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Too often we define the Medtech sector by the number of dollars raised, IPOs helped or companies sold. But the focus neglects the very foundation of the sector - the People. Join the Medtech Talk Podcast each week to hear from entrepreneurs, investors and executives who spend their days developing the tools that make sick people well and health care more efficient.

Medtech CEO Duke Rohlen Grew Into His Name. Can AJAX Health Do the Same?

October 17, 2019

In this episode of Medtech Talk, Duke Rohlen, CEO of AJAX Health, answer several critical questions about the importance of names. What’s his real name? Why is the AJAX name so important to him? And how did he employ “stair stepping” to make a name for himself in Medtech (before founding, funding and exiting several high profile start-ups.)

Duke Rohlen

CEO, Chairman

AJAX Health Inc.

Duke Rohlen serves as Founder, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of Ajax Health, a holding company that invests in and operates life science companies. Mr. Rohlen has strong experience in healthcare technology innovation, finance, and strategic leadership. Over the last 10 years, Mr. Rohlen has raised over $300 million in equity financing and sold three medical device companies for a combined enterprise value of over $1.5 billion. In addition to his role at Ajax, Mr. Rohlen currently serves as Chairman and CEO of Ablacon. Previously, Mr. Rohlen served as Chairman and CEO of EPIX (acquired by Medtronic), a Director of Entellus Medical (NASDAQ:ENTL), and Entrepreneur-in-Residence at Harvard Business School. Prior to EPIX, Mr. Rohlen served as Co-founder, Chairman and CEO of Spirox, Inc (sold to Entellus Medical) and Co-founder and CEO of CV Ingenuity (sold to Covidien, now Medtronic). Before CV Ingenuity, Mr. Rohlen served in a variety of roles at FoxHollow Technologies prior to being named President. At FoxHollow, Mr. Rohlen helped drive annual sales to ~$200.0 million, helped the Company through an IPO, conceived of and structured a $300.0 million collaboration with Merck Pharmaceuticals, and ultimately led the sale of the company to EV3 (now Medtronic) for $780.0 million in 2008. Early in his career, Mr. Rohlen held senior management positions at two other medical technology companies and served as an entrepreneur-in-residence at the private equity firm, Alta Partners. Mr. Rohlen received an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School and a B.A. from Stanford University.