About Vivifi
Vivifi is made up of a team of award-winning engineers and experts working closely with our clinical advisors, with support from our technical, legal and business advisors.
Our mission is to improve the quality of life of patients with BPH by surpassing the current standard of care to offer freedom and independence to patients.
Founder & CEO
Tushar is a biomedical engineer with over ten years of experience in medical device development, including leadership roles in both startups and large corporations like J&J and Intel. He holds a PhD in Biomedical Engineering from UT Austin, where he specialized in creating solutions for complex biomedical problems, and has over 20 patents pending or approved. At Vivifi, he has led the development of the Vivifi's technology, a minimally invasive tool designed to treat the root causes of Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH). Tushar’s expertise spans the full product lifecycle—driving Vivifi’s mission to deliver transformative, patient-centered treatments.
Head of R&D
Steve brings over 20 years of experience in R&D for minimally invasive medical devices, having held engineering roles at major companies like Johnson & Johnson and Alcon. At Vivifi, Steve leads the R&D team, overseeing the design and testing of its cutting-edge technology. His background in developing electromechanical devices and his extensive work in fields such as cardiovascular and surgical devices reflect his commitment to creating safer, accessible surgical solutions.
Product Development Engineer
Natnael is a biomedical engineer with hands-on experience in medical device prototyping and testing, holding a degree in Biomedical Engineering from UT San Antonio. His past projects include work on injection systems and device interfaces with Johnson & Johnson, where he contributed to design improvements in spine and cardiovascular technologies.
Dr. Marshall Stoller, MD, Professor and Former Vice-Chair of Urology at UCSF, is an internationally recognized expert in urology with over 35 years of clinical and research experience, specializing in the management of nephrolithiasis (urinary stones). A key opinion leader in Urology and a recipient of the Karl Storz Lifetime Achievement Award, Dr. Stoller has led groundbreaking research focused on developing innovative diagnostic and therapeutic approaches for over active bladder, kidney stones and several other urological conditions. Dr. Stoller has led Vivifi Medical's initial clinical studies that demonstrated the proof-of-concept.
Dr. Ricardo R. Gonzalez, MD, is the Chief of the Division of Men’s Health and an Associate Professor of Clinical Urology at Houston Methodist Hospital, as well as a key opinion leader in benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) technologies. Specializing in minimally invasive treatments like GreenLight laser vaporization, Rezum, Urolift, and Aquablation, he has taught laser surgery globally and focuses on therapies that improve voiding function while preserving sexual health.
Eric A. Klein, MD is the Emeritus Andrew C. Novick Distinguished Professor and Chair of the Glickman Urological and Kidney Institute and Lerner College of Medicine of the Cleveland Clinic. He joined the staff of the Cleveland Clinic in 1989 and served as a member of the Department of Cancer Biology of the Cleveland Clinic Lerner Research Institute, the Taussig Cancer Institute, and the Genitourinary Malignancies Program in the Case Comprehensive Cancer Center. Dr. Klein was a Fellow in the Distinguished Careers Institute at Stanford University in 2022.
Dr. William E. Cohn, MD, is a renowned cardiothoracic surgeon and medical device innovator. He serves as the Director of the Center for Device Innovation at the Texas Medical Center and holds professorships in surgery at Baylor College of Medicine and adjunct positions in bioengineering at Rice University, the University of Houston, and Texas A&M. Dr. Cohn has been instrumental in developing the continuous-flow, totally implantable artificial heart, achieving a milestone in 2011 with the first successful implantation of a pulseless total heart replacement device in a human patient. He holds over 200 U.S. patents and has founded or co-founded multiple venture-backed medical startups. In recognition of his contributions, Dr. Cohn received the Earl Bakken Scientific Achievement Award from the Society of Thoracic Surgeons in 2024.
Tushar is a biomedical engineer with over ten years of experience in medical device development, including leadership roles in both startups and large corporations like J&J and Intel. He holds a PhD in Biomedical Engineering from UT Austin, where he specialized in creating solutions for complex biomedical problems, and has over 20 patents pending or approved. At Vivifi, he has led the development of Vivifi's technology - a minimally invasive tool designed to treat the root causes of Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH). Tushar’s expertise spans the full product lifecycle—driving Vivifi’s mission to deliver transformative, patient-centered treatments.
Stanton J. Rowe is CEO of Nidus Biomedical, a medical device incubator in Orange County, CA. Nidus decoys a broad range of interventional products for corporations and also develops bold new innovations from its talented team. Stanton retired from Edwards Lifesciences after 14 years of serving as the Chief Scientific Officer since 2008 and also served as Corporate Vice President, Advanced Technology. He joined in 2004 when Edwards acquired Percutaneous Valve Technologies (PVT), a company he helped to found in 1999 and served as President and CEO. PVT developed the first transcatheter aortic valve replacement, a product that has changed the practice of cardiovascular medicine.
Mark is a retired serial entrepreneur, M&A expert, and life sciences contributor. Having successfully founded and operated businesses in the healthcare, technology and manufacturing space for over 25 years. He has successfully exited companies providing home/physician office infusion services, sterile products and specialty pharmacy, home care, medical wholesale, SaaS, chemical manufacturing, downstream energy and contract research services. Mark serves on the board of several medical devices and technology companies.
Giovanni Lauricella is a highly accomplished professional in the MedTech industry with a diverse educational background and extensive experience in talent acquisition, fundraising, and regulatory affairs. With a Bachelor’s degree in Finance and a Master’s degree in Regulatory Affairs in Medical Devices, Giovanni combines technical expertise with financial acumen. His educational journey includes certifications from prestigious institutions such as Harvard University and Università Bocconi.
Marcus Nelson is the Vice President of Business Analytics at Texas Medical Center (TMC). In this role, he oversees all diligence for the TMC Venture Fund and leads strategic analyses for top initiatives. Marcus joined the Texas Medical Center in 2022. Marcus previously served as the Director of Strategy and Business Operations at a logistics and technology startup in Houston (cart.com), where he co-led sourcing through the close of four M&A transactions. Prior to the startup, Marcus worked as a management consultant at McKinsey & Company. His work spanned across healthcare and advanced industries, with a focus on strategy and analytics. Marcus holds a BS in Mechanical Engineering from The Ohio State University and an MBA from UVA’s Darden School of Business.
Ben Nahir is Venture Principal at Elevate Capital and Chair of TiE Oregon Angels. Through these roles, Ben works closely with both entrepreneurs and investors; his diligence research and recommendations have helped deploy more than $60M in angel and venture capital. Although interested especially in biotech and life sciences, Ben assists startups from myriad industries, including tech, software, food and beverage, and consumer products, helping refine their business strategies and position themselves for successful investment.
Prior to joining Elevate Capital and TiE Oregon, Ben spent 12 years in academic research studying the fundamental nature of neuronal communication in the brain. Ben holds an MBA from Portland State University and a PhD in neuroscience from the University of Florida.
We benefit from our Texas Medical Center (TMC) presence, as it accelerates our efforts in regulatory, clinical, and commercialization aspects. TMC Innovation also provides access to numerous institutions for studies, testing, and key opinion leader feedback.
Additionally, close proximity to partners like JLABs, Portal Innovations, Ion, CDI, and ABB Healthcare Robotics offers resources for device development and testing.
Vivifi’s partnership with Oregon Biosciences Incubator (OBI) in Portland complements our Houston-based operations, providing a bi-coastal presence in key biotech hubs, and access to cutting-edge resources and a vibrant biotech ecosystem in Oregon. OBI offers advanced laboratories, shared testing and fabrication equipment, and modern office spaces.
Located near Oregon Health & Science University, OBI positions us to attract top talent and collaborate with leading researchers.
2450 Holcombe Blvd, Ste 1420, Houston, TX 77021* NOTE: This treatment is for investigational use only and is not approved by the FDA for commercial distribution. It is currently under clinical investigation to evaluate its safety and effectiveness.