J. Mikael Totterman

Turning university science into category-defining medtech companies.

Serial entrepreneur, company builder and investor. Founder, Chairman and Chief Innovation Officer of Clerio Vision. Co-founder of iCardiac Technologies. Founding executive of VirtualScopics.

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Mikael Totterman
J. MIKAEL TOTTERMANFOUNDER · BUILDER · INVESTOR
About

From the lab bench to the market.

Mike Totterman builds companies around science that begins in university labs. He grew up in Rochester, New York, on the same street as Alex Zapesochny, who later became his co-founder at two companies.

After an engineering degree at Stanford and an MBA at Tuck, his early career spanned strategy consulting at Gemini Consulting and Boston Consulting Group and venture capital at 3Com Ventures in Silicon Valley. He has since helped turn University of Rochester research into three companies: VirtualScopics in medical imaging, iCardiac Technologies in cardiac safety, and Clerio Vision in vision correction.

Track record

Science to scale. A proven pattern.

$230M

iCardiac Technologies sold to ERT in 2017, a 20x return for early investors

$200M

Peak NASDAQ market capitalization of VirtualScopics, which went public in 2005

3

Companies built on University of Rochester technology: VirtualScopics, iCardiac, Clerio Vision

130

US patents of spinouts

Mike's career follows a repeatable pattern: find breakthrough science inside a research university, license it, assemble the team and capital, win blue-chip industry partners, and build a company that changes how an industry works.

Ventures

Companies built. Industries changed.

01Active
Founder, Chairman & Chief Innovation Officer

Clerio Vision, Inc.

Formerly CEO. Founded in 2014 in Rochester, NY, Clerio Vision is developing LIRIC (Laser Induced Refractive Index Change), a femtosecond-laser platform that changes the refractive index of lens materials and corneal tissue without cutting, for contact lenses, intraocular lenses and non-invasive vision correction.

Visit Clerio Vision
90+ patents issued
$80M+ raised
First-in-human procedures, 2018
02Acquired, 2017
Co-founder, Chairman & CEO; later Chief Innovation Officer

iCardiac Technologies, Inc.

Co-founded in 2006 with Alex Zapesochny and Sasha Latypova on ECG analysis technology licensed from the University of Rochester. Became a leading provider of cardiac safety assessment services to the global pharmaceutical industry, with a research alliance with Pfizer. Norwest Venture Partners took a controlling stake in 2014; acquired by ERT (now Clario) in December 2017.

Pfizer strategic investor
7 of the top 10 pharma companies served (2013)
Profitable by Q4 2008
185 employees (2017)
No. 3, Rochester Top 100 (2017)
03Public, then acquired
Founding executive; Chief Operating Officer and Acting CEO

VirtualScopics, Inc.

University of Rochester spin-out developing image-based biomarkers for pharmaceutical development. Led venture financing rounds and strategic investment relationships with Pfizer and GE Healthcare. Listed on NASDAQ (VSCP); later became part of BioTelemetry, itself acquired by Philips.

Investors: Pfizer and GE Healthcare
Pfizer equity investment and multiyear agreement, 2002
NASDAQ: VSCP
$200M peak market cap
04Advisory
Chairman, Business Advisory Board

Atumcell

Cybersecurity firm providing vulnerability assessment, due diligence and portfolio monitoring for private equity investors and industrial operators.

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OpenAI Trusted Access for Cyber
05Investing
Managing Partner

Stoneleigh Capital

Private family investment office.

Multi-year investor in Anthropic, OpenAI and SpaceX (via SPV)
06Earlier career
Principal

3Com Ventures

$250 million corporate venture capital fund in Santa Clara, California; also built 3Com's global strategic alliances with companies including Philips, Siemens, AT&T and British Telecom.

75% of investments exited
Clerio Vision · Current focus

Current focus:
Clerio Vision

Clerio Vision is commercializing LIRIC, a low-energy femtosecond laser process that rewrites the optical properties of a material instead of removing it. The science traces back to ultrafast-laser research at the University of Rochester and a collaboration with Bausch + Lomb that began in 2003; the technology was licensed to Clerio in 2014. Mike chairs the board and manages the company's relationships with investors and partners.

LASIK

LASIK corneal cross-sectionA flap is cut and lifted away from the cornea. The dashed zone beneath the flap shows removed tissue.

Cuts a flap and removes corneal tissue to reshape the surface.

LIRIC

LIRIC corneal cross-sectionThe cornea remains intact. Small patterned marks inside the tissue represent a changed refractive index, without a flap or tissue removal.

Low-energy femtosecond pulses change the refractive index inside the tissue. No flap, no tissue removed.

Simplified illustration. LIRIC corneal treatment is in clinical development.

Example: putting an optical design into a contact lens

Moulded lens

Soft contact lens between mould halvesUpper and lower mould outlines hug a thin curved lens. The mould sets the optical design through the shape of the lens surfaces.

The optical design comes from the shape of the lens surfaces, which is set by the mould.

LIRIC-written lens

Laser-written refractive-index pattern in a finished contact lensA femtosecond laser beam from above focuses inside a soft contact lens. Symmetric fine marks represent concentric diffractive rings in cross-section. The lens surfaces stay unchanged.

A femtosecond laser writes a refractive-index pattern inside a finished lens, for example a diffractive profile in a silicone hydrogel lens. The lens shape stays the same.

Simplified illustration.

One platform, three applications

Contact lenses

Advanced optical designs for presbyopia and myopia management written directly into the lens

Intraocular lenses

Refractive adjustment of lenses used in cataract surgery

Cornea

Non-invasive, tissue-sparing vision correction

From research to reality.

Visit Clerio Vision

  1. Clerio Vision founded; LIRIC intellectual property licensed from the University of Rochester

  2. First-in-human non-invasive laser vision correction procedures performed

  3. U.S. Patent 12,443,053 issued for myopia control treatments

  4. Presented LIRIC diffractive soft contact lens data and myopia research at the Wavefront Congress

  5. U.S. Patent 12,449,675 issued for an enhanced LIRIC optical design

  6. Presented the first soft contact lens correcting longitudinal chromatic aberration at the ARVO Annual Meeting

Career & education

A career in company building.

  1. Founder, Chairman of the Board & Chief Innovation Officer

    Clerio Vision

  2. Founder & Chief Executive Officer

    Clerio Vision

  3. Co-founder, Chairman & CEO

    iCardiac Technologies

    Subsequently Director & Chief Innovation Officer

  4. Director, Global Alliances

    3Com

  5. Chief Operating Officer and Acting CEO

    VirtualScopics

  6. Principal

    3Com Ventures

  7. Consultant

    Boston Consulting Group (BCG)

  8. Consultant

    Gemini Consulting

In the conversation

Press & conversations

Featured

The Wall Street Journal2014

Norwest Gets iCardiac's Heart Beating Faster, Takes Over From Early Investors

Norwest Venture Partners takes a controlling stake in iCardiac.

The Wall Street Journal2017

Norwest Sells iCardiac Technologies to ERT

iCardiac is acquired by ERT, completing the exit.

PR Newswire2018

First Ever Noninvasive Laser Vision Correction Procedures Performed

Clerio Vision treats its first patients with LIRIC.

HealthBiz with David E. Williams (podcast)

Friends do business together: Clerio Vision's Totterman and Zapesochny

Mike and Alex Zapesochny on spinning technology out of universities.

Podcasts & talks

RocGrowth CandidsJ. Mikael Totterman, CEO, Clerio Vision2017University of Rochester CEISFeatured speaker, 16th Annual University Technology Showcase2016
More coverage (15)PRWebClerio Vision to Present World's First LCA-Correcting Soft Contact Lens at ARVO 2026 Annual Meeting2026PRWebClerio Vision Granted U.S. Patent for Novel 'Optical Signature' Technology to Control Myopia Progression2026PRWebClerio Vision Secures Patent for 'Enhanced LIRIC' Vision Correction Design2026Rochester Business JournalClerio Vision plans revolution in contact lenses2018Laser Focus WorldClerio Vision begins first-in-human clinical trial for laser refractive surgery method2018Laser Focus WorldLIRIC: Next-generation refractive laser surgeryBusiness WireNorwest Portfolio Company iCardiac Technologies Acquired by ERT2017Rochester Business JournalTaking leadership to heart2017Rochester Business JournalERT acquires iCardiac Technologies2017Democrat and ChronicleRochester Top 100: iCardiac Technologies lauds Rochester for its success, earns No. 32017Democrat and Chronicle7 ways photonics will change your life2016Rochester Business JournaliCardiac acquires clinical trials division of Colorado firm2015Democrat and ChronicleiCardiac acquires unit of nSpire Health2015Rochester Business JournalFirm buys stake in iCardiac2014Rochester Business JournalTech startup inks deal for URMC research2006
Connect

Let's talk.

Mike welcomes conversations with investors, strategic partners and founders working on hard technology in healthcare.

Connect on LinkedIn Clerio Vision