Venture Isles taps a network of respected IP & Technical Advisors to achieve client objectives.  Diverse industry and technical careers mean deeper insights into opportunities for our clients.  Here are some of our Advisors:

 Jackie Hutter, MS, JD does our TrueView(tm) patent landscape surveys and claim analysis.  Hutter is rated one of the top 250 Global  IP Strategists by Intellectual Assets Management Magazine.  Hutter's  IP Asset Maximizer Blog is well worth following.  She is a self-described "Recovering Patent Attorney" who now counts herself as one of the pioneering ranks of Intellectual Property ("IP") Strategists. 

She was also recently featured in a Business Week "Game Changing" management ideas series.  In addition, Jackie was named a SuperLawyer® in IP in Georgia in 2004 (her last year in private law practice), and she is a frequent speaker on IP strategy to business and legal professionals.

Hutter was Senior Patent Counsel to Georgia-Pacific LLC, where she had sole responsibility for Dixie® patent matters and, later, the company's Chemicals business. Before joining Georgia-Pacific, Jackie was a shareholder at the prestigious IP firm of Needle & Rosenberg, PC (now Ballard & Spahr).  Jackie earned an M.S. in Pharmaceutical Sciences and she spent several years as practicing chemist at Helene Curtis (now Unilever). 

Richard (Dick) Sommerstad, Developed and implemented new business development strategies for the Academic & Corporate Relations Office at the University of Minnesota, as founding Director, and developed various economic and community development collaborative programs and projects with Mayo Clinic, Community Foundations, Cities, The State of Minnesota, and communities in the Midwest. Developed an extensive personal network of local venture capital, legal, Government, Community, and business executives related to new business start-up and business development.  Leader in the university Tech Transfer Office.

Paul Burgio, PhD. Medical Research, helps principal investigators at universities and industry labs develop robust data packages in support of commercially valuable patent claims in healthcare. 

Brugio is a 25+ year 3M alum with several personal and employer IP Patents and has evaluated many IP technologies for in-licensing.  He is a serial entrepreneur with has several start-ups under this belt.  He became a consultant while still in graduate school on cellular oxygen meters.  He has worked with cutting-edge research tools in micro-electrodes & x-ray microscopy and biomaterials. 

Product sucesses include tooth whiteners, patch & retentive coating drug delivery systems, environmental health breathing masks, dental implants, cochlear implants, electro-medicine pain control, long-term anti-bacterials, and electronic anesthesia control systems.

Don Janes, PhD. Chemistry, the retired head of 3M's federal research division, is lead science advisor for Venture Isles.

Peter Beacom, software engineer,  entrepreneur, and Principal of Quality Bunker, is lead software advisor for Venture Isles.

Karin Roof , MBA Sloan, is co-founder of MedLinX Consulting and  is the MedTech advisor for Venture Isles.

Ms. Roof has more than 15 years of experience with leading medical device manufacturers and in management consulting.  Her particular expertise is in strategic planning, innovation management, and clinical trials.  Ms. Roof consulted with Fortune 500 companies specializing in Innovation Management, before returning to the medical technology industry as a Venture Manager at Medtronic Neurological and later driving the product/technology strategy group at Guidant/Boston Scientific.

Greg Mathison, CE, the president of Regulatory Strategies, Inc., is our medical device regulatory advisor (FDA, CE, ISO).

Starting in the medical device industry at Medtronic in 1979 as a chemical engineer, Greg moved to regulatory affairs in 1984.  He has held management positions in regulatory/clinical/quality at Medtronic, Cardiac Pacemakers, Clarus Medical and Bacchus Vascular.  Greg founded Regulatory Strategies in 1993 as a full service consulting firm focusing on U.S. and international regulatory, clinical and quality.  He continues to specialize in strategic regulatory planning and finding creative solutions to regulatory issues. 

Jared Fallos,BME, MBA is our lead advisor for creative product improvement, design for manufacturing, and high volume manufacturing efficiency.  Fallos was formerly with Hutchinson Technology and Innovex.

G. Byron Stephens, BSEE is our avionics, autopilots, heads-up displays, secure & public radio communications, and portable air traffic control technology advisor with military, general aviation and supply chain platforms.  A 30 year Honeywell alumnus, his designs are on the Presidential Helicopters, the first plane to fly around the world non-stop and the Royal Australian Flying Doctors Service, combat aircraft (F14,.F18, EA6B, US Army Helicopters) & military trainers, and executive jets (Lear, Citation, Embraer) and light civilian aircraft (Piper, Beech, & Cessna). 

He is co-inventor of the Seamless Frequency Hopping secure radio, US Patent number 5,319,801, which solved the loss of information problem of quick frequency hops.  He is also a musician who understands electronic musical instrument IP Technology and is a second generation patented inventor.

Kevin Ryan, CEO, Turning Point 360 brings experience in manufacturing, sustainable energy, consumer products and agriculture to clients of Venture Isles.  He mentors leadership teams and CEO's.