. Mark is the Vice President of Operations at Bioness, Inc. one of Entrepreneur Al Mann’s newest companies focusing on products for Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. Prior to his most recent position he was the Vice President of Administration at the Alfred E Mann Foundation with responsibilities in the areas of Finance, Facilities, Information Technology, Human Resources and Prototype Manufacturing. He served at similar role at Advanced Bionics (another Al Mann Company) for 7 years prior to joining the foundation. Mark has BS in Business Administration with emphasis on Accounting and Marketing. He spent 12 years at Hughes Aircraft Company (a major southern California defense contractor) managing Manufacturing, Material Operations and Finance prior to moving into Biomedical Manufacturing at Advanced Bionics.