Today's Entrepreneur: Dave Whelan

Sometimes it takes scientists a while to realize it, but the scientific method and scientific research are a lot like entrepreneurship: Identify a problem. Create a hypothesis. Pilot your solution. Assess the results. Course-correct. Keep at it until you are successful.

I've been working in and around health, wellness, and fitness long before healthtech and digital health became buzzwords. Nobody can argue with the value of health. Everyone wants to be healthy. Everyone wants to be healthier. The opportunity to help people, to impact their lives, to enrich and extend their lives, is particularly humbling.

Full bio

David J. Whelan has devoted his career to building successful businesses, from strategic, operational, financial, and human capital standpoints. He is a strategy consultant, entrepreneur, and advisor building businesses and inspiring entrepreneurs at the intersection of technology, health, and wellness. Dave is Co-Founder & Chief Business Officer of STEMP Inc. STEMP Smart Temperature Patch is the thermometer that never sleeps, so you and your family can. The STEMP sensor, medical-grade adhesives, and smartphone apps work together seamlessly to provide immediate, accurate, continuous body temperature measurement. Think of it as the thermometer meets the band-aid.

Recent engagements include developing a multi-year strategic and financial plan for a leading synthetic biology organization and developing a commercialization strategy for a cancer diagnostic technology. He helped launch New York Genome Center, a unique not-for-profit scientific research institute, where he served as Senior Vice President, Business Development & Chief Strategy Officer and collaborated on the development of the business plan, fundraising of $115 million, and operational launch. His experience also includes roles as acting chief operating officer for a specialty chemicals distribution and laboratory services business, and product management and channel strategy for Apex Fitness Group, a division of 24 Hour Fitness, where he launched one of the first fitness wearables. Earlier in his career, he spent over six years as a retained executive search consultant with Ethos Consulting Inc. As a consultant and confidante to his clients—primarily CEOs and venture capitalists—his mission was to help to build management teams that could build successful enterprises. Dave began his career with a biotechnology incubator in San Francisco.

Dave has worked in and on behalf of numerous industries throughout his career, including aerospace and defense, telecommunications, software and hardware, biotechnology, manufacturing, consumer products and retail, entertainment, and not-for-profit organizations.

Currently, he serves as founding board member or advisor to STEMP, an innovator in digital health products designed to improve health, wellness, and quality of life; Qora, a health and wellness data analytics company; Older & Wiser, a customized telehealth solution to enable the elderly to access psychiatric services remotely; and O2 MAX Fitness, a teen fitness and media company.

Dave holds an MBA with Honors from the UCLA Anderson School and a BS in Symbolic Systems from Stanford University, and he remains very involved in alumni activities with both schools. He also studied at London Business School and Carnegie Mellon University. He maintains a Top Secret Security Clearance.

He resides in Los Angeles with his wife Lauren, son Evan, daughter Gabrielle, and puggle Fergie. His interests include photography, travel, restaurants and food, technology, and rock ’n’ roll history.