Raymond Cohen Joins Kestra Medical’s Board of Directors

Kestra Medical Technologies Inc. has welcomed Raymond W. Cohen as a new independent board director.
 
“Ray is one of the most experienced and accomplished leaders in the medical device industry with multiple decades of success in developing and commercializing emerging medical technologies,” Kestra President/CEO Brian Webster said. “Mr. Cohen’s extensive experience in the external defibrillation field and commercial growth strategies will be invaluable to the Kestra team. His track record of strategic exits for both public and private companies, including Axonics’ successful IPO and shareholder value creation as a public entity will accrue to our benefit as we envision the future of Kestra. On behalf of the Kestra stakeholders, we are delighted to welcome him on the board of Kestra.”
 
Cohen is an accredited public company director with more than 40 years of life sciences industry experience. He is currently the CEO and board member at Irvine, Calif.-based Axonics Inc., a global medtech company he cofounded in late 2013 and took public in October 2018. Earlier this year, Axonics agreed to be acquired by Boston Scientific Corp. for $3.7 billion. Axonics topped the 2021 Deloitte Technology Fast 500 and the 2022 Financial Times ranking of the 500 fastest growing companies in the Americas. Cohen also serves as an independent director of SoniVie Ltd., a clinical-stage company developing a device treatment for hypertension and BiVACOR Inc., a clinical-stage company developing a total artificial heart.

Cohen recently received the 2024 MedTech MVP Award and was also named Businessperson of the Year by the Orange County Business Journal. In 2021, Cohen received a lifetime achievement award from SoCal Bio for his four decades of work in medical technology. In 2020, he was named Entrepreneur of the Year by Ernst & Young for the southwestern U.S.
 
“Kestra has a world-class wearable defibrillator product and is poised to compete aggressively in this former monopoly market which is estimated to be in the $1 billion revenue range. I am looking forward to sharing my experience with Kestra and supporting Mr. Webster and team as they strive to reach their goal of market leadership in the WCD arena,” Cohen stated.
 
Kestra Medical recently closed a $196 million funding round to support its commercial expansion and protect at-risk patients with its unique wearable cardioverter defibrillator. The round was co-led by Andera Partners, Ally Bridge Group, Longitude Capital, and Omega Funds. 
 
Kestra Medical Technologies Inc. is a privately held wearable medical device and digital healthcare company that strives to protect cardiac patients with diagnostic monitoring and therapeutic technologies that are intuitive, intelligent, and mobile. Kestra was founded in 2014 by leaders from the external (AED) and implantable (ICD) defibrillation industries. Based in Kirkland, Wash., the company has historically been funded by Bain Capital, a large private equity firm with deep global experience in healthcare.