Hobert Wai
Advisor at Berkeley SkyDeck
Hobert Wai
Advisor at Berkeley SkyDeck
San Francisco Bay Area
Overview
Work Experience
Partner
2016 - Current
Hanawa Group is an angel investment firm focus on healthcare and technology. As a co-founder and Partner, my role is in advising, investing, and partnering with start-ups to vitalize novel ideas into feasible entrepreneurship. I am involved in reviewing start-up pitches, performing due diligence, coaching entrepreneurs, syndication, and discussing with other angel investment groups on investment rationale. Our sectors span across big-data analytics, disruptive technologies, health-tech and med-tech.
Mentor
2019
Our mentors are an elite group of professionals carefully selected based on their expertise in business formation and operations, and for their skills as advisors as well as their desire and ability to give back. Mentors’ careers represent a wide range of experience, such as founders, CEOs, chief technical officers, or executives of companies. These mentors bring a wealth of entrepreneurial experience and contacts across a broad range of industries and markets. Mentors participate in VMS for many reasons including the intellectual appeal of this work and the collegial team approach VMS uses to address each entrepreneur’s needs . Participants are assured impartial and unbiased advice by a code of ethics to which all mentors must adhere. MIT's Venture Mentoring Service has attracted a dynamic group of volunteer mentors who give their time so that others may succeed.
Advisor
2019
Formed as a partnership between the Haas School of Business, the College of Engineering, and the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research, SkyDeck combines the consulting know-how of traditional accelerators with the vast resources of its research university. This robust partnership is coupled with SkyDeck’s unique mentorship program to create a powerful environment for startups. Its SkyAdvisors, Partners, and large network of accredited investors connect their SkyTeams to the expertise and capital they need to launch and grow…to the moon.
Member
2018
The Band reviews more than 1,000 deals per year. In 2018, the Band members invested in 22 startups. Obviously this is a competitive dynamic. Nevertheless, our goal is to provide as much value as we can to all companies that pitch the Band. Many companies that do not progress further in our process still benefit from it; especially those that make it to a Deal Dinner presentation. Reflecting the diverse career expertise of its membership the Band invests in ALL categories of seed technology deals and life sciences. We do not invest in consumer products, real estate, restaurants, retail, or funds, but we do invest in aeroastro, agtech, blockchain, digital disruption, energy, life sciences/medtech, IoT, semiconductors, software, and wearables. Typically, the Band's investment is the first “organized” money into the company, either as a series Seed or Series A.
Member
2018
The Berkeley Angel Network is a group of angel investors who are alumni, faculty and former faculty of UC Berkeley. The mission of the Berkeley Angel Network is to build an angel investor community among the alumni and faculty of UC Berkeley, and to improve the collective skills and knowledge of this angel investor community through activities related to angel investing. As many of us have experience in growing successful companies, investing in successful companies and/or both of the above, we strive to promote entrepreneurship and entrepreneurship education within UC Berkeley and the alumni community.
Member
2018
Capital. Education. Mentorship.
Member
2017
HealthTech Capital is a group of private investors dedicated to funding and mentoring new "HealthTech" start ups at the intersection of healthcare with the computer and mobility worlds. HealthTechCapital is creating a new ecosystem with leading edge clinical providers, venture firms and other strategic industry players.
Associate Director
2013 - 2016
Formulated and implemented clinical portfolio to develop innovative products, contributing to BD Biosciences’ #1 global cellomics leadership position. With team effort, our business grew into an $1billion unit. With team effort, I was able to navigate through various challenges and made some exciting achivements. These included: - Speedy market penetration and international adoption of the new IVD systems. - Successfully developed relationships with Key Oncology and Infectious Disease Opinion Leaders and patient advocates to identify unmet needs and technology trends for new product opportunities. Our team established key alliances for new products to drive revenue and margin. - Drove 3 clinical product development programs from incubation to product launch. - Successfully created new oncology and infectious disease IVD franchises. - Successfully expanded BD oncology and infectious disease with 2 and 4 new franchises
Group R&D Manager
2006 - 2012
Functioned primarily as oncology and infectious disease R&D leader and occasional program manager to plan and implement product development efforts in adherence to ISO13485 design control methodology for new product mixes to expand into new market segments.
Senior Scientist
2006 - 2006
Utilized my deep IVD system knowledge to expand and protect Bio-Rad’s global IVD External Quality Assurance and Proficiency Testing leading position with renewed quality and usability focus in adherence to ISO17511.
Staff Development Scientist
2003 - 2006
I joined Beckman Coulter as Senior Scientist and was promoted to Staff Scientist in 2003. I applied new life science technologies into new and existing IVD diagnostics systems R&D to expand Beckman Coulter into the new molecular diagnostics space, while protecting the core clinical chemistry market position. I was very fortunate to gain invaluable insight into design control product manufacturability, product commercialization, and product troubleshooting competency. With my team, I built the molecular diagnostic prototype with initial business case that utilized company’s intellectual and expertize portfolio to compete in the new market space with stepwise implementation strategy.
Senior Development Scientist
2000 - 2003
Applied my scientific expertise in different teams to R&D new automation, genomic, and proteomic systems to expand Beckman Coulter’s product offerings in the life science, pharmaceutical, and molecular diagnostics market place. Gained critical industry experience in strategic visioning, business analysis, technology assessment, product R&D, product manufacturability, product commercialization, six-sigma, and DMAIC troubleshooting with my first industry role.