Brent Vaughan

I want to change the world.

I don’t have a lot of time to be up to speed on other companies… I kind of like ours. also, Arterys is kind of cool.

I was struck by the acute unmet medical need for earlier treatment in pediatric behavioral health and how it can create improved lifelong outcomes for patients. I saw earlier diagnosis and treatment of pediatric behavioral conditions as an area where AI could fundamentally change the standard of care for every parent and young child.

It can be frustrating to deal with advice or criticism from people who don’t have a fundamental understanding of your business or technology. Since I have focused my career on healthcare, I would say the most rewarding part of being an innovative entrepreneur is meeting a person whose life has been changed by the product or technology you have helped create.

Taking money from the wrong investors.

1- Be careful when reasoning by analogy - what made some other company successful, might not be applicable to you.

2- You can teach hires a new industry and new skills, you can seldom overcome lack of stage-fit with your company.

3- Never let someone convince you that they are a genius, just because they had a basket on their head when it was raising money

I am the CEO and co-founder of Cognoa, an AI-based digital health company that is developing a digital precision medicine platform incorporating proprietary Software as a Medical Devices (SaMDs) to change the standard of care for the diagnosis and treatment of behavioral health indications in pediatrics - starting with autism and ADHD.

Prior to Cognoa, I was co-founder and COO of WellnessFX, an award winning digital health company that increased patient engagement via direct to consumer diagnostics and telemedicine integrated with a secure personalized health data dashboard available on web or mobile.

I enjoy building and leading teams to successfully bring disruptive new products to market that can meaningfully change people's lives. I have experience developing and implementing innovative business models, strategies and deal structures to enable development and commercialization of new technologies in the healthcare and biotechnology sectors. I have worked in the areas of digital consumer health, personalized medicine, cognition, cardiovascular disease, lipid metabolism, metabolic disease, fibrotic diseases, neurodegenerative diseases and oncology.

I have over 20 years’ experience in business strategy, business development and marketing with large and small companies and have completed transactions in venture funding, M&A, licensing, and co-development partnerships with leading research institutions, pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies such as the National Institute of Health, National Cancer Institute, Pfizer, Merck, Lilly, Bristol Meyers, Amgen, DuPont, Butamax and Statoil.

Specialties: business development, corporate strategy, licensing, and fundraising for innovative platform technologies leveraging biotechnology and medical science. Managing operations and execution of internal and partnered development programs.