Howard D. Palefsky
Howard Palefsky is an accomplished executive member in the life sciences, healthcare and medical technology industries. He has led life science and med tech organizations to significant growth, creating value exceeding $4 billion. He has also served on the boards of more than 30 organizations and has played a pivotal role in establishing more than 20 businesses, spearheading numerous capital raises, Initial Public Offerings and acquisitions.
Moreover, he has overseen more than 40 new product launches across the US, Europe, LATAM and Asia Pacific, gaining invaluable strategic insight into regulatory affairs and reimbursement mechanics in multiple geographies.
Howard is currently chair and president of the private investment firm Victoria Capital Management, which counts several notable companies in its investment portfolio. Among them: Mana Health (sold to Comcast), Laserscope (sold to AMS), Resound Corp (sold to GN Danavox), Novacept (sold to Hologic), Oclassen Pharmaceuticals (sold to Allergan), Calgene (sold to Monsanto), Innovasive Devices (sold to Johnson & Johnson), Interventional Technologies (sold to Boston Scientific) and Ekso Bionics (EKSO: NASDAQ).
Howard also joined Montreux Equity Partners, as Managing Director and one of the two senior partners. He was an integral part of the team that secured in excess of $500 million in Limited Partner Interests. He played key roles in the firm’s investments and exits in 20 companies.
Howard witnessed the biomedical revolution through his long-standing tenure with Collagen Corp, a pioneering company operating in the field of clinically validated products for facial aesthetics. Collagen was a pre-revenue, venture-funded start-up organization when Howard joined as CEO. He spent the next 19 years growing Collagen through numerous product launches in the U.S., Europe and Japan, generating substantial profitability.
He also directed Collagen’s very profitable investment in Pharming N.V. (NASDAQ: PHAR). Tp address unmet or underserved market requirements, he established a joint venture with Eli Lilly called Target Therapeutics, which developed disposable medical devices for use in minimally invasive procedures for the treatment of vascular conditions of the brain.
Besides his impact in the life sciences industry, Howard has played a vital role on boards of arts & culture organizations. Howard chaired the finance committee and the board during the considerable financial turnaround of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, rendering it one of the few cash flow positive Orchestra’s in the world.
In addition, during Howard’s time as chair of the development committee of the Atlanta Opera, the Opera raised $45 million to help fund operations. Arts and Culture organizations with whom the Palefskys have worked to secure funds have raised more than $200 million in philanthropic contributions as a result of their efforts.
