Experience
“The joy of discovery is certainly the liveliest that the mind of man can ever feel”
- Claude Bernard -
Professional Experience
Entrepreneurial Ventures
Founder & President at STFIH Group July 2016 - Present (1 moth)
Responsibilities: Investment advisers and managers for companies of all sizes.
Founder, Principal Consultant and Chairman at SVS Medical LLC May 2016 - Present (3 months)
Responsibilities: Developed SVS Medical LLC (SVS Med) to provide Consultancy Services from Innovation Discovery through to Post-Launch Surveillance for Life Sciences companies of all sizes. Projects- Eulysis UK Limited, Single Vial System (SVS) technology (www.eulysis.com/technology/singlevial-system/)
PhD Candidate & Visiting Lecturer at The University of Edinburgh September 2012 - Present (3 years 11 months)
Responsibilities: PhD Candidate in the School of Social and Political Sciences with a concentration on Science, Technology & Innovation Studies at the University of Edinburgh. Visiting Lecturer at multiple UK and US universities on topics relating to Entrepreneurship, International Business, Innovation and Healthcare with a focus on the application of innovation to improving global health.
Select Appointments:
Visiting Lecturer of Entrepreneurship, Babson College (2014-Present)
Visiting Assistant Professor of Marketing, Assumption College (2016-2017)
Visiting Lecturer of Healthcare & Entrepreneurship, Tufts University (2014-2015)
Delegate, Symposium for Entrepreneurship Educators (SEE) Certification Training at Babson College May 2016 - June 2016 (2 months)
Responsibilities: Participated in the 2016 SEE Certification Training as part of the enrollment process as a Visiting Lecturer of Entrepreneurship at Babson College. Delighted to have attended and been introduced to exciting methods and means to deliver entrepreneurship education to bright scholars.
Founder, President and Chairman at Eulysis October 2011 - April 2016 (4 years 7 months)
Responsibilities: Invented the multi-award winning Single Vial System (SVS) technology. Established Eulysis UK to develop and commercialise the SVS for Parenteral Drug Delivery. Collaborated with and endorsed by world renowned institutions including the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, World Health Organization and the Royal Society of Edinburgh among others. We aim to expand pharmaceutical access globally at a reduced price since our SVS can deliver twice as many medicines at half the cost. Page3 From October 2011 to June 2015, I was the Executive Director and Chairman of the Board. From June 2015 to April 2016, I was the Head of Research.
Co-Founder, CEO and Chairman at Eulysis Limited February 2010 - August 2014 (4 years 7 months)
Responsibilities: Established Eulysis to commercialise device innovations which I conceived, developed and patented. Networked and negotiated business relationships to create trust and confidence in potential business partners. Identified new business opportunities effectively and tailored proposals to satisfice individual corporate demands. In charge of market research, lead generation, business development, as well as formulation and execution of business strategy. I was awarded an Enterprise Fellowship by the Royal Society of Edinburgh and Scottish Enterprise for the ingenuity of the device developments and the innovative solutions they offered for cosmetic and medical products.
Enterprise Fellow at Royal Society of Edinburgh October 2010 - October 2011 (1 year 1 month)
Responsibilities: Competed for and was awarded a highly prestigious Enterprise Fellowship to commercialise the innovative products I developed. Conducted product and business development activities in collaboration with several organisations to promote and commercialise these products both in the UK and abroad. Attended monthly training sessions to develop commercialisation acumen and enrich my core business skills.
Market Research Consultant at Diageo January 2010 - June 2010 (6 months)
Responsibilities: Selected as one of three among 65 students from my MSc to conduct market research in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Contracted to compose a market entry and analysis report to aid the company’s promotion of an alcoholic beverage into the Ethiopian market. The market entry and analysis report my team created was very well received by Diageo and the representatives were thoroughly impressed by our in-depth approach to recognising potential obstacles and offering creative solutions to confront them.
Executive Assistant at BioFaran S.A. February 2005 - August 2009 (4 years 7 months)
Responsibilities: Engaged in business development activities involving a variety of different sectors including: patent drafting and translations in Greek and English; administrative duties regarding the correspondence of the company; scheduling of meetings and events; marketing/promotional material creation in Greek and English. Adapted the company’s outlook and strategy focus to meet client expectations and assisted in creating a climate conducive for negotiations on a transnational level. Company successfully established sales in beauty institutes in Greece and Croatia.
Honors and Awards
Academic Distinction American College of Greece June 2009
Enterprise Fellowship Royal Society of Edinburgh & Scottish Enterprise October 2010
High Growth Pipeline Scottish Enterprise & Business Gateway March 2011
Starter for 6 Fast Track Programme Cultural Enterprise Office September 2011
Finalist- Most Promising Young Life Science Company Nexxus Scotland October 2011
Finalist- Innovation of the Year Nexxus Scotland October 2011
Institute of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences KE Hub Grant Strathclyde University- Department of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences October 2011
Innovation Fund Prince's Scottish Youth Business Trust Jan 2012
Worldwide Who's Who of Distinguished Entrepreneurs 2012- VIP Classification
Finalist- Enterprise Awards Scotland Lloyd's TSB February 2012
Most Promising Business of the Year Commendation Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce March 2012
Finalist- High Growth Company of the Year Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce March 2012
Account Management Pipeline Scottish Enterprise & Business Gateway- April 2012
Grand Challenges Explorations Phase I Grant Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation May 2012
Research & Development Award
Scottish Enterprise & European Regional Development Fund June 2012
Outstanding Business Innovation Award July 2012
Prince's Trust September 2012
PhD Champion Scholarship University of Edinburgh November 2012
Upstart Awardee Upstart March 2014
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Hacking Medicine Cohort Village Capital May 2014
MassChallenge Finalist MassChallenge May 2014
Prince's Trust Enterprise Network HRH Prince Charles The Prince of Wales June 2014
Invited Member- American Chemical Society American Chemical Society September 2014
43North Finalist 43North October 2014
Google Cloud Platform- $100k Awardee Google December 2014
Invited Member- National Defense Industrial Association September 2015
Invited Member- American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) October 2015
MIT Startup Spotlight 2015 Exhibitor Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Enterprise Forum December 2015
Symposium for Entrepreneurship Educators (SEE) Certification Training- Full Scholarship Babson College May 2016 Price-Babson SEE Program Certificate of Completion Babson College June 2016
Volunteer Experience
Project Supervisor at University of Edinburgh Business School January 2011 - May 2011 Supervised two MSc Student Groups conducting a Research and Market Analysis of the integration of my products in the EMEA region.
Project Supervisor at University of Edinburgh Business School March 2012 - March 2012 Supervised joint PhD/MBA Student Group analysing Entrepreneurial Management of Innovation
Academic Experience
Projects
Eulysis February 2010 to April 2014 Members:Spyridon 'Ross' Tsakas, Grahame Bulfield, Spyros Tsakas, Malcolm Bateman, Debra Kristensen, Darin Zehrung, Manjari lal, Alex Flood Our Single Vial System (SVS) is an innovative storage and reconstitution device for pharmaceuticals such as vaccines, antidotes and antibiotics. SVS solves numerous economic, humanitarian and environmental inefficiencies and risks caused by existing technologies.
Publications
System Introduced by Eulysis Could Prolong Storage of Medicines and Save Millions of Lives European Pharmaceutical Manufacturer News January 2011 Authors: Spyridon 'Ross' Tsakas Spyridon 'Ross' Tsakas (pictured), Edinburgh-based scientist turned entrepreneur, has created and patented a unique method for prolonging the lifespan of drugs.
Entrepreneurs Grow the Future in Scottish Labs Talent Scotland June 2011 Authors: Spyridon 'Ross' Tsakas Spyridon formed Eulysis Ltd to commercialise the Single Vial System (SVS), prolonging the lifespan of drugs so they can be stored without refrigeration for years without losing potency.
New Life for Medicines Alluminate July 2011 Authors: Spyridon 'Ross' Tsakas The Single Vial System would avoid the need for refrigeration and reduce manufacturing and transportation costs.
Royal Society of Edinburgh Research Awardees Royal Society of Edinburgh Resource Magazine November 2011 Authors: Spyridon 'Ross' Tsakas Spyridon Tsakas University of Edinburgh Business School Single Vial System
Worldwide Who's Who Profile Worldwide Who's Who Registry of Distinguished Individuals February 2012 Authors: Spyridon 'Ross' Tsakas Driven and committed, Mr. Tsakas is the founder and president for Eulysis Limited; an innovative device development company focused on improving the storage and delivery of pharmaceutical products.
Eulysis: A Company Driven by Humanitarian Purposes University of Edinburgh Business School: Joint PhD/MBA Research Assignment March 2012 Authors: Spyridon 'Ross' Tsakas The condition of medicines and vaccines’ storage affects their lifespan. New storage methods are crucial for the maintenance of the pharmaceutical products, especially in third world countries, where diseases are a major threat. A young and promising entrepreneur, Ross Tsakas, identified a new opportunity in the field and created Eulysis in 2010. His company developed a device that increases drugs lifespan.
Capital business elite celebrated in the first Edinburgh Chambers of Commerce Awards STV March 2012 Authors: Spyridon 'Ross' Tsakas Most Promising New Business Commendation; Finalist for High Growth Company of the Year
Business School Masters Graduate Receives Prestigious Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Award University of Edinburgh Business School News May 2012 Authors: Spyridon 'Ross' Tsakas Eulysis UK Limited announced today that it is a Grand Challenges Explorations winner. Grand Challenges is an initiative funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Spyridon-Edouard Tsakas, a 2010 graduate of the Business School's MSc in International Business and Emerging Markets Programme, is Founder & President of Eulysis and will pursue an innovative global health and development research project, titled Single Vial System (SVS).
Young Edinburgh Entrepreneurs Win Business Awards All Media Scotland September 2012 Authors: Spyridon 'Ross' Tsakas Ross Tsakas (26), founder of Eulysis UK Ltd, an innovation company that specialises in improving the storage and delivery of pharmaceutical products, won the award in recognition of outstanding business innovation at The Prince’s Trust Youth Business Scotland Growth Fund Awards at Citizen M last night.
The Youth Dividend Sunday Herald April 7, 2013 Authors: Spyridon 'Ross' Tsakas What is good about the Power of Youth summit is that I'll get to meet people who are entrepreneurs like me, and there are always possible collaborations and joint ventures that could emerge. Even if we are in completely different sectors we can find common ground on issues like funding infrastructure, networks, project planning, cash flow management, legal issues.
43North unveils 11 finalists, two from WNY Innovation Trail October 16, 2014 Authors: Spyridon 'Ross' Tsakas Eulysis UK Limited Hometown: Edinburgh, Scotland People's Choice Award voting hashtag: #43North5 Eulysis UK is a groundbreaking development company focused and committed to optimizing pharmaceutical access globally. In collaboration with the World Health Organization, Gates Foundation and other major institutions, Eulysis UK intends to commercialize the SVS technology on a global scale to provide expanded access to life-saving medicines.
43North judges favored finalists with developed ideas Buffalo News October 30, 2014 Authors: Spyridon 'Ross' Tsakas Eulysis UK Ltd. received early backing from the Gates Foundation for its system to store and ship drugs in a single vial that mixes its freeze-dried ingredients with the liquid component with a single push to break a membrane separating the two. Eulysis’ founder Ross Tsakas estimated that it could take another nine months to prove to regulators that the Scottish company’s product works as well as conventional methods. Its single-vial delivery system doesn’t require additional studies to receive regulatory approval. As a result, Tsakas estimated that the company could be generating revenue within a year, and while it would initially license production to other manufacturers, Eulysis plans to start making its product itself within four years, potentially employing up to 100 people at a factory that could be located in Buffalo.
11 Lessons Learned from the Biggest Pitch Contest of All Time Forbes Magazine November 3, 2014 Authors: Spyridon 'Ross' Tsakas 10) Validation Nation – Ross Tsakas checks a lot of the aforementioned boxes. The Scotsman is an impressive presenter with a huge, game-changing idea – a one-vial delivery system for vaccines that has applications worldwide, especially in the developing world. The Gates Foundation has spent billions creating efficient ways to deliver vaccines to poor nations. As Tsakas presented, one could only wonder what the Gates team would say about his technology. Then he showed his cards: The Gates Foundation had already given him a grant to support his research. Tsakas wound up with a $500,000 investment, and the runner-up designation.
Languages
English (Native or bilingual proficiency) Greek (Native or bilingual proficiency) Spanish (Full professional proficiency)
Elementary communication possible in: French, Italian, German, Dutch, Norwegian, Czech, Croatian, Russian, Serbian, Mandarin, Marathi, Kashmiri, Arabic and Amharic
Skills & Expertise
Entrepreneurship New Business Development Innovation Management Market Research Emerging Markets Global Business Development Business Development Lifesciences Start-ups Management of Global Healthcare Systems