Miami, FL- H.I.G. Ventures, the venture capital affiliate of H.I.G. Capital, announced today the addition of Michael Gutch, Ph.D. to its life sciences investment team.  Michael will work with H.I.G. Managing Directors Aaron Davidson and Bruce Robertson in all stages of the investment process, concentrating on biopharmaceuticals and medical device opportunities.

“We’re extremely pleased to welcome Mike to our team,” said Mr. Davidson. “His background complements our investment strategy and his expertise and experience will be a great asset to H.I.G. as well as our life sciences portfolio companies.”

Prior to joining H.I.G., Dr. Gutch was a Principal with Lilly Ventures, the corporate venture capital group of the global pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly and Company in Indianapolis, where he focused on early-stage investments in biopharmaceutical companies.  He was involved with all phases of the investment process including deal sourcing, leading due diligence, transaction execution, and portfolio company management. He previously served as a board director for Protagonist Therapeutics and board observer of Hydra Biosciences and Calistoga Pharmaceuticals.  Dr. Gutch was also a Manager in the Corporate Finance and Investment Banking group of Eli Lilly where he focused on mergers and acquisitions and licensing transactions.

Prior to Eli Lilly, Dr. Gutch spent time with Genentech and Spring Mill Venture Partners.

Dr. Gutch earned his Ph.D. in Cellular and Molecular Pathology from the State University of New York and was a post-doctoral research fellow at both the University of California San Francisco and the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratories.  He earned his MBA in finance from Indiana University.

http://www.higventures.com/newsandevents/article.aspx?r=index.aspx&a=842