Operators, clinicians, and innovators building the next generation of healthcare ventures.
Parker Brewster is an entrepreneur and biomedical engineer committed to transforming healthcare through clinical entrepreneurship. His journey began in high school with the development of a patented alternative to angioplasty, which formed the basis of his first venture. He holds three engineering degrees, including a PhD in Biomedical Engineering, and has built BMTT over six years into a first-of-its-kind feeding studio for student-driven medtech innovation.
He currently serves as Director of Ventures at xFoundry and as a faculty member at the University of Maryland's Clark School of Engineering. His broader experience spans mentoring and launching startups across accelerators, venture fellowships, and formal VC roles, including a full scholarship to VC University's Life Sciences Cohort and acceptance into translational science programs at Babson, Tulane, and Harvard. He is a former NIH fellow at the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, where he led research on AI in healthcare. He has designed and taught undergraduate and MBA courses on technology commercialization, mentored 20+ startups, and sits on the boards of four companies.
Strategic operator bridging university research, startup ecosystems, and Fortune 500 R&D through scalable partnership frameworks. As Partnerships Lead at Halo, she has connected thousands of researchers across 135+ countries with industry leaders including Bayer, Takeda, and Daiichi Sankyo. Former marketing and business development lead at Clemson University Research Foundation, with deep expertise in tech transfer, IP commercialization, and academic spinouts. At BMTT, Eden leads strategic and operational support to accelerate startup development and fundraising.
U.S. Army veteran with 8 years of service and a career defined by showing up for others. Jake is the founder and CEO of Blackhawk Services, a Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned small business providing heavy equipment hauling across the contiguous 48 states, and the former owner and COO of TF Property Solutions, a nationwide staffing firm serving the distribution and manufacturing sectors. He backed BMTT not because of a pitch, but because of what he saw firsthand. At BMTT, Jake brings the kind of relentless, mission-first energy that opens doors others do not know exist.
Instrumental in the founding of BMTT and now its first Entrepreneur-in-Residence. A former mentee of Parker Brewster in the University of Mississippi's implantable-device lab, she led a funded project to develop patient-friendly solutions for in vitro fertilization. Graduated with a dual degree in Biomedical Engineering and General Business, the first in school history at Ole Miss, and was admitted to UC Berkeley's Master of Translational Medicine program. She leverages her own student-driven journey to empower the next generation of biomedical innovators.
Long-horizon operator with experience spanning organic product development, institutional business development, and private asset management. As founder and CEO of Ortal Organics, she has spent over a decade building a full-service organic cleaning and skincare operation with direct experience navigating government solicitations, RFPs, and RFQs for agencies including NYCHA and the MTA. She is also founder of Valdayzo Estates, a multi-asset private estate in Virginia structured for generational stewardship across hospitality, agriculture, and commercial operations. At BMTT, Paloma brings rare fluency in public sector procurement and a deep understanding of how local, state, and federal entities make decisions, giving BMTT a meaningful edge when engaging institutional partners, university systems, and government-affiliated funding structures.
From Shelf to Startup
Parker's guide to building ideas that don't collect dust. Adopted at several universities and integrated into BMTT's core curriculum, it is required reading for anyone serious about translating academic innovation into real-world impact.