DermTech, Inc.
George served as CEO and President of DermTech from 2006-2011, and as a board member since 2001. He was responsible for raising millions in capital from angel investors from 2000-2011.
In 1999, George met a skin scientist who hypothesized that an examination of cells on the skin could lead to information about biological activity occurring beneath the surface. Shortly thereafter, George joined the company’s Board and raised important seed stage capital.
After working on various business models and developing the technology to achieve the necessary results, the Board asked George to serve as CEO in 2006.
He oversaw the company's global clinical trial that resulted in a paper that was published in the British Journal of Dermatology that proved that DermTech's patented tape-stripping technology, coupled with gene expression profiling, could differentiate a melanoma from a non-melanoma, an important and novel finding.
George recruited the personnel to build a team of world-class scientists and physicians and readied the company to move to the next level. The product is now in the market.
Key medical thought-leaders, former FDA consultants, world-class scientists and patent attorneys were among the individuals he hired for this challenging program.
DermTech became a publicly traded company in the third quarter of 2019, and its shares trade on NASDAQ, valued at $1 billion.
Whooo’s Reading
Whooo’s Reading uses AI-driven technology that enables teachers to quickly and easily determine whether their students comprehend the books they are reading. George found early investors and chaired the company for four years.
Backed by the National Science Foundation, the AI technology behind Whooo's Reading helps students practice reading comprehension skills with in-the-moment feedback on their written responses to open-ended critical thinking questions about the content they are reading. Its proprietary machine-learning algorithm automatically assesses student writing, saving teachers time while also providing them actionable data on their students' strengths and weaknesses — enabling them to differentiate instruction. Savvas Learning Company, a K-12 next-generation learning solutions leader, acquired Whooo's Reading in March of 2023.
Aircraft Service International Group
George led the acquisition of the aircraft fueling division of a Fortune 500 company and secured $100 million in financing from CIBC and John Hancock Insurance Company within two weeks of learning of the opportunity.
George served as chairman for the life of the investment, during which time the company doubled the number of airports at which the company fueled commercial airplanes. He also doubled the number of employees through organic growth and acquisitions.
The company earned numerous awards for excellence in service to its customers, rose in value, and was sold successfully to a billion-dollar British conglomerate.
Creative Games International, Inc.
George raised significant seed capital to acquire Creative Games International, the instant lottery ticket printing division of GTECH, a billion dollar publicly traded company.
This division had been shut down by GTECH, and along with previous management, George acquired and restarted the business, rehiring the employees in a small New England town, and started from scratch with no customers. George raised $2 million, served on the Board, negotiated a sales partnership agreement with GTECH, the multi-billion dollar industry leader, and ultimately sold the company to Canadian Bank Note, a publicly traded company.
SunPharm Pharmaceuticals
George was an original investor and raised $500,000 as a startup investment in SunPharm Pharmaceuticals to in-license and develop a cancer compound from University of Florida Research Foundation. The company then partnered with Warner-Lambert to develop the product.
Stefan Borg, the founder and only employee of SunPharm, met George and explained the promise of the cancer compound he had just licensed from the University of Florida.
He had no money. He had no Board. But he had a license. They identified the likely development partners, potential scientists they wanted to involve, and key board members. George raised a seed round, and worked with the CEO to accomplish all of these objectives within a year.
George directed the company’s IPO and served on the Board that included the Chairman and CEO of Abbott Laboratories, Chief Science Officer of Eli Lilly, President of Burroughs-Wellcome, and President of Merck.
They eventually sold the company to Genzyme for a significant profit.
Thompson Hospitality, Inc.
Warren Thompson founded what became the largest minority-owned food and facilities management company in the United States. George successfully financed the acquisition of 31 restaurants that were part of a tired brand. Warren revitalized the restaurants by branding them under the banner of a more current and popular brand. George became a director and raised $2 million to provide the money for Warren to start on the road to an enormous success.
Thompson Hospitality (THI) evolved into a company that provides food services to many Historically Black Colleges and Universities and provides jobs to students.
Today, THI employs more than 6,000 people, with revenues in excess of $800 million. George served on the board from the company's inception until Mr. Thompson bought the company back from the investors.