Pearl Chin - Managing Director

Dr. Chin specializes in advising on managing high and low-tech businesses and nanotechnology investment opportunities. Dr. Chin has extensive experience in strategy and marketing consulting, management consulting, operations, sales and marketing, and customer service, in diverse industries from small to large companies and nonprofits.

Dr. Chin is also known for writing provocative and contrarian articles on nanotechnology investing, business, management and related social issues.  Her articles have appeared in the U.S. based “Nanotechnology Now” and Netherlands based “Nano-Tsunami” e-newsletters as well as for New York State’s “Tech Valley Times”.  She authored a paper on “Assessing Venture Capital Returns to Efficiently Invest in Nanotechnology” in March 2005 issue (Vol. 2.1) of the “Nanotechnoloy Law & Business Journal and European based Alt Assets.  She is actively sought out to speak about and on her views on the business of investing in nanotechnology focusing on the importance of people and management thereof, strategic management of resources, and superior business and market strategy as key drivers for creating successful businesses and organizations in general. Dr. Chin has been featured in her alma mater's alumni magazine's Winter 2008 "At Cooper Union" issue, Cornell University business school’s Spring 2006 issue of Cornell Enterprise Magazine magazine and in Business Week Online, July 6, 2005 in their MBA Careers section. 

In 2007, Dr. Chin was also the President of the Foresight Nanotech Institute which was founded in 1986 by Dr. K. Eric Drexler and which is the oldest nanotechnology think tank in the U.S and now a Research Fellow.   She was instrumental in managing their Productive Nanosystems Technology Roadmap project which was finally finished in October 2007. She is currently a Research Fellow with Foresight.  She was Managing Director of the US offices and co-Managing Director of the London offices of Cientifica, a global nanotechnology consultancy providing business information, marketing analyses and business strategy consulting to Fortune 500 companies and investment firms.

Prior to this she was a management consultant with Pittiglio Rabin Todd & McGrath (PRTM)'s Chemicals, Engineered Materials and Packaged Goods group optimizing Supply Chain operations and Change Management through Business Process Re-engineering efforts.  Before that, she headed domestic Customer Support under Sales and Marketing for TA Instruments, Inc. (spinout from DuPont as DuPont Instruments) when TAI was number one in Customer Support in their industry. TAI sells thermal analysis and rheology instrumentation to a wide variety of industries. She has also worked with Lederle Laboratories (formerly of American Cyanamid Company now part of Wyeth) and also with the Colgate Palmolive Company.

Dr. Chin contributed to National Nanotechnology Initiative's Grand Challenge Workshop 2004 for Nanotechnology in Space Exploration her views of the opportunities and needs for research and development in nanotechnology and what can be accomplished in the next 10 years for a Nanoscale Science, Engineering and Technology (NSET) Subcommittee report to serve as input to the new NNI strategic plan for the next 5-10 years, and will also be provided to the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) as input for the PCAST’s ongoing review of NNI. 

Dr. Chin also has extensive deep tech research expertise. She was a Guest Scientist collaborating with the National Institute of Standards & Technology (NIST) Polymer Division's Electronic Materials Group under the US Department of Commerce. She received a NIST Fellowship for graduate study and a Henry Enders Graduate Study Scholarship from The Cooper Union. Her PhD research focused on characterizing nanoscale polymer films for electronics packaging applications and studying fundamental adhesion phenomena. She also studied nanoscale interfacial phenomena and effects on mechanical properties of graphite fiber reinforced epoxy composites systems for military, automotive, sporting goods and other high performance applications.   To round herself out, she was an alternate finalist for a Congressional Fellowship with the Materials Research Society. 

Dr. Chin is an invited member of Industrial Advisory Groups for University of Delaware, College of Engineering and Cornell Center for Technology Enterprise and Commercialization (CCTEC).

Dr. Chin is board member of Episcopal Relief and Development on their Programs and Administration & Finance Committees and with OCA-New York.  She was an active member of Community Board 3 appointed by Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer and Co-Chaired their Economic Development Committee and was a member of the State Liquor Authority and Department of Consumer Affairs Committee.  She is an active member of Trinity Church Wall Street and St. Paul’s Chapel with their Discovery Committee and prayer ministry.

Dr. Pearl Chin has an MBA (Commencement Marshall) from Cornell University's Johnson Graduate School of Management (JGSM), a Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering from University of Delaware's Center for Composite Materials and B.E. in Chemical Engineering from The Cooper Union in New York City. She also has held a Series 7 license in the past.

Dr. Chin is a US Citizen born and raised in New York City. She enjoys gourmet food and cooking, travel, reading, philosophy, dancing and seeks to become an oenophile.  In addition to her native English, Dr. Chin also speaks Cantonese, has working knowledge of French, Japanese and Mandarin and dabbles in Farsi (Persian).
 

Berndt Samsinger - Director - Europe

Dr. Berndt Samsinger was Executive Director of Capital Stage AG in charge of the Private Equity and Banking business. He was Co-CEO of Capital Stage Brokerage GmbH, Frankfurt and CEO of Capital Stage (Schweiz) AG, Zurich and was in charge of Capital Stage's investment portfolio of approximately 20 high-tech investments. At Capital Stage AG, he established the first European nanotechnology fund. 

Dr. Saminger was President of SECA, the "Swiss Private Equity & Corporate Finance Association". He is currently Senior Partner of ReTurnOn AG, a firm that manages international projects with a focus on restructuring and turnaround in the private equity domain. Prior to that Dr. Samsinger was General Manager of Midrex International, a Rotterdam based global licensing business for a major Japanese industrial conglomerate. Before that he was Managing Director of GASAM AG, a private equity and corporate finance advisory business instrumental in establishing VC companies.

Dr. Saminger is also CEO of OncoPept AG, a biotech startup and was Managing Director of Bimarco AG, a Zurich based international steel trading operation.

Formerly, Dr. Samsinger was the Head of Corporate Finance at Price Waterhouse Switzerland. He held management positions in the investment banking divisions of Bank Julius Baer in charge of M&A and Corporate Finance-Services, Dai-Ichi Kangyo Bank as Director in charge of Corporate Finance and Commercial Banking for Continental Europe and Interallianz Bank as assistant to the CEO where he was In charge of Bank Relations, Investment Banking, Reporting and Controlling, Compliance, and establishment of a subsidiary in Hong Kong and Taipei.

Dr. Samsinger lectures at HSG (Saint Gall Business School), Schweizerische Akademie Fur Wirtschaftsprufung and IFZ (Institut fur Finanzdienstleistungen Zug). He is also a Board Member of ISU (Initiative Start-ups) and is a regularly invited speaker at international conferences in the area of private equity and corporate finance.

Dr. Samsinger has an MBA from Keio University in Tokyo, a Ph.D. from Hochschule St. Gallen und Universitat Zurich in economics. He is a graduate of the Swiss Banking School and graduated Summa Cum Laude from Universitat Zurich.

Dr. Samsinger speaks fluent German and English. He is is adept at French, Italian, and Japanese and dabbles in Chinese.  Dr. Samsinger has 2 children and his wife is Taiwanese.

Wayne Chang - Director - Silicon Valley

Prior to joining Seraphima, Wayne was a partner of Vela Global Technology Ventures, where he incubated and managed new venture opportunities in semiconductor, nanotechnology, biotechnology and wireless systems.   Wayne identified innovative new technologies and developed early stage companies into market ready sustainable companies.  Under his management, Vela established several companies with pioneering products, including TV-Technologies, Inc, a next generation interactive TV platform that is paving the road to implement interactivity into television programs.  Blancco, a company that has established strategic alliance with eBay’s PC Selling Center, to implement advanced data erasure software.  Iglootek, a start-up dedicated to developing nano scale, site-specific active heat sink and thermal management devices for ICs, MEMS, and Integrated Systems.  Iglootek’s solution has immense potential in addressing heat dissipation problem of over-heating microprocessors and high speed integrated circuits and related systems.   WhisperLog Technologies, developing advanced RFID solution with superior RF architecture and enhanced sensitivity that would offer scalable and cost effective commercial deployment solutions.  

Prior to joining Vela Global, Wayne was a Business Development Director at Monsanto where he led the company’s market entry, product management and corporate development initiatives in China, Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Thailand and India.  Wayne was also a consultant with Booz, Allen and Hamilton where he advised Fortune 500 multinational companies on product development, product & business planning, marketing & sales development strategy, M&A, and general corporate strategy issues.  Wayne led AT&T Bell Laboratories and 3M to improve company’s product planning and product development processes.  Wayne spent early part of his career as ASIC designer with TDK Semiconductor, where he managed several key custom ASIC design programs for Fujitsu, NEC, IBM and HP.

As a research associate at Lawrence Berkeley Labs Center for Advanced Materials and Berkeley Sensor and Actuator Center, Wayne helped develop piezoelectric nano-sensing platform which led to a successful design of integrated multi sensors capable of detecting chemical vapor absorption, tactile pressure, acceleration, air flow, photo reaction, and thermal radiation from one integrated device.  

Wayne holds an M.B.A. from the Kellogg Graduate School of Management, M.S. in Manufacturing from Northwestern University Robert McCormack School of Engineering, and a B.S. in Electrical Engineering Computer Science and Materials Science Engineering from the University of California at Berkeley.

Tom L. Tyrrell - Director - London

Colonel Tom L. Tyrrell, USMC (ret.) is Director of Special Projects in London at investment firm, Cantor Fitzgerald.  Prior to this, Col. Tyrrell was Executive Director and CEO responsible for all management oversight related to the Intrepid Sea-Air-Space Museum operations, programs, and finances.  He directed a multi-million dollar upgrade and expansion of exhibits and public spaces, the largest undertaking of its kind since the museum’s 1982 opening.  He also served on the Intrepid Museum Foundation Board of Trustees as an ex officio member.  Tyrrell joined the Intrepid Sea-Air-Space Museum as Chief Operations Officer in 2002.

Previously Tom held a number of strategic leadership positions.  He served as Commanding Officer of the First Marine Corp District, U.S. Marine Corps, overseeing all officer and enlisted recruitment in the 14 state northeastern region.  He also served as Director of Strategic Planning, United Nations interim Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK).  Functioning as a civilian member of the UN staff, he developed and implemented The Witness Program to observe presidential elections in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.  He also participated in the development of the Human Rights Matrix, an informal diplomatic channel designed to facilitate negotiation of issues relating to prisoner release and identification of casualties from the war in Kosovo.

In 2000, as an assistant to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Tom completed the “Fulcrum Project” and recommended an overarching cultural transformation strategy for the Armed Forces that mapped existing Cold War capacity and processes with future terrorism based conflict requirements.

Before 1996, Tom accrued over 20 years experience in a variety of assignments including 16 years of Command and a stint as the U.S. Marine Corps Chief Contracting Officer for the Far East.

A native Oklahoman, Tom graduated with a  Bachelors in Business Administration from Texas A&M University, a Masters in Management from Naval Post-Graduate School, and a Masters in Strategic Resource Management from the National Defense University.  He currently lives in Manhattan with is wife and three children.

Charles Hsu, PhD, MBA

Charles Hsu, a Venture Partner with Bay City Capital, has over 25 years of experience in the life sciences industry, including 18 years as an entrepreneur and venture capitalist focusing on early-stage life science and health care firms. He has co-founded and/or invested in over 25 companies, and has served on 15 boards of directors. Some of Dr. Hsu’s past investments include Lexicon Genetics, Aviron, Axys, and KOSAN Pharmaceuticals. Dr. Hsu is active internationally, having worked with several companies in Europe, Israel and Asia. He was a co-founding investor in Asia Renal Care, which became Asia’s largest and most profitable independent kidney dialysis provider before being sold in early 2007. He is founder and Chairman of Eureka Pharmaceuticals, a drug discovery company with its R&D activities in China. He has served as Advisor to the Chairman of WuXi Pharmatech (NYSE: WX) since early 2002. In 2007, he co-founded LEAD Therapeutics, a chemistry-driven drug discovery company based in the U.S. and China. In addition to his roles with Bay City Capital, LEAD, Eureka and WuXi, he is an advisor to Mustang Ventures, an early-stage venture capital firm based in Shanghai.

Prior to joining Walden International, Dr. Hsu served as a general partner at WaldenVC, a venture capital firm affiliated with Walden International but operationally autonomous, where he managed global investments in the healthcare and the life sciences. Prior to that, he was a partner at Advent International, where he began his venture capital career in 1990. Previously Dr. Hsu participated in two early-stage biotechnology start-ups, Creative BioMolecules and Invitron. He has invested in or co-founded over 25 healthcare and life sciences companies, about half of which are publicly listed today.

He also serves on the Board of the Jacobs University Foundation and is an advisor to the Chinese American Biopharmaceutical Society (CABS).