The Sprout Group this week named Andrew Firlik as partner for healthcare technology investments.
According to the Sprout Group, Firlik was most recently principal at Canaan Partners. Prior to this he was co-founder and principal of Cortex Consulting. He is also a co-founder of Seattle-based medical device company Northstar Neuroscience.
The Sprout Group currently manages about $2 billion in committed capital, and focuses on companies in the healthcare and information technology sectors. Among the firms in which it invests is Sirna Therapeutics.
AVI BioPharma said this week that it has signed on James Gourzis as a strategic consultant.
AVI also said that its senior vice president for clinical development and regulatory affairs, David Mason, has resigned from the company and moved east in order to “pursue opportunities closer to his family.”
According to AVI, Gourzis has been acting as a consultant to a number of biotechnology and medical device companies, providing advice on scientific, strategic, and regulatory issues. Prior to this, he was an executive with contract research organization Parexel International.
“We are pleased to have … Gourzis join our team, as his extensive product development and regulatory experience are well-suited to AVI’s strategic goals for 2004 and beyond,” AVI CEO Denis Burger said in a statement. “As we continue to advance our clinical development programs, James’ licensing experience and FDA knowledge will bring additional strength to the execution of our corporate strategies.”