Dr. Marlene Krauss | Background
Dr. Marlene Krauss is the first physician to have played a prominent role in the venture capital community and on Wall Street by combining her business and medical training to make innovative investments in healthcare and to raise and manage a venture capital fund. She is also the first person to have received both an M.B.A. and an M.D. degree from Harvard. After practicing as a retinal surgeon, she went on to become the founder and CEO of KBL Healthcare. KBL Healthcare is a family of funds investing in early stage and commercial stage health care companies that address both large markets and unmet medical needs. These include a venture capital fund with over $100 MM in capital and 3 public equity funds (SPACS) that had more than $200MM in capital. Dr. Krauss has invested in and/or founded over 25 companies and has been a member of the Board of Directors on 15 of these. Many went on to create new industries and/or standards of care and to generate excellent returns for investors.
Education
HARVARD MEDICAL SCHOOL, Boston, Massachusetts | M.D.
Class speaker at Commencement Ceremonies
HARVARD BUSINESS SCHOOL, Boston, Massachusetts | M.B.A.
Alumni Achievement Award
CORNELL UNIVERSITY - COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES, Ithaca, New York | B.A.
Honors program
Dean's List. Cornell Scholarship award to highest scorers on Regents Scholarship test.
College Teaching Fellowship for Graduate Study.
BRONX HIGH SCHOOL OF SCIENCE, Bronx, NY
Top 1% of Class
Professional Experience - Business
KBL HEALTHCARE VENTURES, New York, New York 1999 - Present
Senior Managing Director
Founder and principal of this $100 million healthcare venture capital fund investing in early stage and commercial stage healthcare companies. Limited partners are global and institutional investors.
KBL HEALTHCARE ACQUISITION CORP., I, II, III, New York, New York 1993,2005, 2007
Chairperson and CEO
Founder and Principal of these three publicly traded acquisition funds (SPACs) that had the purpose of acquiring a single operating company in the healthcare or consumer industry. Cumulative assets $200MM
KBL HEALTHCARE INVESTMENT BANKING, INC., New York, New York 1991-2001
Chairperson & CEO
Founder of this healthcare investment bank engaged in advisory and principal-based funding activities for early stage and middle-market companies.
INVESTMENTS / BOARD POSITIONS (Representative prior and current)
CARDIOFOCUS: A device company that developed the Heart Light system which treats atrial fibrillation using laser energy and a unique visually guided catheter. Member Board of Directors
CONCORD HEALTH: A public company in the long-term care industry. It was acquired by KBL Acquisition Corp. I. and then sold to Multicare Companies for $130MM. Board Chairperson
ISTA PHARMACEUTICALS: A pharmaceutical company developing and commercializing pharmaceuticals to treat ophthalmic diseases. Bought by Bausch and Lomb for $500MM.
LUMENOS: The first company to develop a consumer driven healthcare insurance plan incorporating FSA and HSA features. Bought by Wellpoint for $180MM. Board Chairperson
NEURONETICS: The developer of an FDA approved non-invasive device that treats depression using a form of neuromodulation known as Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS).
PNEUMRX: A commercial stage company with an innovative, implantable device to treat pulmonary diseases. Purchased by BTG for up to $475MM. Member Board of Directors
PROLONG (VAMPIRE) PHARMACEUTICALS: An innovative biotech company with multiple products in Phase II to treat anemia in diseases such as stroke, sickle cell disease and heart attack. Member Board of Directors
SUMMIT TECHNOLOGY: The first company to develop and commercialize the ophthalmic laser that created the
LASIK industry. Bought by Alcon for $900MM. Member Board of Directors
Professional Experience – Medical
HARVARD MEDICAL SCHOOL | 2012 - Present
Member, Advisory Council on Education
AMERICAN ACADEMY OF OPHTHALMOLOGY | 1985 - Present
Fellow
AMERICAN BOARD OF OPHTHALMOLOGY | 1985 - Present
Diplomate
NEW YORK HOSPITAL - CORNELL UNIVERSITY MEDICAL COLLEGE | 1986 - 1990
Attending Ophthalmologist, New York Hospital
Clinical Instructor in Ophthalmology, Cornell Medical College
NEW YORK HOSPITAL - CORNELL UNIVERSITY MEDICAL COLLEGE |1984 - 1985
Fellow, Vitreoretinal Surgery.
MOUNT SINAI MEDICAL CENTER-New York | 1981 - 1984
Resident, Ophthalmology
HARVARD SURGICAL SERVICE, N.E. DEACONESS HOSPITAL | 1980- 1981
Second Year Resident, General Surgery
BETH ISRAEL HOSPITAL-Boston | 1979 - 1980
Intern, Medicine and Clinical Fellow, Medicine, Harvard University
Other Professional Affiliations
CORNELL UNIVERSITY | 2008 - Present
Member – Cornell University Technology Transfer Initiative
Founding Member – President’s Council of Cornell Women
HARVARD BUSINESS SCHOOL NETWORK OF WOMEN ALUMNAE | 1993 - Present
Founding Member
HARVARD BUSINESS CLUB OF NEW YORK | 1997 - 2008
Member Board of Directors
HARVARD BUSINESS SCHOOL | 1993 - 1999
Director – Dean’s Associates of Harvard Business School
BRIGHAM & WOMEN'S HOSPITAL | 1993 – 1999
Member, Ventures Advisory Board
AMA CAPITAL POOL PROJECT | 1994 - 1997
Member - National Advisory Committee
METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART | 1991 - 1994
Vice Chairperson - Business Committee
MS. MAGAZINE / WOMAN'S ACTION ALLIANCE | 1974 - 1984
Founder, Executive Director (1974), Member Board of Directors
Awards
CORNELL UNIVERSITY | 2015
150th Anniversary of School’s Founding - Keynote speaker
HARVARD BUSINESS SCHOOL | 2014
50th Anniversary of Women at HBS - Featured presentation
HARVARD BUSINESS SCHOOL | 1996
Alumni Achievement Award
Publications
Krauss M., Luntz M.H., Grom E., Miller H.: "Training of Ophthalmology Residents in Cataract and Glaucoma Surgery: An International Assessment." Presented at XXV International Congress of Ophthalmology, Rome, Italy, May 5, 1986.
Lincoff H., Zwiefach P., Brody S., Fuchs, W., Gross M., Kornmeil E., Krauss M., Iwomoto T., Jacobiac F.: "Intraocular Injection of Lidocaine." Ophthalmology, November, 1985.
Lincoff H., Kreissig I., Mehrige K., Krauss M.: "The Effect of an Expanding Bubble of Gas on the Cortical Vitreous of Primates," Modern Concepts in Vitreoretinal Disease; Adolph Netten, editor, University of Antwerp, UIA Press, 1985.
Krauss M.: "Advice to the Small Investor." Ms Magazine, June, 1983.
Krauss M.: "Review on Wall Street." Investor's Forum, July 1982.
Krauss M.: "Review of New Companies Going Public." Business and Society Review, Spring, 1982.