Bernard Peperstraete

Bernard was a Belgian American Education Foundation (BAEF) fellow at Harvard where he earned his MBA. He earned his MD at the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven in Belgium and his specialist diploma in Tropical Medicine and International Health (DTMIH) at the Institut de Médecine Tropicale, also in Belgium.

Bernard is a medical entrepreneur, and has been involved in operating in, founding and investing in life science businesses for over 20 years; Currently, Bernard is CEO and co-founder of Acuamark Diagnostics, Inc. ("Acuamark"), a company aimed at detecting cancer early when survival rates are high. Acuamark's unique and first-in-kind approach to blood-based early detection is well differentiated from other, conventional approaches in the industry. Members of Acuamark's scientific and academic team are credited with inventing some of the most groundbreaking assays and technologies in the diagnostics industry. Prior to Acuamark, Bernard ran ACT Biotech, a cancer pharmaceutical company, which was acquired by Eddingpharm. Earlier, Bernard was involved in healthcare venture capital for nearly a decade, most recently as a Partner at NGN Capital. Bernard has served on the boards of Exosome Diagnostics (acquired by Bio-Techne), ACT Biotech (acquired by EddingPharm) and Potentia Pharma (currently NASDAQ:APLS), and was closely involved with a number of transactions, e.g. Santhera (SANN:SIX) and Artisan Pharma (acquired by AKP). Prior to completing his MBA at Harvard, Bernard worked on emerging market opportunities at Novartis in Basel, was a Deputy Director at the Tan Tock Seng Hospital in Singapore (during the SARS crisis) and successfully co-founded and ran a contract research business, also in Singapore. In 1999, after serving as a physician and his specialist training in Tropical Medicine, Dr. Peperstraete managed the HIV business unit at Bristol Myers & Squibb, Singapore.

Bernard is a member of Kauffman Fellows Class 11 and served his fellowship under mentor Sinclair Dunlop of MASA Life Science Ventures, and later while working as a Principal at NGN Capital.