Steven G. Martin | Managing Member
Mr. Martin has more than thirty-five years of experience financing publicly traded companies and extensive experience in finance and venture capital. He was a founder and Managing Member of Fusion Capital, a Chicago-based investment fund started in 1999 that funded or committed to fund over $700 million in public company financings. While at Fusion Capital, Mr. Martin was responsible for the creation of the Fusion Capital investment structure and documentation used in virtually every Fusion Capital transaction. Prior to Fusion Capital, he was a principal at a $150 million Chicago investment fund where he originated, structured, and negotiated private placement investments in public companies. Mr. Martin was also a partner at the Chicago law firm of Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP. As an attorney, Mr. Martin represented institutional investors and public companies in highly complex private and public investments. Mr. Martin received his Juris Doctor degree with honors from Northwestern University School of Law. Mr. Martin graduated with high honors from the University of Michigan with a Bachelors of Business Administration, concentrating in finance.
Steven G. Martin | Managing Member
Mr. Martin has more than thirty-five years of experience financing publicly traded companies and extensive experience in finance and venture capital. He was a founder and Managing Member of Fusion Capital, a Chicago-based investment fund started in 1999 that funded or committed to fund over $700 million in public company financings. While at Fusion Capital, Mr. Martin was responsible for the creation of the Fusion Capital investment structure and documentation used in virtually every Fusion Capital transaction. Prior to Fusion Capital, he was a principal at a $150 million Chicago investment fund where he originated, structured, and negotiated private placement investments in public companies. Mr. Martin was also a partner at the Chicago law firm of Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP. As an attorney, Mr. Martin represented institutional investors and public companies in highly complex private and public investments. Mr. Martin received his Juris Doctor degree with honors from Northwestern University School of Law. Mr. Martin graduated with high honors from the University of Michigan with a Bachelors of Business Administration, concentrating in finance.
Michael P. Burrows, PhD | Vice President, Life Sciences
Prior to joining Aspire Capital, Dr. Burrows was a biomedical researcher at the University of Chicago where his work focused on better understanding the relationship between autoimmune disease and the microbiota. He has developed expertise in a number of disease models and his research has resulted in several publications in high impact journals including Immunity and Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Additionally, Dr. Burrows gained significant experience in the technological and commercial assessment of early stage biotechnology projects while serving as a Chicago Innovation Mentors Fellow and a CIE Innovation Fund Associate. Previously, he worked as a research scientist for an immunotherapeutics company where he was responsible for drug development. Dr. Burrows received a Ph.D. in Immunology at the University of Chicago. He also received a M.S. in Microbiology from the University of Nebraska Medical Center and a B.S. in Microbiology from the University of Illinois.
Michael P. Burrows, PhD | Vice President, Life Sciences
Prior to joining Aspire Capital, Dr. Burrows was a biomedical researcher at the University of Chicago where his work focused on better understanding the relationship between autoimmune disease and the microbiota. He has developed expertise in a number of disease models and his research has resulted in several publications in high impact journals including Immunity and Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Additionally, Dr. Burrows gained significant experience in the technological and commercial assessment of early stage biotechnology projects while serving as a Chicago Innovation Mentors Fellow and a CIE Innovation Fund Associate. Previously, he worked as a research scientist for an immunotherapeutics company where he was responsible for drug development. Dr. Burrows received a Ph.D. in Immunology at the University of Chicago. He also received a M.S. in Microbiology from the University of Nebraska Medical Center and a B.S. in Microbiology from the University of Illinois.