Advanced Surgery

Briteseed is a forward-thinking company committed to making minimally invasive surgery safer and more efficient. Our team is developing Briteseed Smart Tools, the next generation of laparoscopic and robotic surgical tools that provide real-time detection and visualization of hidden blood vessels, ureters, and other sensitive structures using advanced optics and artificial intelligence.

Our Team

Jonathan Gunn

JD, PhD

CEO

Jonathan earned Doctoral degrees in Biomaterials Engineering and Nanotechnology from the University of Washington and a JD from Northwestern Law (cum laude). His training in intellectual property law coupled with a decade of experience in the biomedical engineering field provides the Briteseed team with unique expert insights into our legal and patent strategies. Jonathan has published over 15 peer-reviewed articles in the biomedical engineering field and earned his B.S. in Biomedical Engineering from the University of California, San Diego.

Anna Lisa brings over a decade of serial start-up experience to Briteseed as a former venture capitalist, technology transfer specialist, biomedical researcher, and medical device consultant. She has held senior management positions in multiple start-ups and also played pivotal roles in securing significant dilutive and non-dilutive funding for several ventures. She currently leads the quality and regulatory activities for Briteseed.

Anna Lisa Somera

MS, MBA, MPH

VP of Quality and Regulatory Affairs

Hariharan Subramanian

PhD

VP of Research and Development

Hariharan received his PhD in Biomedical Engineering from Northwestern University where he currently serves as a Research Professor. His work has led to significant advancements in the fields of optical sensing systems and modern optical microscopy, which in turn played a crucial role in the development of SafeSnips. Hariharan received his Master's in Biomedical Engineering from Texas A&M University and has authored over 15 peer-reviewed articles.

Shetha Shukair

PhD

Lead Research Scientist

Shetha received her doctorate in Life and Medical Sciences from Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine. She oversees Briteseed’s preclinical testing utilizing her expertise in translational research and engages with practicing surgeons to ensure that the engineering and design of each of Briteseed's devices incorporate direct user feedback.

A.J. leads electrical engineering design and development. With electrical design , systems analysis and testing experience at Northrup Grumman and Kranze Technology Soutions, A.J. brings industry experience include PCB and electrical system design, programming language implementation, and performance analysis. A.J. earned his Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from Bradley University and his Master of Science in Electrical Engineering from the Illinois Institute of Technology.

Alexander J. (AJ) Czubak

MS

Lead Electrical Engineer

As the Lead Signal Processing Engineer, Akshay applies his considerable experience in signal processing and machine learning towards developing Briteseed's Smart Tool Platform. He is committed to making surgeries safer by implementing new signal processing and machine learning techniques to optimize the tissue differentiation and localization capabilities of the system. He holds a MS in Electrical Engineering from the University of South Florida.

Akshay Vadali

MS

Lead Signal Processing Engineer

Alex Holterman

Grants and Operations Lead

Alex manages Briteseed grant support, coordinates efforts to meet R&D and business milestones, and investigates new clinical opportunities. He provides several years of experience working for medical device startups in hardware design and development, establishing clinical partnerships, regulatory considerations, and quality management systems. He earned his BS in Biomedical Engineering from Northwestern University.

Jacob helps manage the pre-clinical experimentation and analysis of Briteseed's tool development. Additionally, he provides support for the development of machine learning networks, assists in the designing of prototypes, and interfaces with surgeons. Jacob earned both his BS and MS in Biomedical Engineering at Northwestern University.