Innovation in Healthcare & Rapid Diagnostics and the Impact on Sepsis

An entrepreneur at heart, at a young age Mark Cuban began selling stamps door-to-door and gave disco lessons to help pay his way through Indiana University. Cuban was inspired to strike out on his own when he was fired from a software shop for closing a $15,000 sale instead of cleaning up the store. In 1995, Cuban founded video portal Broadcast.com with fellow Indiana University alum, Todd Wagner. Four years later, he sold Broadcast.com to Yahoo for $5.7 billion. Today he owns the NBA's Dallas Mavericks and has stakes in Magnolia Pictures, AXS TV, and dozens of small startups. Cuban invests in mission-driven companies such as Luminaid, which provides lighting to disaster areas, and Mahmee, a maternal healthcare tech company. He is also well known as being an investor on the Emmy award winning show, Shark Tank.  

Midori Lawler’s passion is working with startups and giving back. She joined Microsoft in 2005 and has been working with tech startups for the past 15 years. She launched the Microsoft BizSpark program in 2008 which was the first startup program in the company’s history. In typical startup fashion, she has worn many hats, but her specialty is Marketing Communications and Events.  She was initially responsible for driving awareness of the BizSpark brand and adoption of Microsoft technologies but over the years has expanded her expertise to include Program Operations, Field Enablement, Partner Programs, Data & Analytics and Content Strategy. Midori currently manages the teams that provide Program Support and Technical Enablement for startups in the Microsoft for Startups program. She is a startup ambassador, always seeking to find ways to help startups.  

In 2014, Midori was one of seven employees chosen to be a Microsoft Loaned Professional and run the annual Microsoft Giving Campaign. Her team was responsible for engaging all US employees, providing education and training, connecting employees to volunteer opportunities that align to their skills and interests and continuing to nurture the culture of giving. The team raised over $113M for nonprofits and schools.  

Midori has a strong personal interest in increasing sepsis awareness. Although she has not had sepsis herself, in the past 4 years, several people she loves have had sepsis, including her mom, best friend, cousin and family friend. She has personally witnessed how life threatening this illness can be and how difficult it is to live with the consequences of sepsis, including loss of limbs. 

Earlier in her career, Midori worked in Technology Marketing for several hi-tech startups, as well as established corporations such as Dell Computer, Motorola, and IBM. She has a bachelor’s degree and an MBA from Pepperdine University. Midori has two sons and is based in Seattle, Washington. 

Tom has been part of Sepsis Alliance since 2007, serving as President and CEO since 2013. Tom has led Sepsis Alliance to consecutive years of growth including the organization’s drive to increase sepsis awareness from 19% to 71% and the expansion of sepsis.org to a site serving more than 2.5 million patients, family members, caregivers and medical professionals each year. Tom also led the organization’s efforts to launch the Sepsis Alliance Clinical Community and the Sepsis Alliance Institute which have trained more than 40,000 health professionals, and Sepsis Alliance Voices, a new platform for national and state advocacy. Tom has senior business development and operating experience in the commercial and not for profit sectors. He served as Chief Operating Officer at Little Kids Rock, the country’s largest free instrumental music charity, and as Executive Director at Young Audiences New York. He currently serves as an advisory board member of the Canadian Sepsis Foundation. 

John Sperzel is Chairman, Chief Executive Officer, and member of the Board of Directors at T2 Biosystems (NASDAQ: TTOO), a leader in the rapid detection of sepsis-causing pathogens. He has spent more than three decades advancing diagnostic technologies, having served as President, Chief Executive Officer and member of the Board of Directors for a number of public and private diagnostic companies. John earned a Bachelor of Science in Business/Management from Plymouth State University and serves on the Board of Directors for Ontera, Inc. After surviving an acute, life-threatening illness that resulted in a heart transplant, and a multidrug-resistant bacterial infection that led to sepsis, John wrote a best-selling book and continues to pursue his passion of advancing life-saving technologies.