Steve brings 30 years of commercial healthcare technology expertise in the areas of strategy, business development, and product management to HLM. Steve has spent his career helping to develop and manage some of the most important themes in healthcare innovation and investment today, including artificial intelligence, diagnostic imaging/medical devices, electronic health records, population health, managed care, and value-based pharmaceutical pricing.

Currently, Steve is a director at b.well Connected Health and PatientPop and a board observer at mPulse Mobile, Nordic Consulting, and Vaxcare. He has previously served as a director at LetsGetChecked.

Prior to joining HLM, Steve was global Vice President of Strategy at IBM Watson Health. Previously, he was Chief Strategy Officer at Merge Healthcare (acquired by IBM for $1B in 2015). Steve led the effort to move Merge Healthcare into the AI space and played a key role in the successful sale to IBM. As part of the Merge/Watson Health leadership team, Steve worked on over $2 billion of strategic M&A deal opportunities. Other notable previous roles include Senior Vice President/General Manager at Optum, Vice President of Product Management at Allscripts, and Director of Product Management at Pfizer.

Chris Haddon is one of the Co-Founders of Hard Money Bankers and handles investor relations and oversees the loan portfolio. Chris designed the loan servicing and accounting operations of HMB which allow the company to manage a $45mm loan portfolio in a very efficient manner with minimal staff and overhead.

Chris Haddon began his career in real estate finance with a large commercial bank where he learned the business of lending, real estate, personal and commercial finance. This base of knowledge combined with his entrepreneurial spirit and extensive business connections led him to found a real estate investment firm prior to starting Hard Money Bankers, LLC with his partners.

Chris is also an avid growth marketer and his efforts over the years have allowed HMB to be recognized as one of the dominant private lending companies in the MidAtlantic Region.

Jen Carroll is a 25-year communications veteran of small and large tech and biotech companies and has excelled at crafting and executing strategic C-suite, employee, investor relations, public relations, marketing, and financial communications. Jen actively consults for a number of start-up life sciences companies.

Jen served as Director, Global Public Relations at Illumina (NASDAQ: ILMN) for four years, and as its Director of Population Genomics until 2021. During this time of extraordinary company growth from $2.4B to $4.5B+, Jen led the media relations team across the breadth of the business. In this role, she crafted and delivered strategic, executive communications programs on behalf of multiple C-suite members. Jen served in a similar role as Director, Corporate Communications at PacBio (NASDAQ: PACB) in 2021.

Jen recently launched her own management consulting firm, Yellow Picnic Table, focused on energizing innovators, teams, and emerging leaders and companies. As a valued strategic partner, she engages directly with C-Suite professionals of pre-IPO companies to build and deliver world-class, tactical communications strategies that ultimately help drive growth, achieve business objectives and milestones, advance corporate culture and trust, enhance brand awareness, and excite employee engagement through memorable stories that inspire. Jen and her client partners want patients to benefit as quickly as possible from their innovative scientific advancements.

Jen holds a degree in Communications and French Studies from Saint Mary’s College in Notre Dame, IN.

Ryan Flinn has been a professional storyteller for the past two decades, both as a journalist and communications expert. In his current role as Head of Communications at National Resilience, Inc. (Resilience), a fast-growing, technology-focused biomanufacturing company, Ryan leads media strategy, corporate communications, social media and internal communications.

Ryan spent the first half of his career as a journalist, writing for the New York Times, the San Francisco Chronicle, BusinessWeek and Bloomberg News, where he covered technology, biotech and wine for seven years.

After leaving journalism, he advised companies on media strategy and storytelling at Real Chemistry (when it was W2O Group) for three years, before joining Johnson & Johnson Innovation, where he helped scientists, entrepreneurs, dealmakers and start-ups communicate and share their passion and projects to improve healthcare.

Dr. Alain Baron is a highly experienced biotech executive, entrepreneur, drug hunter/developer, and physician-scientist. He co-founded Escient Pharmaceuticals and served as its President and CEO from May of 2018 to December 2021. In 2010, Dr. Baron co-founded Elcelyx Therapeutics where he served as President and Chief Executive Officer and negotiated an out-licensing agreement for its lead asset MetDR for the treatment of type 2 diabetes currently in global phase 3 development.

Dr. Baron was a Venture Partner at Lightstone Ventures until 2016 and previously held the role of Entrepreneur-in-Residence at its predecessor firm, Morgenthaler Ventures beginning in 2008. Previously, Dr. Baron was a member of the Executive team and Senior Vice President of Research at Amylin Pharmaceuticals where he led in Research and Early Clinical Development over 8 years. He was instrumental in advancing translational and early clinical programs that have culminated in four successful endocrinology products (Byetta®, Bydureon®, Symlin® and Myalept®).

Prior to joining industry, Dr. Baron had a successful academic career, most recently at Indiana University School of Medicine in Indianapolis, where he served as Professor of Medicine and Director, Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism. He has also held faculty positions in the Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism at University of California, San Diego, and the Veterans Administration Medical Center in San Diego. He is the recipient of several prestigious awards for his research in diabetes and vascular disease, including the 1996 Outstanding Clinical Investigator Award from the American Federation for Medical Research and is a Member, American Society for Clinical Investigation, and the Association of American Physicians. He is also a past National Institutes of Health MERIT award recipient. He has authored over 120 peer-reviewed publications and has been an inventor on over 40 patents.

In 1999, Friedmann became Senior Vice President, Marketing Services, overseeing all Kraft Foods marketing-related functions and corporate marketing programs. He was named Executive Vice President for Mexico & Puerto Rico in 2001, based in Mexico City. Two years later Lance became Group Vice President, Canada, Mexico, Puerto Rico and Health & Wellness, and returned to Chicago.

In 2004, Friedmann assumed responsibility for leading Kraft’s global health & wellness and sustainability initiatives as they became corporate priorities. In 2007 he joined the Kraft International Leadership Team as Senior Vice President, Marketing, and in January 2011, he was appointed Senior Vice President, Global Powdered Beverages. Two years later, following the company’s split into Kraft Foods and Mondelez International, Friedmann was named Senior Vice President, Global Biscuits, Mondelez’s largest category.

In late 2013 Lance became Interim President, Mondelez China, based in Shanghai. He returned to Chicago in July 2014, where he led development of the China Strategic Plan and key organization design initiatives. Friedmann retired from Mondelez International in April 2015.

Concurrent with his retirement, Friedmann pursued his passions for architecture and social justice. He became a Docent for the Chicago Architecture Center, where he now co-directs CAC’s world-famous River Cruise. He also is actively involved with the Jewish Council on Urban Affairs, an organization dedicated to transforming Chicago into a city free of poverty, racism and anti-semitism.

In February 2020, Lance became an Independent Director of Aurora Cannabis, a leading Canadian cannabis producer headquartered in Edmonton, Alberta. He is chairperson of the Science & Innovation Committee and serves on Aurora’s Audit Committee.

Lance lives in Chicago with his wife Sari Gluckin, an innovation consultant and adjunct professor at Illinois Institute of Technology. He is an avid cyclist and, together with Sari, a passionate adventure traveler. They have two adult children, Ava and Max, who both live in New York City.