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March 12, 2019 | Tom Ballard

Ira Weiss named President and CEO of Chattanooga start-up 3D Ops

By Tom Ballard, Chief Alliance Officer, PYA

Ira Weiss, the Chattanooga-based entrepreneur who has his hands in a number of different activities, has just added another one.

He has taken on the role of President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of 3D Operations Inc. or 3D Ops for short. We have spotlighted both Weiss (click here) and the company (click here for our first post) over the years in teknovation.biz articles.

As its name implies, 3D Ops utilizes 3D printers to create patient-specialized anatomical replicas. It does so by converting MRI and CT scan images into 3D printable data and then printing 3D models of patient-specific anatomy for pre-surgical planning. Providing this tool is really important for high-risk procedures.

For Weiss, it’s a continuation of his active engagement in a variety of endeavors. He is one of only two individuals who are active in both statewide mentor networks supported by Launch Tennessee. They are the Life Science Tennessee Network, operated by Life Science Tennessee, and the Energy Mentor Network that is under the Tennessee Advanced Energy Business Council umbrella.

“3D Ops has applied for the Health Tech Accelerator through the CO.LAB,” Weiss said of the program that begins April 1. Ironically, it was during CO.LAB’s “GIGTANK” program that we were first introduced to 3D Ops.

“We would like to continue development of the pilot study we initiated with Erlanger a couple years ago,” Weiss said, noting that 3D Ops now has a patent on the technology and is exploring out licensing opportunities with strategic partners.

“Lastly we are designing a pivot to develop a software platform in AR/VR/XR utilizing our patent and developing additional applications and intellectual property,” he explained. “Impacting the current healthcare models by improving patient outcomes while reducing operating costs is still our primary goal.”

Weiss, a member of 3D Ops’ Board of Directors, will continue in that role while assuming responsibility for strategic planning, capital formation and internal management at the company.

As noted in our previously referenced article on Weiss, the energetic President and CEO got his start in San Diego. Over the past 20 years or so, he has served as Interim CEO and/or Chief Finance Officer for several companies, run special projects for CIGNA Medicare, served as controller for hedge funds, and been involved in several life science-related start-ups. The most recent is a company named BioDtech Inc. (BDTI) of which Weiss is a Co-Founder and current member of the Board of Directors.


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