Otolith Labs Expands Leadership Team

Otolith Labs has appointed Dan Wagner as chief commercial officer (CCO) and Raphael Michel as an independent board member. The pair has more than 40 years of experience (combined) in bringing consumer and medical devices to market.
 
Wagner is spearheading Otolith’s go-to-market plan and will build out the company’s infrastructure related to downstream operations in market access, medical affairs, sales operations, and marketing. Otolith Labs’ technology is a head-worn wearable device being investigated for treating vertigo episode symptoms associated with vestibular migraines. The headband device applies localized mechanical stimulation to the vestibular system through precisely calibrated vibrations. It is primarily intended for use by chronic vertigo patients, for whom there are limited treatment options.
 
“Dan has been working with Otolith in an advisory role for over five years, so we are thrilled to have him full-time. He brings with him a long track record of successfully commercializing medical devices and adds significant experience to our strategic development and the market launch of our technology,” Otolith Labs Founder/CEO Sam Owen said.
 
Wagner is a career medical device and biotechnology executive with more than 17 years of industry experience. His global experience has touched markets in more than 60 countries and over a dozen healthcare specialties working with capital equipment, diagnostics, therapeutics, DME, and biologics. He has served in numerous leadership roles at Olympus Corporation, HeartSciences, Signature Biologics, and most recently as the CCO at Spark Biomedical. Throughout his career, Wagner has led corporate growth objectives, defined business operations, and integrated strategy and data into a corporate cadence for success. He will develop Otolith’s strategic commercialization plan and build out the sales and marketing infrastructure.
 
Michel has more than 20 years of technology and business innovation experience and a proven track record of building industry-changing companies. He has received rigorous scientific and business training from institutions like École Polytechnique (France), Stanford University, and UC Berkeley Haas. Michel started as the first employee at Vessix Vascular (acquired by Boston Scientific), led the development and commercialization of a new medical robotic system at Hansen Medical (acquired by Auris Health), then co-founded Eargo, the first-ever hearing aid company to go public through an IPO in the United States, leading it from inception through commercialization and raising $70 million in financing, and Onera Health, where he led an international team to democratize in-home diagnosis and management of chronic conditions. Most recently, he was working at Google’s X Labs.
 
“Raphael is one of our earliest industry advisors and has been providing critical counsel to Otolith Labs since 2016. We are so grateful to have his talent and leadership to help guide Otolith towards its market launch and beyond,” Owen stated.
 
Otolith Labs is developing prescription medical devices for treating vestibular disorders, conditions experienced by millions of Americans. Otolith’s patented technology, which received Breakthrough Device Designation from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for treating chronic vertigo, uses precisely tuned vibrations to interact with the acceleration sensors in the inner ear, mitigating the symptoms of vertigo. Otolith is conducting clinical trials to evaluate its technology as an immediate symptom-relief treatment for chronic vertigo associated with vestibular disorders.