Cliff Wright
Founder & Chairman, Board of Directors
Cliff Wright is the Founder of Octet and the inventor of OMEA. Mr. Wright is an accomplished entrepreneur with over 96 patents published, 84 patents granted, and 30 patents pending. He has been published in the Journal of Medicine for the first design of a medical transport delivery system published in the journal of pulmonary medicine for the heated filtration system extracorporeal membrane oxygenation.
Mr. Wright is the founder and chief technical officer of Victory Innovations where he had created the world’s first cordless electrostatic sprayers which has been commercialized into 50 states and 40 countries. Mr. Wright has served on several medical device boards where he has used is experience in manufacturing and engineering to increase shareholder value.
Mr. Wright earned a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from Arizona State University.
Bud Brainerd
Chief Executive Officer
Gusten R. (Bud) Brainerd has over thirty years of successful experience as a leader of leaders in both corporate and non-profit arenas. In addition to having served and chaired numerous boards his work has included serving as founder and CEO of two technology companies, coaching senior level executives in small and mid-sized privately held companies, and consulting for rapid growth companies.
Mr. Brainerd earned his BA from McKendree University, his M.Div. and D.Min. from Columbia Theological Seminary writing his dissertation on W. Edward Deming’s management theory. He is certified by the Center for Executive Coaching as an Executive Coach and as a Gallup Coach.
RJ Valentine
As an entrepreneur, Mr. Valentine has been responsible for more than 35 years of business growth. As founder and president of The MBA Group of Companies, he has nurtured start-ups and small enterprises by providing strategic vision, marketing innovation, operational expertise and financial acumen that have enabled these businesses to become leaders in their diverse fields.
As a race car driver, he has been a major player on the competitive racing scene for four decades and continues to be a force on the track.
David Willms, MD
David Willms, MD FCCP FCCM is a graduate of Baylor College of Medicine, and completed his fellowship in Pulmonary & Critical Care Medicine at the University of California, San Diego. Dr Willms is currently co-director of the Critical Care Service, and director of ECMO, at Sharp Memorial Hospital in San Diego, California.
Dr. Willms is board-certified in Internal Medicine, Pulmonary Medicine, and Critical Care Medicine, and is a member of numerous professional societies. He has served on the editorial boards of ASAIO Journal, Respiratory Care, and World Journal of Critical Care. Dr. Willms’ research and publication interests have focused on respiratory failure, acute respiratory distress syndrome, sepsis, heliox therapy, mechanical ventilation, and extracorporeal life support. He has served as a consultant to, or board member of several medical device companies over the past 30 years. He has spoken nationally and internationally on various critical care topics.
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Brian Berning
Brian Berning brings 20+ years of strategic leadership to Octet Medical. He is employed by Corza Health, where he leverages his expertise in M&A, finance, operations, investor relations, corporate governance, risk management, and compliance to partner with management teams to accelerate growth and create significant value.
Brian most recently served as the CFO at GreatCall, the leading provider of connected health solutions for seniors. He successfully guided the company through its acquisition by GTCR in 2017 and ultimate sale to Best Buy a year later for $800 million.
Previously, as CFO at Human Longevity, a genomics and cellular therapy company, Berning helped the founders raise over $300 million and establish global operations.
Berning also served as SVP of Finance at LPL Financial, where he was the executive sponsor to the board for all operating efficiency initiatives and helped guide the company to a successful IPO. Brian began his career with Ernst & Young, LLP where he earned his CPA.
Brian holds a Bachelor’s in Business Administration from San Diego State University and a Master’s in Accounting from the University of Southern California.