CEO | Occlunova

Chief Executive Officer | Occlunova Location: USA, with a preference for Minnesota or New Jersey, with regular travel to clinical sites and occasional travel to NLC Health Ventures in Amsterdam Commitment: Full-time

Compensation

: Meaningful equity participation + competitive

Reports to: Board of Directors About the Venture – Occlunova Occlunova is a medtech venture developing the next generation of Left Atrial Appendage Occlusion (LAAO) technology to prevent stroke in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). AF affects more than 60 million people worldwide and drives a 5x increase in stroke risk. Yet, existing LAAO devices remain limited by leak rates, traumatic anchoring mechanisms, and persistent device-related thrombosis.

Occlunova's platform combines an anatomy-conforming balloon with an atraumatic anchoring method engineered to reduce leaks, minimize procedural risk, and let AF patients safely come off oral anticoagulant therapy. The company is also integrating left atrial appendage electrical isolation (LAAEI) into the same device, enabling occlusion and ablation to be performed in a single procedure - an increasingly relevant combination with no direct equivalent on the market today. The technology has been validated in benchtop, ex-vivo (human cadaver), and in-vivo (canine) studies that indicate measurable advantages in comparison with market technologies.

Occlunova has raised its pre-seed and is preparing for seed financing to fund its first-in-human studies in 2027. All major structural heart strategics are active acquirers in this space, and pre-approval exits are the norm rather than the exception. Occlunova is part of the venture portfolio of NLC Health Ventures, built in collaboration with Fusion MedTech and clinical collaborators at Mayo Clinic.

The Opportunity We are looking for an experienced medtech CEO to take Occlunova from a validated prototype with a strong clinical and technical team in place through further clinical development and towards a strategic exit. This is a company-building role for a leader who has done this before: someone who has taken an implantable cardiovascular device through fundraising, clinical trials, and ideally into the hands of a strategic acquirer or to market. You will own the company's overall strategy and be the primary face of Occlunova to investors, clinical partners, and future acquirers, while building the team and organization needed to execute against an ambitious but realistic timeline.

Your Role Set Strategy and Lead the Company Own overall corporate strategy, prioritization, and resource allocation across product, clinical, and regulatory workstreams Translate the LAAO/LAAEI platform into a clear, milestone-driven path to value creation, together with identifying and managing key partners like CROs, CDMOs, advisors, and other key suppliers.