BEIJING and IRVINE, Calif., Jan. 6, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Sherpa Healthcare Partners, a global healthcare venture capital firm focused on early and growth stage healthcare companies primarily in Asia and the United States, announced today the appointment of Raymond W. Cohen as Venture Partner.
Mr. Cohen is a seasoned healthcare executive and until recently, served as the CEO and member of the board of directors of Axonics, Inc., an Irvine, California-based global medical technology company that Cohen co-founded in 2013 and took public in late October 2018.
Axonics ranked No. 1 on the 2021 Deloitte Technology Fast 500™ and the 2022 Financial Times ranking of the fastest growing companies in the Americas. Mr. Cohen retired as CEO following the sale of Axonics to Boston Scientific Corporation (NYSE: BSX) as part of a $3.7 billion transaction in November 2024. Prior to Axonics, Mr. Cohen served as the CEO of Vessix Vascular, Inc., a company that was acquired by BSX in late 2012.
“Having worked with Ray as one of the earliest investors of Axonics, we are enthusiastic to have him join the team,” said Darren Cai, Managing Partner of Sherpa Healthcare Partners. “Since our inception, Sherpa has been committed to investing in innovative technologies and therapies that improve human health, and Ray’s extensive experience and proven track record in growing MedTech companies will be highly accretive to our existing investment activities.”
“I am excited to be joining Sherpa Healthcare Partners and look forward to working with talented entrepreneurs who are leaders in their respective fields,” said Cohen. “I chose to work with Sherpa based on the integrity of the managing partners and their commitment to funding innovative therapies and devices.”
About Raymond W. Cohen
Mr. Cohen has over 40 years of experience in the life sciences industry. He currently serves as the chairman of the board of SoniVie, Ltd, an Israeli-clinical stage company developing a catheter-based high frequency ultrasound renal denervation device treatment for hypertension. Cohen also serves as an independent director of Kestra Medical Technologies, Inc., a WA-based commercial stage company manufacturing and marketing a wearable defibrillator product for patients at temporary risk of life-threatening cardiac arrhythmias. Kestra filed an S-1 in December 2024 with a view towards an IPO on the NASDAQ.
During 2024, Mr. Cohen received the annual MedTech MVP Award for 2024 and was also named Businessperson of the Year by the Orange County Business Journal. In 2021, Mr. Cohen received a lifetime achievement award from SoCal Bio for his four decades of work in medical technology. In late 2020, Mr. Cohen was named as Entrepreneur of the Year by Ernst & Young for the Pacific Southwest United States.
About Sherpa Healthcare Partners
Sherpa Healthcare Partners invests in leading and innovative companies across the healthcare industry, including pharma, Genetech, MedTech, and medical services. Sherpa invests in companies with highly innovative technologies or extraordinary growth potential. For more information on Sherpa Healthcare Partners, please visit https://www.sherpahp.com
