Openwater started with a question: what could medicine look like if it were built on the same chip lines making consumer electronics?
The answer took ten years to find. Hundreds of prototypes. Phantom tissue, animals, then people. Clinical trials at major research hospitals. $100M raised. A published evidence base.
What we've built is a platform — not a device. Two modalities, open source, designed to run as a network. Every unit deployed learns from every other. Every trial adds to a shared dataset no single institution could build alone.
We are a small team. We move fast, publish our work, and give away our designs. We think the fastest path to curing disease at scale is openness — in hardware, in software, in data.
Where we are
Devices in clinical use at universities, hospitals, and government research programs across the Globe. Volume manufacturing underway. A pipeline of trials spanning cancer, neurological disease, mental health, metabolic conditions, and long COVID.
Where we're going
A single low-cost platform capable of treating hundreds of diseases — at the size and cost of a smartphone. That is the goal. We intend to get there.
San Francisco, CA. Founded 2016.
Meet Our Team
Aaron Timm
Chief Executive Officer
Board Director
Aaron has held executive leadership roles at digital health, medical device, and medical imaging companies. He has led all aspects of commercial strategy, corporate development, and business operations to scale start-ups into high-growth, multinational companies. Aaron has extensive experience navigating regulatory compliance, patent law, and product-scale supply chain. In addition to chief executive roles at Synarc and WorldCare Clinical, Aaron has served as general counsel of both private and publicly-traded companies. Aaron earned degrees from Georgetown University and Harvard Law School and is a member of the State Bar of California.
Soren has decades of experience in optical imaging and algorithm development for both life science and semiconductor applications. Formerly he held top architect positions at Perkin Elmer and KLA; earned his Ph.D in physics and astronomy from UPenn and won George Hewitt Foundation Fellowship for a breakthrough architectures at Beckman Laser Institute.
Dr. Davinder Ramsingh
Chief Medical Officer
Davinder (“Dave”) is a cardiac anesthesiologist trained at UCLA with 20 years of experience in ultrasound and sensor-based technologies for hemodynamic, neurologic, and physiologic monitoring. A widely published author and international speaker, Dr. Ramsingh has received multiple awards for teaching and research innovation and has led clinical care and research across academic medical centers while holding leadership roles in medical societies. Before Openwater, he led clinical and medical affairs teams at leading ultrasound and critical-care monitoring companies. His mission is to advance precision monitoring and therapy so they are simple, affordable, and widely available through high-fidelity noninvasive technologies.
Mark Watson
Managing Director of Taiwan & VP of Manufacturing and Supply Chain
Mark has held leadership positions at some of the world's top consumer brands, including Microsoft, Fitbit, quip, and Coca-Cola. He has enjoyed a lengthy career launching consumer electronics and medical devices, while building and scaling high-performing product development, manufacturing and supply chain operations organizations. Mark has an extensive background in hardware development, sourcing, manufacturing, quality control, distribution, and fulfillment. Based in Taiwan, he has spent over 10 years of his career based in Asia working closely with component and contract manufacturing services suppliers.
Victoria Swanson
Chief of Staff
Victoria Swanson has over 20 years of leadership experience in organizational development, operations, and strategic initiatives across healthcare technology and clinical research. She drives cross-functional alignment, supports advanced healthcare technologies, and has a proven track record in successfully commercializing innovative medtech solutions.
Scott Smith
VP of Community Development
Scott has held leadership positions at many neurotechnology companies, including Neuroscan, Compumedics, EmSense, Neuralynx, and Diagnostic Biochips. Scott was part of the team who brought the first commercial 128 channel amplifier to market (Neuroscan Synamp), and the first FDA approved 512 channel system for recording from microelectrodes in humans (Neuralynx ATLAS). He has extensive expertise in equipping pre-clinical research studies, including human single-neuron studies. Scott is passionate about enabling research by scientists and clinicians at many of the world’s leading academic facilities.
Aaron has spent his career helping novel healthcare technologies navigate from early promise to real-world impact. He has led market development, commercial strategy, and global partnerships at both startups and growth-stage companies. Prior to Openwater, Aaron held leadership roles at Insightec and Brainlab, where he helped bring first-of-their-kind technologies into institutions worldwide. He is passionate about enabling disruptive medical devices to reach those who need them most. Aaron holds a B.S. from the University of Illinois and an M.S. in Biomedical Engineering from Boston University.
David J. Paribello
Director of Product Management
David is an entrepreneurial leader and has been working with startups and commercializing innovative technologies since 2008. He has played foundational roles in developing and driving adoption of imaging and medical device platforms used to help screen, diagnose, and treat various cancers. In David's previous role with Promaxo, he launched the world’s first single-sided MRI used to guide targeted interventions in an office setting and grew their sales to more than $115M in 3 years. David has a deep background in medical imaging and electromechanical systems and holds a bachelor's degree in engineering physics from McMaster University and a master’s degree in electrical and computer engineering from the University of Western Ontario.
Daniel brings a distinctive blend of open-source platform expertise and medical device innovation to Openwater. At Canon Medical, he built cloud-native AI analytics platforms that process data from over 2 million patients, architecting seamless healthcare data orchestration across AWS and Azure environments. Previously at SUSE, he drove enterprise Linux platform strategy, working with the SUSE Factory codebase and leading open-source community engagement while establishing strategic partnerships with Dell, Cisco, and Intel. This unique intersection of open-source ecosystem development and medical imaging infrastructure positions him to transform medical device innovation through open-source methodologies. Daniel holds an MBA from Houston Baptist University, a Master of Computer Science from DePaul University, and a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from Purdue University. He is also the founder and author of The Product Manager's Journal, a leading publication on platform engineering and cloud-native product development.
Previously developed Cerenkov radiation and autofluorescence lifetime imaging for medical applications in the brain. Extensive experience translating biomedical optics technologies from in vitro studies, to small animal models, to implementation in the clinical setting. Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering Univ of California Davis, B.S. in Physics Univ of Wisconsin La Crosse.
Peter Herzlinger
Director of Optical & Mechanical Engineering
With over 30 years of experience, Peter has developed and manufactured innovative optical products across various industries, including scientific sensors, telecom hardware, medical lasers, cell phone cameras, 3D facial recognition security, and surgical robots. His career includes significant roles at Auris Health, J&J, and Intuitive Surgical, as well as contributions to seven startups. He holds 46 patents. He earned an MS in Optical Physics from the University of Texas at Dallas and a BSME from Rutgers University
Peter has worked in ultrasound research and development since 2009. After completing his doctorate in biomedical engineering at Duke University, he has worked across a range of disciplines within the ultrasound field, from developing cutting-edge imaging modalities to push the performance of top-of-the-line radiological systems to new heights to designing and building low-cost, point-of-care ultrasound systems from the ground up. Prior to joining OpenWater, Peter founded and grew MicroElastic Ultrasound Systems, a startup that developed novel ultrasound diagnostic devices for dermatologists and researchers. His expertise includes multidimensional signal processing and system design, grant writing and medical device commercialization, and he has taken multiple technologies from conception through proof-of-concept and into numerous pre-clinical and clinical studies with academic and commercial partners.
Ray Chiu
Director of Supply Chain and NPI
Ray has more than 17 years of Opto-electronics, MedTech, Semiconductor, Healthcare, Energy projects Supply Chain management and contract manufacturing management experience, managing products from PoC to MP, agility and managing project scope between engineering, Supply Chain, Quality, Manufacturing teams, Highly skilled in global sourcing, inventory management, program management, strategic planning and sourcing, cross-functional team leadership, material planning, and leveraging data and analytics to propel results.
Over 30 years of developing and manufacturing a variety of products for the medical, DoD, industrial, semiconductor and consumer from initial concept through full production. Prior to joining OpenWater, Henry had worked on single transducer ultrasound as well as phased array transducer ultrasound. He has been involved in development of camera sensor products for ddpDCR (Droplet Digital PCR). He has several decades of experiences in the architecture planning, products, ASIC, FPGA, DSP and embedded system board development. Henry has an MS in Electrical Engineering concentrated in VLSI and a BS in Electrical Engineering.
George Vigelette
Principal Software Engineer
George Vigelette has more than 25 years of experience in IT product development for some of the largest companies in the world. His expertise includes Enterprise Architecture, Computer Vision, IoT, Embedded, Mobile, and Autonomous platforms. He has served in engineering management, including leading an advanced concepts R&D team at EDS an HP Company in Silicon Valley. He sat on the Software Architecture Review team for the Microsoft Azure platform and was the Enterprise Architect for Xerox’s Mobile Print cloud platform. George is a Navy veteran, having served as a Nuclear Reactor Operator aboard the Research Vessel NR-1. He holds a B.S. in computer science with specialization in augmented reality, and is the author of multiple U.S. Patents.
Marissa Dhillon
Head of Human Resources & Office Manager
A graduate of UCLA, Marissa has over 20 years of experience in human resources and operations management. She has overseen a wide variety of functions in her career ranging from vendor and contract management to inventory control, payroll and accounting. A skilled events planner with a keen eye for process improvement, she also developed and managed business continuity planning for a global financial services company for several years. In addition to corporate experience, Marissa also owned and operated her own business in San Francisco from 2005-2020.
Yinan (Max) Sun
Senior Mechanical Engineer
Max is a mechanical engineer specializing in medical devices, robotics, and consumer electronics. He has extensive experience in both prototyping and mass production, contributing to the development of quadruped robots, MRI systems, drones, and camera modules. With three years of startup experience, Max excels at rapidly transitioning prototypes into high-volume manufacturing. He earned his degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley (UCB).
Tiffany Chan
Senior Electrical Engineer
Tiffany is an electrical engineer with a passion for rapid prototyping, specializing in wearable technology. She brings several years of experience from startups in a range of industries, from robotics to medical devices. She holds a BS in Electrical Engineering and an MS in Microsystems, Materials, and Devices from Northeastern University.
Seemal Tahir
Ultrasound Engineer
Seemal is an R&D Ultrasound Engineer with a background of mechanical design, sensor development, and device testing. She is a recent graduate from the University of California, Irvine with a B.S. in Biomedical Engineering.
Dr. Muhammad Zubair
Principal Ultrasound Engineer
Muhammad has extensive experience in therapeutic ultrasound research and development, spanning device design and treatment delivery. He leads transducer and system development and builds model-informed dosing and characterization workflows—linking simulation to measurement to enable reliable, repeatable therapy delivery. His work spans ultrasound image guidance, acoustic output calibration, exposure planning, and verification documentation that supports controlled human research and translational readiness. Muhammad earned his PhD in Bioengineering from Imperial College London and completed postdoctoral research at UCSF and Stanford, and has supported startups from concept through proof of concept. He developed and demonstrated dual-mode operation using random phased-array transducers and contributed to miniaturized endoluminal ultrasound catheter development with enhanced efficiency for targeted oncology applications.
Christopher Bush
Senior Staff Quality Engineer
M. Christopher Bush has decades of experience as a Quality & Reliability Engineer in Medical, Commercial, and Consumer products. Christopher has a proven track record developing innovative, high-quality, reliable products at leading technology companies in the San Francisco Bay Area and is excited to be successfully applying his expertise at Openwater.
Ethan Head
Staff Software Engineer
Ethan is a software engineer with a history at fast-paced startups and aerospace companies. He’s shipped code powering public transit systems, space exploration technologies, wearables, and advanced ultrasound devices. Prior to working at Openwater he studied Electrical Engineering with a focus on embedded software and signal processing.
Dr. Reza Rasouli
Staff Research Scientist
Reza has over 10 years of experience in designing and implementing microfluidics and lab-on-chip systems, with an extensive research background in the integration of microfluidics and acoustic setups (acoustofluidics) to investigate the interaction of acoustic waves with biological samples. Prior to joining Openwater, Reza was a postdoctoral scholar at Stanford University, where he designed and developed high-throughput microfluidic systems for image-activated cell detection and sorting using convolutional neural networks (CNN). He received his Ph.D. in Biological & Biomedical Engineering from McGill University, where he focused on pioneering work in acoustofluidics, particularly for regenerative medicine and therapeutic delivery.
Mykhaylo Danikhno
Staff Hardware Engineer
Mykhaylo has over 20 years of experience in hardware and software engineering, with a specialization in the design of parts and mechanisms, as well as the calculation of structures and devices. He has previously worked at a Scientific Research and Design Institute and hold a Master's Degree in Mechanical Engineering.
Alex Kagan
Embedded Software Engineer
Alex is an embedded software engineer focused on bridging hardware and software to create practical, real-world solutions. With previous experience in a startup environment, he thrives in multidisciplinary roles that span from overall system design to hands-on implementation. His technical foundation includes everything from low-level circuit design and microcontroller programming to robotics and high-level software engineering. An advocate for open-source technology, Alex is committed to advancing Openwater’s mission of making its innovative medical products widely accessible. He holds a degree in Computer Engineering from the University of California, Santa Cruz.
Howard Yin
Project Manager
Howard is an experienced Project and Program Manager with an MBA from the University of San Francisco. He has managed a wide range of medical technology products, including surgical devices, AEDs, patient monitoring PCs, and laparoscopic systems.
Throughout his career, Howard has led cross-functional teams to successfully launch new products, drive value engineering improvements, and oversee end-to-end product life cycle management.
Varun Tej Pennam
Senior Software Test Engineer
Varun Tej Pennam is a Senior Software Test Engineer with over 8 years of experience in software quality, verification, and validation. He has led software verification efforts across the full product lifecycle and has worked on complex, safety-critical systems in areas such as Imaging, Infusion Systems, and Surgical technologies, Collaborating closely with R&D, Systems, and Regulatory teams. At Openwater, Varun is excited to contribute his expertise in Software Testing and Quality Engineering to help deliver innovative, reliable, and safe medical technologies that improve patient care.
Lawrence is a Sales Representative with global, cross-industry experience. His background spans social media marketing, customer support, brand ambassadorship, market research, and full-cycle sales across both U.S. and European markets. He holds an MSc in Marketing from the UCD Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School in Dublin, Ireland, and a BS in International Business from San Francisco State University.
Dr. Mary Lou Jepsen
EXECUTIVE CHAIRMAN
Founded Openwater in 2016 and led it as CEO and Chairman for nine years — taking it from concept to clinical trials, open-source hardware, and poised for volume manufacturing. In 2025 she moved to Executive Chairman. Previously she co-founded One Laptop per Child and architected the $100 laptop; led hardware moonshots at Google; drove engineering on Oculus Quest 2 at Facebook/Meta, now one of the best-selling VR devices ever made. She holds ~300 patents, has a doctorate in Optical Physics from Brown, and was named to TIME's 100 Most Influential People.
Jeff Huber
Board Director
Jeff is a legendary engineering senior vice president and business leader who pioneered work at Google over his tenure of 13 years. He was the founding CEO of GRAIL. He holds a BS in CS from the University of Illinois, and is a board member of EA, Upstart, Genalyte, and Mammoth Biosciences.
Juan Enriquez
Board Director
Juan is the managing director of Excel Venture Management. He is a business leader, author, and academic recognized as one of the world's leading authorities on the economic and political impacts of life sciences. His has written several bestselling books examining our future including As the future catches you and Evolving Ourselves. He earned his BA and MBA from Harvard.
Prof. Theodor Haensch
Scientific Advisory Board
Professor Haensch won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2005 for his work on comb lasers and precision spectroscopy. He is the director of Max Planck Institute for Quantum Optics and a theoretical physics professor at Ludwig-Maximilians University in Munich.
