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Board of Directors

Dennis L. McWilliams

CEO/Founder

Dennis McWilliams is the CEO and Founder of Apollo Endosurgery. In 2006, he and the Apollo Group partnered to create Apollo Endosurgery, Inc. He brings a breadth of entrepreneurial experience in both medical devices and drug therapies to his role as CEO.

Prior to joining Apollo‚ Mr. McWilliams was an Entrepreneur in Residence at PTV Sciences‚ a venture capital fund focusing on life science and medical devices. In addition, Mr. McWilliams co-founded and acted as Chief Operating Officer of Chrysalis BioTechnology‚ a development stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing novel drug therapies for tissue regeneration. As Chief Operating Officer‚ he was responsible for corporate financing‚ strategic partnering‚ and M&A activities and was instrumental in raising over $15M in financing and the signing of three major corporate partnerships. Chrysalis was acquired by OrthoLogic Corporation, now Capstone (NASDAQ: CAPS) in August 2004.

Mr. McWilliams received a Bachelor of Science with honors from the University of Texas and a Master of Science in Engineering Management from Stanford University.  He serves on the Board of Directors for the Texas Exes, as well as the Board of the Texas Life Science Center.  In 2007, he was awarded the Outstanding Young Texas Ex Award by the University of Texas.

Matthew S. Crawford

Founding Managing Director of PTV Sciences

Prior to founding PTV Sciences, Mr. Crawford was a Partner at Academy Funds, a venture capital firm based in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina. While at Academy, Mr. Crawford participated in the creation and financing of many healthcare companies. Mr. Crawford graduated from Wake Forest University with a B.A. and M.B.A., where he conducted research on venture capital and capital markets activities. Upon graduation, he joined First Union Capital Markets Corporation and rose to Vice President during his six years at the firm. While at First Union, Mr. Crawford worked with all aspects of financing small, mid-size, and large companies. Mr. Crawford participates on the Business Advisory Board for the Institute for the Study of Aging, located in New York City, as well as the Alumni Council Board at Wake Forest University. Mr. Crawford currently sits on the boards of Apollo Endosurgery, IDEV Technologies, LDR Spine, and On-X Life Technologies.

Bruce Roberson, Ph.D.

Managing Director of H.I.G. Ventures

As a Managing Director at H.I.G. Ventures, Bruce Robertson focuses on investment opportunities in the life sciences sector, including biopharmaceuticals and medical devices. Bruce currently serves on the boards of Apollo Endosurgery, Inc., CardioFocus and Clarus Therapeutics. 

Bruce has been active in the life sciences sector for 20 years.  Prior to joining H.I.G., Bruce served most recently as Managing Director at Toucan Capital, an early-stage venture capital fund focusing on life science investments. While at Toucan, Bruce invested in leading drug and device companies throughout the U.S.  Prior to Toucan, Bruce was a General Partner at GIV Venture Partners, a venture capital firm focused on early stage investments in the US, India, and China. Prior to his venture capital career, Bruce was Director of Business Development at IGEN International, where he was responsible for formulating and implementing IGEN’s partnering and M&A strategies.  Bruce started his career as a Research Manager at W.R. Grace & Co., focusing on medical devices.

Bruce is on the boards of the Mid-Atlantic Venture Association, the Georgia Biomedical Partnership, Shady Grove Hospital, the BioLife Fund of Virginia’s Center for Innovative Technology, and the University of Delaware Research Foundation.  Bruce holds a BSE in Chemical Engineering and BA in Mathematics from the University of Pennsylvania, a PhD in Chemical/Biomedical Engineering from the University of Delaware, and an MBA with High Distinction from Harvard Business School.