Bio

William N. Starling is Managing Director of Synergy Life Science Partners, LP, a $143 million Venture Capital Partnership and Chief Executive Officer of Synecor, LLC (Synecor), a business generator of new Life Science companies based in Research Triangle Park (RTP), North Carolina. Synecor has significant academic, scientific, physician, venture capital, corporate, and investment banking partnerships and is focusing on identifying and developing proprietary, disruptive technologies with extraordinary market potential in the life sciences field. As CEO of Synecor, Mr. Starling is a co-founder of BaroSense, Inc., Bioerodible Vascular Solutions, Inc. (BVS, acquired by Guidant/Abbott in March 2003), InnerPulse, Inc., TransEnterix, Inc. (NYSE: TRXC), Interventional Autonomics Corporation, NeuroTronik Limited, and Conveyor Cardiovascular Limited, the initial seven companies founded and incubated by Synecor. He currently serves as CEO of Conveyor Cardiovascular Limited, an Irish-based company in the structural heart field, and as a board member of TransEnterix, Inc. (NYSE: TRXC), a RTP, NC – based robotic surgery company pioneering digital laparoscopic robotic surgery worldwide. Mr. Starling was on the Board of iRhythm Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: IRTC) in San Francisco, a Stanford BioDesign spinout, from its inception in January 2007 until its initial public offering on October 20, 2016. Mr. Starling is Chairman of the Board of RTP, NC – based InnAVasc, Inc., an early-stage start-up company spun out of the Duke University Medical Center engaged in developing improved renal dialysis technology. Recent Board memberships/personal investments include YORLABS, Inc. in the Handheld Ultrasound field, Senaptec, Inc. in the Sensory Performance field (represents investor Carolina Angel Network), and EnCompass Technologies, Inc. in the Cerebral Embolic Protection field. William N. Starling received his BSBA degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and his MBA degree from the University of Southern California. He began his 43-year career in the medical device industry at American Edwards Laboratories (Edwards LifeSciences – NYSE: EW). He was subsequently part of the founding management team and Director of Marketing for Advanced Cardiovascular Systems, Inc. (acquired by Lilly/Guidant/Abbott), and was co-founder, Vice President and Board member of Ventritex, Inc. (IPO in 1992, acquired by St. Jude Medical/Abbott in 1997). He was co-founder and Chairman of the Board of Directors and President/CEO of Cardiac Pathways Corporation (IPO in 1996, acquired by Boston Scientific Corporation in 2001). The start-up companies he has co-founded today represent over $4 billion in annual revenues, and Mr. Starling is responsible for raising over $280M in private and public capital for these development-stage companies. Mr. Starling serves on the Stanford Stroke Center’s Board of Advisors at the Stanford University Medical Center. He also serves on the Kenan-Flagler Business School Board of Advisors (Chairman 2009-2014), Chairman of the UNC/NCSU Department of Biomedical Engineering Industrial Advisory Board and the Chancellor’s Innovation Circle at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he frequently guest lectures to undergraduate and graduate students on entrepreneurism. He is also Chairman of the Carolina Research Ventures External Advisory Board. Mr. Starling is the recipient of the 2016 UNC Kenan-Flagler Leadership Award, awarded annually to an alumnus for exceptional achievement in a career field, personal endeavor or service to UNC Kenan-Flagler.