Jay Watkins
Managing Director @ DeNovo Ventures
San Francisco, United States
Jay Watkins is a Series B investor at DeNovo Ventures in San Francisco focused on Medical Device and Medical. Jay is a Managing Director at De Novo Ventures.Prior to joining De Novo in 2002, Jay was a co-founder of Origin Medsystems, a venture-funded medical technology start-up that was purchased by Eli Lilly & Company in 1992. When Eli Lilly divested its medical device businesses to form Guidant in 1995, he became a member of the corporation’smanagement committee, serving in this role from 1995-2002. During this time, he served as president of numerous divisions, including the Minimally Invasive Surgery Group. In addition, Jay was the President of Compass, Guidant Corporation’s corporate business development and new ventures group.Prior to founding Origin, Jay held management positions in several start-ups, including Microgenics Corporation, and was a consultant with the international consulting firm of McKinsey & Company. He has been a member of the board of directors of several public companies, including Gynecare, Cardiogenesis, and Rita Medical. Jay received his MBA from Harvard University and his undergraduate degree from Stanford University.Jay sits on the boards of Gauss Surgical, EBR Systems, PhotoThera, Pulmonx, Sierra Surgical, Synergeyes and Ventus Medical. He also represented De Novo on investments in Lumend and Hansen Medical.
- Total investments:
- 13
- Last investment:
- Lead investor:
- 31%
Last updated:
For AI agents: llms.txt
Industries Jay Watkins invests in
Stages Jay Watkins invests in
Countries Jay Watkins invests in
Contacts
| Type | Contact | Validation |
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Investment Focus
Industry
- Medical Device 5 (38%)
- Medical 3 (23%)
- Health Care 2 (15%)
- Manufacturing 2 (15%)
- Mobile 1 (8%)
Stage
- Series B 4 (31%)
- Series C 3 (23%)
- Series A 2 (15%)
- Series D 2 (15%)
- Seed 1 (8%)
Investments
| Company | Description | Round | Links |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jupiter Endovascular is a medical technology startup developing the endoportal procedure, a new class of endovascular procedures using Endoportal Control to bring the precision and control of direct surgical access to catheter-based interventions. The procedure uses an endoportal device that navigates flexibly through the vasculature viapercutaneous access. Once in position, the endoportal device can be fixed into a stable state to deliver an interventional treatment with surgical-like precision and control from an endovascular access point. | Series B / Oct 07, 2025 | ||
| Jupiter Endovascular is a medical technology startup developing the endoportal procedure, a new class of endovascular procedures using Endoportal Control to bring the precision and control of direct surgical access to catheter-based interventions. The procedure uses an endoportal device that navigates flexibly through the vasculature viapercutaneous access. Once in position, the endoportal device can be fixed into a stable state to deliver an interventional treatment with surgical-like precision and control from an endovascular access point. | $21M / Series A / Aug 15, 2024 | ||
| Gauss Surgical is a med-tech company that develops a vision-based platform for accurate and real-time measurement of surgical blood loss. They develop beautiful applications for iOS backed by sophisticated algorithms and a robust, HIPAA-compliant technical stack to enable real-time monitoring during surgery. The company was incorporated in 2011and is headquartered in Menlo Park, California. | $3.1M / Seed / Sep 01, 2013 | ||
| EBR Systems, Inc. is an early-stage development venture pursuing novel approaches in cardiac rhythm management. EBR Systems develops devices for the treatment of cardiac arrhythmias. | $5M / Series D / Feb 10, 2011 | ||
| EBR Systems, Inc. is an early-stage development venture pursuing novel approaches in cardiac rhythm management. EBR Systems develops devices for the treatment of cardiac arrhythmias. | $15M / Dec 31, 2009 | ||
| PhotoThera is currently hiring for the following positions: Sr. Software Engineer Mechanical Engineer Configuration Management Engineer Sr. Electrical Engineer Send your resume and cover letter to ktitano@photothera.com, or go to www.photothera.com for further information.Specialtieslaser, medical device, eschemic, stroke,infrared | $50M / Series D / May 22, 2009 | ||
| SynergEyes®, Inc. was founded in 2001 with a recognized need for a hybrid contact lens that combined the superior visual acuity of a rigid gas permeable lens with the comfort of a soft contact lens. The revolutionary SynergEyes® hybrid contact lens allows you to enjoy the best of both worlds - a stable, high oxygen permeable rigid center thatdelivers consistent, crisp, clear vision while the outer skirt gives you all the all-day comfort of a soft lens. | $13.3M / Series C / Feb 09, 2009 | ||
| EBR Systems, Inc. is an early-stage development venture pursuing novel approaches in cardiac rhythm management. EBR Systems develops devices for the treatment of cardiac arrhythmias. | $35M / Series C / Jun 12, 2008 | ||
| PhotoThera is currently hiring for the following positions: Sr. Software Engineer Mechanical Engineer Configuration Management Engineer Sr. Electrical Engineer Send your resume and cover letter to ktitano@photothera.com, or go to www.photothera.com for further information.Specialtieslaser, medical device, eschemic, stroke,infrared | $30.5M / Series C / Apr 21, 2006 | ||
| SynergEyes®, Inc. was founded in 2001 with a recognized need for a hybrid contact lens that combined the superior visual acuity of a rigid gas permeable lens with the comfort of a soft contact lens. The revolutionary SynergEyes® hybrid contact lens allows you to enjoy the best of both worlds - a stable, high oxygen permeable rigid center thatdelivers consistent, crisp, clear vision while the outer skirt gives you all the all-day comfort of a soft lens. | $16M / Series B / Apr 21, 2006 | ||
| See all 13 investments → | |||
Co-Investors
About DeNovo Ventures
DeNovo Ventures was formed in 2000 by seasoned investors and experienced medical device entrepreneurs who sought to share the lessons learned from a history of successful investing and building successful companies. They believed that their unique combination of skills and perspectives could help entrepreneurs to build companies which would havesignificant clinical impact and generate superior returns. Seven years later, this belief continues to hold true, demonstrated by investment success in selected medical device and biotechnology companies. With $650 million under management, De Novo has made more than 40 investments in medical devices and biotechnology across three funds. They invest in all stages of enterprise development and growth – from early stage to late stage. The unique background of leading companies as entrepreneurs and operating executives from start to exit enables us to advise entrepreneurs and management teams over the full life cycle of the company.
DeNovo Ventures Contacts
| Name | Phone | Socials | |
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Joe Mandato
Managing Director
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Richard Ferrari
Co - Founder & Managing Director
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David M. Mauney
co-founder and Managing Director
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Frederick Dotzler
Managing Director
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Jay Watkins
Managing Director
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FAQ
What does Jay Watkins invest in?
Jay Watkins invests primarily in Medical Device, Medical and Health Care startups, most often at Series B and Series C stage. Most of the 13 investments tracked by Shizune back companies in United States. The Investment Focus section breaks down every industry, stage and country in the portfolio.
How do I contact Jay Watkins?
Public channels for Jay Watkins include LinkedIn. For a verified work email and phone number, create a free Shizune account — contact data is searched across 20+ sources and validated before delivery, so your outreach lands in the right inbox.
When did Jay Watkins last invest?
The most recent investment recorded for Jay Watkins closed in Oct 2025. Shizune tracks 13 investments in total for this profile, including round sizes, stages and portfolio companies, all sourced from confirmed public funding rounds and refreshed monthly.
Is Shizune's investor data accurate?
Yes — every stat on this profile is calculated from confirmed public funding rounds monitored across hundreds of sources since 2020. This profile was last refreshed in Aug 2026 and is updated monthly. Spotted something off? Use the “Suggest an edit” link near the top of the page.
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