Hospi Corporation Adds Two to its Board

Hospi Corporation, a privately held medical device company, has appointed two new board members – John Freidenrich and Richard (Dick) Kashnow.

Freidenrich received his bachelor’s degree and LLD from Stanford University in Palo Alto, Calif., and began his career as a lawyer, founding the law firm of Ware & Freidenrich in 1968. Now part of DLA Piper, the company continues to be one of Silicon Valley’s pre-eminent law firms. Freidenrich founded the venture capital firm Bay Partners in 1976 and led the firm for more than 25 years. Currently, he is a founding partner of Regis Management Company LLC, an independent private investment firm that partners with families, foundations and endowments. A former chairman of the Stanford University Board of Trustees, he also has been a longtime director of Stanford Hospital and Clinics.

Kashnow is the former chairman and chief executive of Raychem. He started his career as a physicist at General Electric’s R&D Center. Later, he held technical and general management positions in several GE businesses. Following Tyco’s acquisition of Raychem, he formed a venture capital unit for Tyco and led investments in communications and medical device companies. He has served on the boards of several public and private technology companies. He currently is a director of Electronics for Imaging. Kashow served as an officer in the U.S. Army. He holds a Ph.D. in physics from Tufts University in Medford, Mass., and a bachelor’s degree in physics from Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Worcester, Mass.

“We are delighted that John and Dick have joined our board at this important juncture as we launch our first commercial product,” said Igal Ladabaum, Hospi’s CEO. “With the recent FDA approval of the Macy Catheter, we are making strong progress towards establishing Hospi as an innovator of patient-centric medical devices. John and Dick will both provide wise and relevant input to our plans for Hospi’s growth. We also greatly appreciate their personal investments in the company that, together with other investors’ contributions to our recent Series A financing, support the commercial launch of the Macy Catheter.”

Hospi describes the Macy Catheter as the “only device” designed and approved solely for the ongoing rectal delivery of medications and liquids. It was invented by 20-year veteran hospice nurse Brad Macy, R.N., B.S.N., C.H.P.N., co-founder of Hospi. The device offers clinicians and caregivers an easy, discreet and comfortable alternative to rectal administration of medication and it particularly is useful for patients with serious or terminal illness who often lose their ability to swallow.

Based in Newark, Calif., Hospi develops high-impact medical devices designed to enhance patient comfort and well-being.