About Notal Vision
Notal Vision is the first diagnostic services company to extend eye disease management from the clinic to the home and improve vision outcomes.
By applying artificial intelligence (AI)-driven data interpretation to the unprecedented high volumes of data generated by patients at home, we are advancing eye care through precision medicine. We can provide an “on-demand” treatment regimen that is personalized to each patient’s disease activity, not the doctor’s schedule.
History
Notal Vision has its roots in the innovative culture of Tel Aviv, a globally recognized center of hardware and software distribution.
The pioneering research and development team at Notal Vision sought to change the lives of people with Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD) with a simple, daily, at-home test. The result of their effort is ForeseeHome®. A large, randomized clinical trial conducted by the US National Eye Institute, AREDS2 HOME Study, followed 1,520 dry AMD patients in the United States and evaluated their vision upon progression to the sight-threatening wet form of the disease. With the highly significant results from this trial demonstrating the vision benefit of ForeseeHome to patients, Notal Vision launched the product and gained US Medicare reimbursement in late 2015.
Today, Notal Vision headquarters is located in Manassas, Virginia, where the strength of our Tel Aviv R&D is combined with a veteran industry leadership team led by CEO, Kester Nahen, PhD. With a deep understanding of high-performance medical devices and software solutions, Dr. Nahen has assembled proven commercial, medical, and financial executives to be the architects of the company’s future.
The Notal Vision Monitoring Center (NVMC) is an independent diagnostic testing facility that underpins Notal Vision’s home-diagnostic capability. Directed by ophthalmologists, the NVMC is the epicenter of testing result collection, analysis, and dissemination. NVMC doctors provide continual access to data, as well as timely reports to patients and their physicians when a significant change in testing results takes place.
Notal Vision’s pipeline includes home-based Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) which has entered the clinic and will reach the market within the next two years. For the vast majority of the 1.5 million eye injections delivered each year in the US, Home OCT will enable eye doctors to treat based on individualized, continuous assessments of each patient’s disease status, moving from a standardized treatment regimen to personalized medicine.
Additional pipeline programs further optimize the vision benefits of timely and continuous disease detection and diagnosis, leveraging Notal Vision’s ability to place medical diagnostics in patients' homes and data in doctors' offices.
Leadership
Notal Vision’s executive team comprises highly diverse, experienced individuals united by their focus on the patient and a passion for pioneering value-added paradigm shifts in eye care. Together they represent more than 150 years of ophthalmology and industry expertise spanning product development, clinical development, and commercialization.
Management Team
Kester Nahen, PhD
Chief Executive OfficerDr. Kester Nahen is the Chief Executive Officer at Notal Vision, where he was previously the Chief Commercial Officer. Prior to his time at Notal Vision, Dr. Nahen was Managing Director of ophthalmic diagnostic device manufacturer Heidelberg Engineering GmbH and served on the board of the company’s US subsidiary. He led the Heidelberg Engineering commercial organization through over 10 years of strong growth. From 2001 to 2006, Dr. Nahen worked in various product development, product management, medical science and professional education roles at Laserscope Inc., a Silicon Valley based medical laser company. Dr. Nahen was a member of the AMS/Laserscope merger executive team. He received his PhD in physics from the Medical University of Lübeck, Germany.
Ofer Aizikovich
Vice President, Engineering & ManufacturingMr. Aizikovich is leading the Engineering, Manufacturing and Supply Chain activities of Notal Vision and has vast experience as a senior leader of global operations organizations of multidisciplinary technology products. Before joining Notal Vision, Mr. Aizikovich was a VP of Operations at EPOS Technology, later acquired by Qualcomm (NASDAQ: QCOM). Prior to that he was VP of Operations at BioView (TLV: BIOV). In addition, Mr. Aizikovich held engineering and manufacturing management positions at Card Guard-LifeWatch, a cardiac remote monitoring pioneer, Phone-or Ltd and Neuromedical Systems Inc. Mr. Aizikovich holds a bachelor’s degree (cum laude) in business administration from COLMAN, Israel.
Barbara Benedict
Vice President, Diagnostic Clinic Strategy & OperationsMs. Benedict is the Vice President of Strategy and Operations at Notal Vision. Ms. Benedict offers over 25 years of healthcare senior management experience in operational areas, with a primary focus on strategy, planning and implementing healthcare solutions for disease management. Prior to her time at Notal Vision, Ms. Benedict held several instrumental roles directing corporate services and healthcare operations, marketing services and client strategies. Her previous experiences include numerous senior management positions focused on experience management, acquisition, and retention of customers in key service lines in the healthcare industry. Ms. Benedict graduated from University in South Florida in Tampa, Florida.
Gidi Benyamini
Chief Technology Officer and Director of Notal Vision Innovation CenterAs the Chief Technology Officer and Director of Notal Vision Innovation Center, Mr. Benyamini is responsible for overseeing the research and development, engineering and manufacturing facility in Tel Aviv, Israel. During his 20+ years at Notal Vision, Mr. Benyamini had a leadership role in obtaining de novo marketing authorization for the SCANLY Home OCT breakthrough designation device from the FDA, in the development and manufacturing of ForeseeHome and in the initiation and successful execution of the AREDS2-HOME study in collaboration with the National Eye Institute. Prior to joining Notal Vision, Mr. Benyamini was Vice President of Engineering and Manufacturing at LaserComm, a telecommunications company based in Dallas, Texas. Prior to that, he held various positions in the Israeli hi-tech industry. Mr. Benyamini holds an engineering degree from Tel Aviv University and an MBA from Fairleigh Dickinson University in New Jersey.
Nishant Mohan, PhD
Vice President of ProductDr. Nishant Mohan is the Vice President of Product at Notal Vision. Previously he served as Chief Technology Officer at Tesseract Health, and Chief Product and Technology Officer at PhotoniCare, Inc. Dr. Mohan has led development and commercialization of several products in the medical device space and received the Early Career Achievement Award from SPIE, the International Society of Optics and Photonics. He has a postdoctoral degree from Harvard Medical School, a doctorate in biomedical engineering from Boston University and undergraduate degree from the Indian Institute of Technology.
David Rachutin
Vice President, Cloud Software Development & IT SystemsMr. Rachutin is the Vice President of Cloud Software Development and IT Systems responsible for the organization's data management and clinical operations infrastructure. Since 2006, he has led multiple globally distributed software development teams and was instrumental in bringing the company’s ForeseeHome AMD Monitoring Program to market. Prior to joining Notal Vision, Mr. Rachutin served 6 years in the Israel Defense Forces' “MAMRAM” elite computer unit. Mr. Rachutin holds a bachelor of science (BSc) degree in computer science and a MBA from Open University of Israel.
Muki Rapp, PHD
Executive Vice President, Research and Product DevelopmentDr. Rapp joined Notal Vision close to its inception in 2001 and, in 2007, became the Vice President of Research and Development. In this role he managed the development of the ForeseeHome AMD Monitoring Program towards commercialization. Currently, as Executive Vice President of Research and Product Development, he manages the production of pipeline technologies. Prior to joining Notal Vision, he worked as a senior software engineer for several companies in the virtual reality space for TV broadcast, as well as solutions for active eBusiness intelligence. Dr. Rapp holds PhD and MSc degrees in neuroscience and a BSc degree in computer science from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel.
Board of Directors
Guy Katsav
Chairman, Healthcare Investments, Ganot CapitalMr. Katsav has been with Ganot Capital since 2009. He has extensive financial and strategic experience with healthcare companies across many specialties and throughout the world. He oversees investments in biopharmaceutical and medical device companies as well as buyouts of healthcare service companies. Mr. Katsav serves on the board of directors of eight portfolio companies, ranging from healthcare services companies with thousands of employees to med-tech and biotech start-ups developing life-altering, cutting-edge technologies. Prior to joining Ganot, Mr. Katsav worked in global healthcare investment banking for 8 years, most recently at Lazard. He graduated from Tel Aviv University with degrees in law and economics, and received an MBA from Columbia University.
Kester Nahen, PhD
Chief Executive OfficerDr. Kester Nahen is the Chief Executive Officer at Notal Vision, where he was previously the Chief Commercial Officer. Prior to his time at Notal Vision, Dr. Nahen was Managing Director of ophthalmic diagnostic device manufacturer Heidelberg Engineering GmbH and served on the board of the company’s US subsidiary. He led the Heidelberg Engineering commercial organization through over 10 years of strong growth. From 2001 to 2006, Dr. Nahen worked in various product development, product management, medical science and professional education roles at Laserscope Inc., a Silicon Valley based medical laser company. Dr. Nahen was a member of the AMS/Laserscope merger executive team. He received his PhD in physics from the Medical University of Lübeck, Germany.
Yaron Elad
Managing Partner & CEO, Elron VenturesYaron Elad serves as Elron Ventures' Managing Partner and CEO. Previously, Mr. Elad served as the Elron Ventures' CFO and established its enterprise software investment activities. He has vast experience in technology investments with a strong background in financial management, strategic deals, fundraising, business and board advisory. Mr. Elad is a director of several of Elron Ventures' portfolio companies and has been involved and led many M&As. He holds a bachelor of arts degree in Economics and Accounting and an master of science degree in Finance, both from Tel Aviv University.
Eliot Lazar, MD
President, eICON MedicalEliot Lazar, MD is a clinical ophthalmologist who has focused his efforts on the development of ophthalmology assets from the early pre-clinical stages through to commercial relevance. He has been involved in advancing meaningful therapeutics, drug delivery platforms, and devices through all stages, and has been involved with a wide swath of the ophthalmology ecosystem. Eliot has worked extensively with the investment community, the clinical community and strategic participants in order to advance new and important technologies. For greater than a quarter century, Dr. Lazar has served in various capacities across the ophthalmology community and is a frequent lecturer and advisor to a wide section of the ecosystem.
Anat Loewenstein, MD, MHA
Director, Department of Ophthalmology at Tel Aviv Medical CenterDr. Loewenstein is a professor and director of the Department of Ophthalmology at the Tel Aviv Medical Center. She is considered one of the top international opinion leaders in the field of vitreoretinal disease and surgery. Dr. Loewenstein has had more than 280 publications in peer-reviewed ophthalmology journals, as well as over 20 book chapters. She has been a principal investigator in multiple multicenter drug and device studies, as well as a variety of investigator driven trials. Her main focus of research interest is early detection of macular degeneration including the development of unique technology, drug toxicity of the retina, drug delivery and penetration into the retina, and the treatment of retinal vascular disease. Dr. Loewenstein has received multiple international recognitions and awards, the most notable being The Macula Society’s Arnall Patz Medal for outstanding contribution in studies of retinal and macular diseases and The Macula Society’s Rosenthal Award.
Quinton Oswald
Former CEO, Notal VisionMr. Oswald is an ophthalmic industry veteran and the former CEO of Notal Vision. Prior to joining Notal Vision, Mr. Oswald served as CEO of Neurotech Pharmaceuticals. As CEO of SARcode Bioscience, he was instrumental in the clinical development of lifitegrast ophthalmic solution 5% (Xiidra®) for the treatment of dry eye disease, and its subsequent sale to Shire, PLC. Previously, he was Vice President & Business Unit Head for Genentech’s Tissue Growth and Repair Business. During his tenure at Genentech, Mr. Oswald oversaw the highly successful commercial launch of Lucentis® (ranibizumab injection) for the treatment of wet AMD. Prior to Genentech, Mr. Oswald led the North American Ophthalmology business for Novartis, which, in conjunction with QLT, Inc., pioneered Visudyne® (verteporfin for injection), the first drug treatment for wet AMD. Mr. Oswald also serves on the board of directors at Okogen, a developer of innovative ophthalmic therapeutics.
Advisors
Scott W. Cousins, MD
Dr. Cousins is a retina-trained ophthalmologist who specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of macular diseases, especially age-related macular degeneration (AMD), diabetic retinopathy, and retinal vascular diseases. He is active in both clinical and laboratory research. In his clinical practice, Dr. Cousins is involved in many trials and innovative therapies for the treatment of macular diseases, especially AMD and diabetic retinopathy. In his scientific laboratory, Dr. Cousins pursues both NIH-funded and industry-funded research in various areas of dry and wet AMD. He has published over 100 peer-reviewed manuscripts, book chapters, and other publications addressing topics of research or clinical care of retinal disease, especially AMD. Dr. Cousins is currently the Robert Machemer, M.D. Professor of Ophthalmology and Immunology, Vice Chair for Research, and Director of the Duke Center for Macular Diseases at Duke Eye Center.
Jeffrey S. Heier, MD
Dr. Heier is the Co-President and Medical Director, Director of the Vitreoretinal Service, and Director of Retina Research at Ophthalmic Consultants of Boston (OCB), one of the largest and most prestigious multi-specialty ophthalmology practices in the United States. He is one of the leading retinal clinical researchers in the country for new treatments in exudative and non-exudative macular degeneration, diabetic macular edema, venous occlusive disease, vitreoretinal surgical techniques and instrumentation, and diagnostic imaging of the retina. Dr. Heier is the lead investigator on numerous clinical trials, ranging from phase I safety and proof of concept trials to phase IV post-marketing studies. He lectures nationally and internationally on retinal research and the innovative approach to the treatment of retinal diseases. He has authored or co-authored numerous works in peer-reviewed journals.
Allen C. Ho, MD
Dr. Ho is an internationally recognized retina specialist who specializes in state of the art and compassionate patient care and is a leader in the development of new medical and surgical treatments for retinal disease. He is Editor-in-Chief of Current Opinion in Ophthalmology and Chief Medical Editor of Retina Today, a global publication that features new treatments for retinal disease. Dr. Ho has authored numerous scientific publications on retinal disease. He is a recipient of multiple clinical research grants investigating new treatments for macular diseases sponsored by the National Eye Institute. Dr. Ho is the Principal Investigator at Wills Eye Hospital of several collaborative clinical trials evaluating new treatments for age-related macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy and maintains special interests in macular diseases, diabetic retinopathy, surgical retinal diseases and clinical trials investigating new treatments for vitreoretinal diseases.
Judy E. Kim, MD
Dr. Kim is a Professor of Ophthalmology with tenure at the Medical College of Wisconsin. She is active in research, education and patient care related to retinal conditions. Her research interests include clinical trials, telemedicine, diabetic retinopathy, age-related macular degeneration (AMD), retinal surgery and ocular imaging. Dr. Kim has numerous publications, book chapters, and monographs related to diabetic retinopathy (DR), age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and other retinal diseases and surgery. She is a noted national and international expert and speaker in her field, and has given over 150 invited presentations and over 100 national and international presentations. She has been actively involved with over 60 multicenter clinical trials, many as a site principal investigator, including Age-related Eye Disease 2 and Diabetic Retinopathy Clinical Research Network (DRCR.net), SCORE and SCORE2, all sponsored by the National Eye Institute (NEI).
Carl D. Regillo, MD, FACS
Dr. Regillo is Chief of the Retina Service at Wills Eye Hospital. He is the former Director of the Retina Research Unit and Principle Investigator of several major international clinical trials investigating new forms of treatment for macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, and a variety of other retinal conditions. Dr. Regillo has authored over 100 scientific papers, lectured nationally and abroad, and has published five major textbooks in the field. He has run several instructional courses at the annual American Academy of Ophthalmology meeting and is a recipient of the Academy's Achievement and Senior Achievement Awards in addition to the Secretariat Award. Dr. Regillo has sat on the editorial board for the American Journal of Ophthalmology, Review of Ophthalmology, Current Opinion in Ophthalmology, Ocular Surgery News, Retinal Physician, Retina Today, and Retina Times.
Partnerships
Research Partnerships
Association Partnerships
Investors
Ganot Capital
www.ganotcapital.comGanot is a privately held, family owned and operated, investment company that has over 50 years of healthcare investment experience. Ganot acquires and invests through buyouts, growth capital and venture capital. Ganot's portfolio spans across the senior care sector and includes real estate properties, healthcare service companies, medical device companies and biopharmaceutical companies.
Soleus Capital
Soleus Capital, founded in 2017 by Guy Levy, is a healthcare investment firm primarily focused on the innovative areas of life sciences, including biotech, medtech, diagnostics, and genomics. The Firm seeks to capitalize on the synergies in its fundamentals-based research process by managing a long/short healthcare public equities fund as well as dedicated healthcare private equity funds focused on late-stage private investments.
Elron
www.elron.comSince 1962, Elron has been at the forefront of Israeli innovation, as founders and early investors in companies such as Elbit Systems, Elscint, Zoran, Partner, Netvision and Given Imaging. Today they remain committed to their vision of identifying transformative technologies, nurturing gifted entrepreneurs, and building companies into technology leaders.
The Elron team is dedicated to attracting and supporting imaginative and focused entrepreneurs and startups with never-been-done-before ideas. Group companies benefit from their combined technological, strategic, entrepreneurial & business expertise, broad networks, and wide attention span.
Evergreen Venture Partners
www.evergreen.co.ilEvergreen was established in 1987 by Jacob Burak as one of Israel's first Venture Capital firms, and has grown into a leader, generating successful exits with tangible rewards for investors and entrepreneurs. Evergreen's $650 million of venture capital funds under management, invested in more than 120 technology companies, represent one of the largest and most successful portfolios in Israel.
Evergreen invests in early-stage Israeli and Israel-related companies in three main fields: software, communications and healthcare. Their investments are positioned in different segments of each of these markets to comprise a well-diversified and balanced portfolio of companies.