Gary A. Ascani, President of Vulcan Medical Ventures, Inc., has over 25 years of experience in marketing, sales and general management in the biotechnology/medical products industry. Born in 1946, Mr. Ascani attended parochial schools in New Orleans and Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA where he received both an undergraduate and graduate degree in Microbiology.
After two years on active duty with the US Army as a 1st Lieutenant, Mr. Ascani returned to New Orleans and worked for a year in an industrial lab as a chemist and bacteriologist. In 1974, Mr. Ascani secured his first job in sales with Calbiochem, a progressive and innovative medical products company in LaJolla, CA. Mr. Ascani was responsible for sales of the company’s in vitro diagnostic products in six southern states.
In 1975, Mr. Ascani was recruited by Hyland Labs, a Division of Baxter–Travenol, and relocated to Memphis, TN. In his second year with the company, Mr. Ascani was fourth out of 54 sales representatives in the country and won numerous awards. By the end of the second year, Mr. Ascani had been promoted twice and in 1979 was relocated to the home office in Chicago and appointed Product Manager for the company’s $20 million Immunodiagnostics Product Line. While working full time, Mr. Ascani attended the Kellogg School of Business, Northwestern University where he was a Dean’s List Student.
In 1981, Mr. Ascani left Hyland to join Monoclonal Antibodies, Inc., a start-up biotechnology company located in the Silicon Valley. As Director and Vice President, Mr. Ascani was credited with refocusing the company’s strategic business and developing an evolutionary product design that still today is standard for many laboratory and over-the-counter diagnostic products. Mr. Ascani’s responsibilities included establishing the company’s sales department. This organization was comprised of an 18 person dedicated US field sales group and an international sales department in London, England. Mr. Ascani was also responsible for developing and managing the marketing department comprised of product managers, technical support personnel, marketing communications, business development, distributor relations and customer service. In addition, Mr. Ascani played a significant role in the company successfully raising two rounds of public financing and achieving a valuation of $129 million within the first 6 years.
In 1989, Mr. Ascani joined a new venture capital backed company in Houston, TX. As President and CEO of Molecular Analysis, Inc., Mr. Ascani, in addition to managing the day-to-day operations, was successful in achieving significant milestones for the company. These milestones included:
Relocating the company into an appropriate laboratory facility so the scientists could continue to refine the technology,
Hiring additional operating personnel,
Preparing the company’s strategic and operating plans,
Demonstrating the company’s technology through product development,
Securing exclusive licensing rights to the technology developed by the scientific founders while with the University of Texas, MD Anderson Hospital and
Raising $500,000 of follow-on financing from investors.
In 1991, Mr. Ascani joined T Cell Diagnostics, Cambridge, MA, a biotechnology company focused on the development and sales of a proprietary in vitro diagnostic product for monitoring HIV infected persons. Mr. Ascani was instrumental in launching the product into international markets and to the research community in the US.
In 1994, Mr. Ascani joined Diamedix, a Division of Ivax Corp. Miami, FL. Prior to Mr. Ascani joining the company, Diamedix was sanctioned by the US Food and Drug Administration for serious labeling and GMP violations and was on the verge of going out of business. Mr. Ascani, along with a team of new managers, was successful in keeping Diamedix products in the market while scientists and regulatory professionals revamped the company’s manufacturing and development procedures. Mr. Ascani was successful in re-launching the company’s newly revitalized laboratory products and automated instrumentation.
In 1999, Mr. Ascani helped form Vulcan Medical Ventures, Inc., a small venture capital firm in Birmingham, AL focused on seed stage venture financing. Mr. Ascani serves as President.
Mr. Ascani is married and has two daughters.
