Focused on life sciences and healthcare, Ken has spent his 17-year career enabling new technologies from idea to commercialization as a founder, senior executive, venture capitalist, and board member for
multiple exits.
Prior to co-founding Kaleidoscope, Ken served in operating, investment, and thought leader roles including
the CEO of Three Lakes Partners, an entity focused on catalyzing progress against idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis; thought leader for professional organizations including the American Association for Clinical Chemistry, Association for Molecular Pathology, and the American Society for
Microbiology; and currently functions as an Advisor to the White House on Fostering Innovation. Ken founded and manages the premier Analyst events for molecular diagnostics and microbiology to highlight technologies and approaches most likely to be relevant, impactful, and commercially successful.
At the annual JP Morgan Healthcare Conference, the largest healthcare investment symposium worldwide, he organizes and runs panels focused on innovation and next-generation technologies.
Ken is a member of the Board of Directors at Inflammatix, Inc., and Amalgamated Bank of Chicago. He
received his PhD. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and an M.S. in Neurobiology and Physiology from Northwestern University, and his M.B.A. from the Kellogg School of Management.
Life science executive leader with history of defining organizational vision, specializing in high-performance strategy development and execution, and leveraging commercial expertise to develop a comprehensive portfolio of products and companies. Expert in building, deploying, and leading successful organizations from the earliest stages of development through expansions and reorganizations. He currently advises venture capital and private equity firms, incubators and accelerators, and start-up ventures in life sciences and digital health.
Prior to co-founding Kaleidoscope Health Ventures, Bob was head of Corporate Strategy, Innovation and
Business Development at Astellas. In this role, he was responsible for leading the overall strategic direction and growth plan of the Americas Operations (Canada, US, Latin Americas).
Previously, Bob was the head of
the Strategic Accounts Business Unit, an incubator that served as a catalyst
for Astellas’ global business model transformation.
Bob’s extensive career spans a variety of disciplines within the Global and US healthcare industry, including clinical research, sales and marketing, new product planning, market access, government affairs, business
development, strategic planning, and commercial operations. He attributes his success to fostering a shared team vision, developing an executable strategic plan, and building a trusting and transparent environment for
effective collaboration.
Bob serves on the Board for several life science and digital health start-ups, as well as the Advisory Board of Chicago’s healthcare incubator, MATTER. He holds an Executive MBA from the Kellogg School of Management and a Bachelor of Science in Biological Studies from Rutgers University.
Experienced global senior executive, board member, investor, speaker and academic serving in public and private companies. Deep experience in understanding the impact of technology on value creation, business, society, and the individual. Successfully transformed many enterprises to move from the industrial to the bionic age. He currently consults with large firms, start-up ventures, and individual senior executives.
Prior to Kaleidoscope Health Ventures, John was Senior Partner and Chief Marketing Officer at Price Waterhouse Coopers (PwC). In this role, he served clients, ran the firm’s think tank (the Exchange), as well as turned around the marketing department for the firm’s $13 billion US business across all services, while growing revenues, increasing profits, and launching new products/services.
John’s extensive career includes being a professor at Harvard Business School, where he began the very first research at HBS into the implications of the digital transformation of the economy. John authored dozens of cases and articles and several books featured in many places including Harvard Business Review, Sloan Management Review, The Wall Street Journal, The Financial Times, Forbes, Fortune, and media outlets including CNBC, Fox Business, and Squawk Box. His most recent book is The Self-Made Billioniare Effect: How extreme producers create massive value.
He was Vice Chairman and Chief Innovation Officer as well as serving as an advisor or board member to Alliant Food Services, Amicas, SpeciateAI, Inveniem, Valens-Research, AppBus, Track.com, Healthfortis, and others.
John’s undergraduate degree was in Visual and Environmental Studies from Harvard College, and his MBA and Doctorate are from Harvard Business School. He has a passion for design, systems, creation of extreme value, and human development.
Executive leader with extensive experience all along the innovation pipeline–from Stanford-trained PhD researcher to commercialization capacity and ecosystem builder. Inspired by experiences at Pfizer and Baxter International, he has focused on bridging the gap between discovery and impact. Throughout his career he has served as a strategist, partnership builder, and advocate at the intersection of industry, government, and academia. He is skilled at building, delivering, and expanding the mission of technology organizations with an eye for community and business development.
Dr. Margolis’ work has supported thousands of scientists, technologists, and entrepreneurs and catalyzed more than $300 million in research, innovation, and entrepreneurship commitments and collaborations. His impact includes launching a flagship White House technology entrepreneurship program while at the U.S. Department of State and playing a leadership role in delivering both the federal MxD manufacturing institute and the mHUB production innovation hub while Managing Director of the Illinois Science Technology Coalition. Through multiple roles he has advised and mentored more than 100 technology entrepreneurs and start-ups in various capacities at the local, national, and global levels.
Dr. Margolis is a proud recipient of multiple recognitions, including the American Association for the Advancement of Science’s prestigious Science & Technology Policy Fellowship. He holds a PhD in Microbiology & Immunology from Stanford and a BA with honors from Northwestern and is a proud graduate of the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy. Jeffrey is active in the local and national start-up and economic development communities. His service has included board and advisory roles with World Business Chicago, the Chicagoland Metropolitan Agency for Planning, and the State Science and Technology Institute. He is a noted speaker on innovation and entrepreneurship, including presentations at SXSW, the National Science Foundation, Congressional briefings, and U.S. Department of Commerce events.