George Dunbar

Mr. Dunbar has extensive healthcare and life sciences operating experience, and has served as a Director or CEO with private and public companies in Diagnostics, Specialty Pharma, Cell Therapy, and Biologics, two where he led initial public offerings (IPOs).

George is Managing Partner of The Dunbar Group, LLC founded in 2011 to provide advisory services to the life sciences, recognizing that many venture capital or founder funded companies needed short term or interim industry expertise in order to be capital efficient. Since 2001 he has partnered with investors to mentor and focus management on creating market value and liquidity events for shareholders. His collaborative team includes the spectrum of industry experience including commercial and social media, quality assurance, regulatory, clinical/ manufacturing operations, and international partnering.

His most recent assignment was CEO with ISTO Biologics, a private equity funded orthobiologics company with the roll-up vision initially combining George's prior company, ISTO Technologies with Arteriocyte Medical Systems, and Progenicare.

Prior to joining Isto Technologies, Mr. Dunbar served as a Venture Partner with Arboretum Ventures, a leading healthcare venture capital group, and was a Director of four portfolio companies, two as Executive Chairman.

He has also held senior leadership positions with Ares-Serono, now Merck-Serono, and Amersham International, now GE Healthcare.

Earlier, George has served with companies including Stem Cells, Inc. and CytoTherapeutics, Aastrom ( now Vericel) ; and also DepoTech, Epic Therapeutics, LJL Biosystems, Metra Biosystems, Metrika, Molecular Probes, Quantum Dot, Sonus Pharmaceuticals, and Quidel. He began his career with Motorola’s Communications Division.

Mr. Dunbar is currently an independent Director with Capricor Therapeutics, a public cell therapy technology company, and Progenitor Life Sciences, a private next- gen stem cell and immunotherapy development company.

He has degrees in Electrical Engineering and an MBA from Auburn University, and serves on the Harbert College of Business MBA Advisory Board. He is member of the Entrepreneurial Advisory Council with Vanderbilt University’s Center for Technology Transfer and Commercialization.

George and his spouse, Betsy live in Franklin, Tennessee and have two daughters; one is a US Navy JAG Officer on assignment with STRATCOM, and her sister, a writer and professional pastry chef living in San Jose, California. They have three grandchildren.
 

Job title: 
Managing Partner, The Dunbar Group
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