About
Mission Statement
Based in Chicago, BandGrip was founded in 2015 with the goal of developing a faster, easier, and less invasive way to safely close wounds. The emerging medical device company canvassed surgeons to identify ways to reduce closure time, improve ambulation, and minimize scarring. As a result, the company's team of medical professionals developed the patented technology behind the BandGrip Micro-Anchor Skin Closures. Today, BandGrip is advancing the wound-closure market by delivering medical innovations that allow hospitals, doctors to reduce procedure time and improve the patient experience, while envisioning a future where its products can help improve the lives of people around the world.
Management
Fred Smith
CEO, Founder, Board Member | Fred was the founder & CEO of LEAP, an Internet developer and ad agency. He took Leap public in 1996 raising $40 million in capital. Fred developed AA.com for American Airlines, and Wal-Mart travel. Other clients of Fred’s included Microsoft, Nike &, Anheuser Busch. Fred was the founder of IdeaCast, where he raised $30 million for the rapid growth technology company. IdeaCast is a national Satellite Affiliate of ESPN, CNN and CNBC (like Direct TV) targeting health clubs with unique DVR proof TV ads for health clubs.
Keith D. Hoglund
Founder, Board Member | Keith has participated in several venture capital projects funding start-up companies. Prior to BandGrip Inc., Keith was a co-founder and managing Partner of RathunasTrading. Mr. Hoglund was a member of the PHLX Stock Exchange from 1982-1984 the CBOE Exchange 1984-2001 and the CBOT Exchange 1986-2001. He attended Loras College, class of 1981.
Thomas W. Pruter
Founder, Board Member | Previous to his involvement with BandGrip Inc., Tom had early and instrumental involvement in a variety of startup companies across the disciplines of entertainment, new media, and educational, financial and medical technologies. Companies included therein are myFootPath, IdeaCast, K2M, OES, Tru Fragrances, Out The Box Records, FocusTechnology, TradingBlock and BeyondCore. Tom received a BS in Computer Science from Marquette University. Upon graduation, he co-founded NeoTek Software, a developer of educational CAD/CAM software that was later integrated into a national education supplier.
Key Opinion Leaders
Brian J. Cole, MD, MBA
Dr. Brian Cole is a nationally acclaimed orthopaedic surgeon, specializing in sports medicine for the knee, shoulder and elbow. Dr. Cole is honored to be named in the top 20 in sports medicine, knee and shoulder specialists repeatedly over the last 5 years as selected by his peers. His awards range from the “Best Doctors in America” since 2004 and “Top Doctor” in Chicagoland since 2003.
Jack Farr II, MD
As a leader in U.S. cartilage restoration advances, Dr. Farr has written numerous articles, book chapters and has completed and edited two cartilage books published in 2013. He serves as an associate editor for the journals Cartilage and American Journal of Orthopedics. He lectures both nationally and internationally and participates in several ongoing articular and meniscal cartilage clinical trials. He was also a design surgeon for a meniscal allograft transplant system and two knee patellofemoral osteotomy systems. Dr. Farr worked as a design surgeon for a current partial knee replacement system (Sigma High Performance Partial Knee Replacement) for patients with knee changes too advanced for restoration.
Robert Semba, MD
Dr. Robert Semba, retired, was a general orthopedic surgeon in New Lenox, IL who treated a wide variety of musculoskeletal issues, ranging from simple fractures to congenital disorders to wear-and-tear problems typically found later in life. His practice focused on both nonoperative solutions like physical therapy and steroid injections, as well as arthroscopic surgery, trauma surgery, and joint reconstruction and replacement.