About Us
Planatome, LLC is a medical device technology company that invested millions of dollars in adapting atomic-level polishing from the semiconductor industry and patenting it for surgical cutting instruments.
All stakeholders are united in the desire to achieve the best surgical outcomes for patients. While there have been tremendous advancements across medical science, there has been no improvement to the conventional surgical blade in over 100 years (patented in 1915), until Planatome®, which demonstrably delivers extraordinary healing and incision benefits to patients, surgeons, and healthcare facilities.
WE DON’T MANUFACTURE THE SCALPEL, WE PERFECT IT
Planatome technology removes every jagged serration from conventional blades. This finishing step results in a near molecularly perfect edge and changes the cutting mechanism from a sawing snagging action of the conventional blade to a smooth, clean incision that eliminates harmful micro-tearing of tissue. The Planatome blade was created with a highly differentiated focus on gentle tissue handling. Planatome creates low-trauma, high-precision incisions that improve clinical outcomes, with faster and more thorough healing, reduced swelling, pain, and scarring, which all support a lower risk of postoperative complications.
Planatome blades make every incision clinically better – and every incision matters. FDA-approved for use in the United States and approved by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) for use in South Korea, the Company is in the process of additional regional regulatory approvals. Surgical blades are just the beginning – a myriad of applications are in store for Planatome technology across the entire surgical instrument suite.
Planatome’s headquarters and manufacturing are both based in Phoenix, Arizona.
Executive Team
Tim Tobin
Chief Executive Officer
Tim has been in the semiconductor industry for over 25 years holding leadership, sales, and technical positions at Motorola, SpeedFam-IPEC, and Metron Technology, prior to co-founding Entrepix, Inc., in 1998. Tim has a master’s degree in Microelectronic Engineering from Rochester Institute of Technology and a bachelor’s degree in Applied Physics from State University of New York at Geneseo.
Bill Fender
President & Chief Operating Officer
Bill has over 30 years of experience in the medical device industry. For 19 years he held various executive leadership, operations, and R&D roles at Johnson & Johnson with the majority of his time working within J&J’s Ethicon Division. Bill was also part of the executive team that took Ulthera, Inc., an aesthetic device company, from start-up through a $600M acquisition by Merz Pharma Group. He remained on post-acquisition as CEO of Merz’s US-based Device Integration Center before re-entering the start-up medical device world. Bill holds a bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering from The University of Akron.
Keith Jeffcoat
Chief Technology Officer
Accomplished executive leader, 20+ years with start-ups, private and public companies; CEO, Oryx Additive; Sr. R&D Leader, Merz Pharma and 11 years with Johnson & Johnson. Doctorate, Engineering Management & Systems, George Washington University; MBA, Troy University; Bachelor, Polymer Engineering, Penn State University; Apprentice Bladesmith Certification.
David Husband
Chief Financial Officer
David has worked as CFO and COO of private and public companies for over 20 years, namely Action Performance Companies, Inc., Vodavi Technologies, Inc., and Calence, LLC, seeing each of these companies through to acquisition. He is a Certified Public Accountant in the State of Arizona and he received a bachelor’s degree in Finance & Accounting from Humboldt State University.
Steve Joachim
Business Development
Proven executive leader, 14 years with Johnson & Johnson, including VP, Robotics R&D for Ethicon’s surgical robotics platform and digital surgery. MBA, Penn State University; Bachelor, General Engineering, United States Military Academy, West Point; US Army Ranger, Sr. Jumpmaster; Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Blackbelt.
CLIFF SPIRO, PH.D.
Inventor and Co-Founder
Dr. Spiro has had an illustrious 39-year career in Research & Development with executive leadership roles at General Electric, Nalco, and Cabot Microelectronics. He has issued 21 US Patents, 200 scientific publications, has authored three books on R&D practice, serves on six corporate boards (public & private), and is a 2018 inductee to the National Academy of Engineering. Dr. Spiro received his Doctorate in Chemistry from Caltech and his bachelor’s degree in Chemistry from Stanford University.
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