PETOSKEY, Mich.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--BioStar Capital, a value-add investment firm focused on transformational medical device technologies that serve unmet patient and physician needs, today announced that Jeffrey Yau, PhD in Economics and VP of Data Science, Data Engineering, and Platform Engineering of Store Associate Tech at Walmart Global Technology, has joined the firm as an entrepreneur in residence (EIR). Dr. Yau was also previously Chief Data Scientist at AllianceBernstein, a global investment management and research firm with almost $700B in assets under management.
As an EIR, Dr. Yau will expand BioStar’s expertise within the emerging field of data science and artificial intelligence (AI) in healthcare, as well as identify and evaluate startups with high-growth potential. Dr. Yau joins BioStar amid an inflection point in the industry as stakeholders across the healthcare continuum increasingly adopt data-driven technologies and AI applications, a trend accelerated by COVID-19. Dr. Yau will leverage his 15+ years of experience as a results-driven enterprise-wide data science leader, as well as his passion for combining emerging technology, machine learning, and advanced statistical techniques to generate innovative solutions for challenging business problems.
Dr. Yau joins a unique team combining the business acumen of seasoned investment professionals, and the clinical expertise of world-renowned physicians. The BioStar team has invested in over 30 medical device startups, with nearly half acquired by major medical device manufacturers, including Boston Scientific, Medtronic, and Covidien.
“Over the past year and a half, the healthcare industry has experienced an immense amount of change ushering in a new era of technology-driven care with an increasing emphasis on cost efficient value-based models,” said Louis Cannon, MD, Founder and Senior Managing Director, BioStar Capital. “Jeffrey has an extensive track record of success as a data science leader. His depth of experience, academic rigor, as well as his commitment to generating a positive impact on a societal level, will provide immense value to our team, startups, and patients around the world.”
Prior to joining Walmart, Dr. Yau was the Chief Data Scientist and Global Head of Data Science at AllianceBernstein, where he was responsible for building the data science and data engineering teams and leading enterprise-wide data science initiatives, such as developing natural language processing and machine learning algorithms to generate investment signals, predicting at-risk-of-attrition high net-worth retail clients, and building a data science program to train internal quantitative analysts and developers. Prior to this role, Dr. Yau was VP and Head of Data Science at Silicon Valley Data Science, where he led a team of PhD data scientists helping Fortune 500 companies tackle business imperatives with data science and A.I. Dr. Yau also held several other leadership and data science positions, including the Head of Quantitative Research and Risk Analytics at Charles Schwab Corporation, Director of Financial Risk Consulting at KPMG, Assistant Director at Moody’s Analytics, and Assistant Professor of Economics at Virginia Tech. He holds a PhD and an MA in Economics with a focus on Econometrics from the University of Pennsylvania and a BS in Mathematics and Economics from UCLA.
“The healthcare industry has only scratched the surface of what’s possible with data-driven and AI-enabled technologies,” said Dr. Yau. “The BioStar team is well-positioned to get in on the ground floor of this trend, and I’m looking forward to identifying and nurturing startups who are shaping healthcare’s future and, just as importantly, making a meaningful impact on society as a whole.”
About BioStar Capital
BioStar Capital is a strategic value-add investment firm focused on accelerating value creation for transformational medical device and connected health technologies. Combining the insight of experienced investment professionals and world-renowned physician thought leaders, BioStar identifies proprietary technologies that serve unmet patient and physician needs and fit the acquisition criteria of leading medical device companies. BioStar fills an important gap in medical device innovation and provides operational skills and clinical expertise in addition to capital, enabling the firm to actively mitigate risk, optimize product development, and secure successful exit. The firm has invested in over 30 med-tech companies, many of which have been acquired by a major medical device manufacturer. For more information, visit www.biostar.capital.
