Our Leadership Team

Hooman is a seasoned executive with 30 years of business leadership experience in healthcare. Prior to Flywheel, Hooman co-founded Forte Health Advisors, a specialized healthcare advisory firm enabling innovators to transform healthcare.

Previously, Hooman served in executive business roles at GE Healthcare and Medtronic, including serving on Medtronic’s Executive Committee. Hooman has held multiple leadership roles throughout his career, including as President of GE’s X-Ray product portfolio and Executive Vice President of Medtronic’s Diabetes Group.

Marijn is Chairman of Novalis Capital Partners which he founded in 2017. He is a board member of several Novalis LifeSciences portfolio companies. Marijn is the former CEO of Bayer AG in Leverkusen, Germany (2010-2016) and the former CEO of Thermo Fisher Scientific (2002-2009) in Waltham, MA, USA. He was also Chairman of Unilever (2016-2020) in London, UK. Marijn started his career as a scientist at General Electric Corporate Research in Niskayuna, NY, USA. He earned a PhD in Chemical Engineering and a BS in Chemistry, both in the Netherlands.

Francisco is a partner at 8VC. He was previously the Resident Data Scientist at Formation 8, where he worked with portfolio companies to strategize, prototype, and recruit for data products. He was the founder of Catenus Science, a data science consulting and recruiting firm that used an apprenticeship model to help early stage companies build data science teams.

Francisco received his Ph.D. in Biomedical Informatics from Stanford, where he was a Ruth L. Kirchstein Fellow. His research focused on clinical decision support for Radiology, which won him the Martin Epstein award for best paper at the American Medical Informatics Association in 2014. He was the commencement speaker for the Stanford School of Medicine in 2015.

Paul Meister is a partner in Novalis LifeSciences – a life science focused venture firm and is co-founder, and CEO of Liberty Lane Partners, LLC, a private investment company with investment holdings in healthcare, technology, and distribution-related industries. From 2014 to 2018, Mr. Meister was President of MacAndrews & Forbes Incorporated, a private company that owns or controls a diverse set of businesses. From 2010 to 2014, Mr. Meister served as Chairman and CEO of inVentiv Health (now Syneos Health), a leading provider of commercial, consulting, and clinical research services to the pharmaceutical and biotech industries.

Mr. Meister was Chairman of Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc., a scientific instruments equipment and supplies company from 2006 to 2007. He was previously an executive officer of Fisher Scientific International, Inc., a predecessor of Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc., from 1991 to 2006. 

Bill Blake is a Partner at Beringea, and is responsible for making and managing investments, shaping the firm’s strategic direction, and helping to lead a growing team of investors and analysts. Bill was recognized as a Crain’s Detroit Business “40 Under 40” award winner and is a member of the Events Committee with the Michigan Venture Capital Association.

Prior to joining Beringea, Bill was an investment banking associate in Southeast Michigan, where he supported the management of middle market sell-side and buy-side transactions, advising clients on divestitures, acquisitions, and refinancings.

Dino Pantelis is the Chief Operating Officer of Novalis LifeSciences, where he oversees the firm’s strategic and day-to-day operations. A seasoned operational leader with deep expertise in venture capital, family offices, and the trust industry, Dino also holds various operational and financial roles across several private operating companies.

Before joining Novalis, Dino served as Senior Vice President for Jordan Park Trust Company, where he led operations from the firm’s inception. His career includes leadership roles at Perspecta Trust, Congress Trust, and Atlantic Trust. 

Devin Leake is a Managing Director at Novalis LifeSciences, where he has served since 2021. He works closely with portfolio companies to guide strategic direction, product development, and commercial engagement. Devin is a leader in synthetic biology with a proven ability to research and commercialize emerging technologies, build and manage diverse teams, and execute on strategic objectives.

Prior to joining Novalis, Devin was the Chief Scientific Officer and a Board Member at CATALOG Technologies, leading the research team responsible for the company’s DNA data storage and computing system. His previous experience includes serving as a Venture Partner at Sapir Venture Partners and as the Head of DNA Synthesis at Ginkgo Bioworks. Devin also held leadership positions as the Vice President of R&D and Operations at Gen9 and as a Director of R&D at Thermo Fisher Scientific.