Gary Kurtzman

Gary Kurtzman, MD is Managing Director at Safeguard Scientifics (NYSE:SFE), which provides capital and relevant expertise to fuel the growth of technology-driven businesses in healthcare, financial services and digital media.

Gary has more than 30 years of experience in operations and investments, leveraging his medical expertise to enable businesses to enhance their products and grow their services, as well as to discover new partnering potential in developing entrepreneurial companies.

Gary joined Safeguard in 2006 and is responsible for identifying, deploying capital in and supporting emerging healthcare companies in diagnostics, medical devices and healthcare IT. He targets companies with solutions that address the high cost of medical care, and safer and more effective treatments. Gary is a board member of Safeguard partner companies Good Start Genetics, Medivo, meQuilibrium, Propeller Health, Syapse and Trice Medical.

Throughout his career, Gary has realized value for companies through a series of successful IPOs, M&A and turnaround transactions. Specifically at Safeguard, Gary was accountable for the following successful exit transactions for Safeguard’s partner companies: Foresite Capital’s acquisition of Sotera Wireless; Myriad Genetics’ acquisition of Crescendo Bioscience for $270 million, in cash; Becton, Dickinson’s acquisition of Alverix for $40 million; Shire Pharmaceuticals’ acquisition of Advanced BioHealing for $750 million, in cash; and Eli Lilly’s acquisition of Avid Radiopharmaceuticals for $300 million, up front, with an additional $500 million payout depended upon the achievement of future regulatory and commercial milestones.

Gary joined Safeguard from BioAdvance, a Pennsylvania-state initiative committed to funding early-stage life sciences companies, where he served as Managing Director and Chief Operating Officer. Previously, he was Chief Executive Officer at Pluvita Corporation, a company developing biological and bioinformatic solutions for drug and diagnostic development. Gary also previously served as Chief Operating Officer at Genovo, Inc., a gene therapy start-up company. He was also employed as head of research & development by Avigen, Inc., an early-stage gene therapy company located in San Francisco.

Gary began his career with Gilead Sciences, Inc.—at the time, a pre-IPO biotechnology company—as virology group leader. A board-certified internist from Barnes Hospital in St. Louis, MO, with a hematology sub-specialty, Gary has authored more than 40 research articles, book chapters and reviews, and is credited as inventor on twelve issued United States patents. Presently, Gary serves on various academic and biomedical committees and board.

Presently, Gary is a lecturer in the Health Care Systems Department at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania where he teaches entrepreneurship in life sciences.