ACGSD Oct BrownBag: Financial Tools for Growth and Exits

Dr. Richard Lin is the founder of Explora BioLabs, a San Diego-based preclinical vivarium service company. He also serves on the Planning Committee of the BIOCOM CRO Initiative, and is a member of the board of LaunchBio, a nonprofit organization that identifies, counsels, and supports high-growth, high-impact biotechnology companies. With his keen interests in education, he also serves on the Industry Advisory Board of the Southern California Biotech Center.

Richard has more than 25 years of academic research and industry drug development experience, with extensive knowledge of cancer biology, metabolic diseases, and animal physiology. Prior to founding Explora BioLabs in 2004, Richard held leadership positions in research and preclinical development at Ansata Therapeutics, Genset Corporation, Corvas International, and Axys Pharmaceuticals. Richard conducted his postdoctoral research at UC San Diego Cancer Center, and received his PhD in Zoology from UC Berkeley.

With more than 23 years of finance, direct investing and management experience, Craig leads all elements of the Elan investment process and sets the Firm’s strategic direction.

Prior to Elan, Craig spent 16 years as one of two partners at Solis Capital Partners, a lower middle-market boutique private equity firm which deployed more than $122 million through two funds, co-investments, and stand-alone opportunities.  Before becoming a private equity investor, Craig spent nearly seven years in New York. A majority of this time was spent in the Investment Banking Department of Goldman Sachs, where Craig managed more than $8.5 billion in financings. Prior to Goldman Sachs, Craig was at the Dai-Ichi Kangyo Bank and Bear Stearns where he completed transactions valued at more than $1.6 billion.

Craig holds an MBA degree in finance from Yale University, and a BA degree in history, with studies in pre-medical curriculum, from UCLA. 
 

David Worner joined NOW CFO in 2012 and is a Partner in the San Diego, California office. David provides a wide array of strategic management and accounting services across multiple industries in Southern California. He brings expertise in accounting management, financial planning, system implementations, cash flow management, stock option management, SEC compliance and reporting, mergers and acquisitions and SOX management.

Prior to joining NOW CFO, David was the Controller of Covario, a global search marketing agency, and technology firm. Prior to Covario, he held the roles of Accounting Manager and SEC Reporting and SOX Manager at NTN Buzztime, a publicly traded interactive entertainment company. He started his career at McLean, Rotherham and Co. CPA’s. David attended the University of New Orleans in New Orleans, Louisiana, and obtained a Bachelor of Science in Accounting. David is a Certified Internal Auditor (CIA) as well as a Chairman of the Supervisory Committee of the San Diego County Credit Union.

Leo Klijn is a principal with Henberger, a San Diego-based mergers & acquisitions advisory firm. Henberger assists business owners in the lower middle market (revenues from $10 to $150 million) with exit planning, valuation and transaction services.

Leo started his career working for Group Casino, one of the world’s top 25 retailers based in France. He set up and led their Far East Sourcing office. He was also Senior Vice-President Sales and Marketing for a $100 Million food manufacturing subsidiary, which he led back to record profitability through a drastic restructuring of its product lines and the development of new distribution channels.

Leo acquired direct hands-on experience as a business owner, when he co-founded a software and services company focused on supplier relationship management. During his tenure the company became a public company with a market capitalization of $450 Million.

Leo received his Masters from ESCP-Europe, Paris, London, Berlin and his Undergraduate from Nijenrode, the Netherlands ' School of Business. He is a CBI (Certified Business Intermediary) and is fluent in English, German, French and Dutch and proficient in Spanish and Thai.