Robert F. Hemphill, Jr., Managing Director, Co-Founder

Mr. Hemphill has more than 5 years' experience in seed and early stage venture capital investing, and over 20 years' experience in corporate operations, including two successful IPOs, and dozens of project and corporate financings, both domestic and international. He was a co-founder of AES, and senior manager there for over 10 years. AES is a global energy company, launched in 1982 with $1 million of venture capital funding, which today has over 30,000 employees and more than $8 billion in annual sales. Prior to AES, Mr. Hemphill was a Deputy Assistant Secretary in the US Department of Energy, and Deputy Manager of Power at the Tennessee Valley Authority.

Mr. Hemphill is currently on the board of directors of Reactive Nanotechnologies and Serviceware.

Mr. Hemphill earned an MBA from George Washington University with a specialization in finance. He also earned a MA in political science from UCLA. Mr. Hemphill graduated magna cum laude and with highest honors from Yale University, with a BA in political science, and selection to Phi Beta Kappa.

Linda Powers, Managing Director, Co-Founder

Ms. Powers has more than 6 years' experience in seed and early stage venture capital investing, and over 15 years' experience in corporate finance and restructurings, M&A, joint ventures and IP licensing. Ms. Powers has been appointed to 3 Governors' commissions created to determine how to build the respective states' biotech and other high tech industries. She also served on the investment board of Maryland's state-run seed and early stage VC fund. Ms. Powers co-teaches a course on entrepreneurship for scientists at NIH, and taught for 8 years as an adjunct professor at Georgetown Law School.

Ms. Powers serves on the steering committee of the National Academy of Sciences evaluating Federal grant programs, and on the Advisory Board of US Department of Commerce NIST Advanced Technology Program. Ms. Powers also serves on the boards of directors of 6 biotech companies.

Ms. Powers holds a BA (Woodrow Wilson School/Economics) from Princeton University, where she graduated magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa. She also earned a JD degree, magna cum laude, from Harvard Law School.

Phillip A. Singerman, Ph.D., Venture Partner

Before joining Toucan Capital in January 2006, Dr. Singerman served as the founding Executive Director of the Maryland Technology Development Corporation (TEDCO), a State-sponsored technology transfer and commercialization agency. During his six-year tenure, TEDCO garnered a national reputation for successfully investing public funds in technology start-ups. Singerman, who has thirty years of experience in technology commercialization and economic development, also served as U.S. Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development in the Clinton Administration, and as President/CEO of the Ben Franklin Technology Center of Southeastern Pennsylvania. He spent two years as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Colombia, South America.

Singerman has served on numerous technology commercialization and economic development boards and commissions. Current appointments include East Baltimore Development, Inc. (Johns Hopkins University) and Chairman of East Baltimore Incubator, Inc.; the State Science and Technology Institute; the Tech Council of Maryland; the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Advisory Committee on Strengthening America’s Communities Initiative; and Chair of the Policy and Issues Committee of the International Economic Development Council.

Dr. Singerman holds a B.A. from Oberlin College and a Masters and Ph.D. from Yale University.

Peter Lu, MD, PhD, MBA, General Manager, Greater China

Dr. Lu focuses on the healthcare/ life science industry both domestically and internationally at Toucan Capital. He has nearly 20 years of experience in the healthcare/life science field and is overseeing Toucan activities in Greater China area. Dr. Lu is currently a Board Observer of Vital Therapies Inc. (VTI) and overseeing MedRelief Inc. clinical trial and commercialization in China. Prior to joining Toucan, Dr. Lu held a faculty position at Yale School of Medicine and focused on research in cancer and cardiovascular disease. He also spent time working with Lotus Capital Management and J&J pharmaceuticals. Before coming to Yale, Dr. Lu was a practicing cardiologist in Beijing, China. He advised a number of biotech start-ups and healthcare service companies.

Dr. Lu obtained his fellowship training in cardiology and PhD in Beijing University First Hospital. Dr. Lu holds an MBA from Yale School of Management and received his MD from Qingdao University School of Medicine.

Abner M. Mhashilkar, Ph.D., Senior Associate

Dr. Mhashilkar focuses on the Stem Cell industry and other biotechnology industries at Toucan Capital. He has over 20 years of Medical Research and Development experience with emphasis on Regenerative Medicine, including Stem Cell Banking and its Clinical applications, Gene therapy using viral and non-viral vectors, and Engineered-Antibody therapeutics. Prior to joining Toucan, Dr. Mhashilkar held a Group Leader position at Athersys Inc., and was engaged in their research programs in cardiovascular disease, process development and manufacturing of bone marrow derived adult stem cells. Before coming to Athersys, Dr. Mhashilkar worked in capacities of Scientific Director, Consultant and Research Manager in different Biotechnology companies.

Dr. Mhashilkar received his M.Sc. from Bombay University, India, and trained there as Mycologist and Medical Microbiologist. He obtained his second M.Sc. in Biochemistry/Life Sciences from Weizmann Institute of Sciences, Rehovot, Israel followed by his Ph.D. in Biochemistry/Molecular Biology from University of Waterloo, Canada. Dr. Mhashilkar received post-doctoral training in Antibody Engineering, HIV and Retroviral vectors at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute/Harvard Medical School, Boston.

Christian Walker, MBA, MS, MA, MEd, Associate

Mr.. Walker focuses on the cellular therapy and regenerative medicine industries at Toucan capital. He most recently served as Director of Business Development at Hypromatrix Inc. a leader in protein arrays. Mr. Walker has also served as President and Founder of Evacyte Corporation, an early-stage cancer detection company that won the 2001 KPMG Start-up Stand-Out award in Austin, TX where it licensed patented Optical Stretching technology from the University of Texas at Austin.

Mr. Walker received his MBA from the Isenberg School of Management at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and a Masters of Science in Biomedical Engineering and Biotechnology from the University of Massachusetts Medical School. He also holds a Masters of Arts in Molecular and Cellular Biology from the University of Texas at Austin and a Masters in Science Education from the University of Massachusetts at Boston.

Sabrina Xu, MS, MBA, Associate

Ms. Xu focuses on the healthcare / life science activities in China at Toucan Capital. She has more than 10 years of experience in the pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical research field both in the US and China. Before coming to the US, Ms Xu served in a five-person team to start up Roche-Xinya Vitamins, Ltd., a JV between Hoffman La-Roche and Shanghai Xinya Pharmaceuticals. Ms Xu went on to hold various positions at Purdue Pharma LP and Oncology Business Solutions, Inc., including primary and secondary marketing research, sales analysis, medical affairs and financial modeling. Prior to joining Toucan, Ms. Xu oversaw the market launch of a universal cell culture media at MidAmerican Substrates, LLC. She also served as a consultant for Tang Capital Management to evaluate and identify investment opportunities in life sciences industry in Asia.

Ms. Xu holds an MBA from New York University Stern School of Business and earned a Master of Science degree from New York University Medical Center with a major in Biomedical Sciences. She has 6 years of research expertise in Neuro-degenerative diseases at both New York University and Cornell University.