Anna Lisa Somera MS, MBA, MPH brings over two decades of diverse experience in start-ups across biomedical research, venture capital, technology transfer, operations, regulatory affairs, quality, grant consulting, and management. She has successfully navigated teams through clinical trial launches, FDA approvals, quality certifications, and financing, securing over $70M for start-ups. As CEO of Rhaeos, Inc., she was the first employee and expanded the team to 20 members. Rhaeos, a VC-backed clinical stage medical device company, specializes in wearable flow monitoring devices originating from the John Rogers Lab at Northwestern University. Their flagship product, FlowSense, is a noninvasive device for detecting cerebrospinal fluid in shunted hydrocephalus patients.

Ms. Somera made history as the first female winner of MedTech Innovator, surpassing over 1000 global competitors. She has mentored at institutions including Argonne National Labs, the University of Chicago, MATTER Chicago, mHUB, Northwestern University, and the FAST Center. Serving as Principal Investigator on NIH and NSF grants, she led the Rhaeos team to receive perfect score on an SBIR Phase IIB grant. Ms. Somera also contributes as a board member of Women in Bio, Chicago, showcasing her commitment to elevating women in the life sciences.