Executive Profiles

After nine years in the medical device industry, Darik Volpa witnessed a huge disconnect in communication between surgeons and patients. Mr. Volpa noted that most doctors were too busy or lacked the skill set to communicate well with patients, and patients were usually confused with strange terminology or too nervous to ask the right questions. These opportunities led Mr. Volpa to found Understand.com in 2003 and develop unique tools and content to better educate patients. Today, Understand.com has served more than 5,000,000 people around the world.

Mr. Volpa gained much of his experience at Stryker Corporation, a $4 billion orthopedic device manufacturer, where he served as Global Marketing Manager. He managed more than $50 million in products and commercially launched the first synthetically engineered bone morphogenetic protein (OP-1™) in the world.

While at Stryker, Mr. Volpa earned numerous awards including the Rolex Award for Sales Performance in 1997, Marketing Professional of Year in 1999, Best New Product Introduction in 2000, and Highest Product Growth Award in 2001. Additionally, Mr. Volpa was directly responsible for the development and launch of more than 50 medical device products.

Mr. Volpa was named the 2007 Innovator of the Year by The Business Report of Northern Nevada and received Senatorial recognition from Nevada Senator John Ensign. In 2006, Mr. Volpa was awarded "Best of Show" at the Silver & Gold Venture Capital Conference representing Understand.com.

Mr. Griffin’s background includes strategic sales and product marketing experience for software and Internet companies, SoundPix Corporation and iGo.com, as well as the development of a $250 million global partnership for Mobility Electronics. Mr. Griffin also built and managed the $48 million medical division of Microflex Corporation, successfully driving the company to number one market share for Doctor direct sales.

A graduate of Yale University, Mr. Griffin brings a proven track record of business development success with Fortune 500 companies, global corporations, fast-growth technology companies and leaders in the medical industry.

Eric Zerrenner’s vast professional network and twelve-year background in marketing, sales, and business development have given him a unique understanding of the relationship between brands and their target consumer. A veteran of marketing both B2B and B2C products, Mr. Zerrenner brings expertise in recognizing business opportunity, analyzing current and future trends, and strategic brand planning.

Prior to joining Understand.com, Mr. Zerrenner was a co-founding member of Keneisys Corp, a security software company and patent holder of the Virtual StrongBox™ Security Platform. As Chief Business Development Officer, Mr. Zerrenner was responsible for developing all marketing and sales programs in support of sales, distribution channels, and business development initiatives in addition to participating in fund raising efforts.

Before starting Keneisys, Mr. Zerrenner served as an Account Director for Washington DC based RedPeg Marketing, an award winning Experiential Marketing Agency. While at RedPeg, Mr. Zerrenner established himself as a leader in the Marketing and Event Production field specializing in integrated marketing and advertising campaigns. During his tenure at RedPeg, Mr. Zerrenner was responsible for the development of campaigns from concept and ideation through strategy and implementation, increasing agency revenue 25% to over $20MM.

Mr. Zerrenner earned a bachelor’s degree from the Eli Broad College of Business at Michigan State University.

Ian Berry-Jewett is an IT industry veteran with over 15 years of experience creating and supporting technology solutions. As an expert in the analysis and design of complex systems, he has overseen the development of numerous projects, taking products from early concept to mass deployment. Mr. Berry-Jewett has recruited and lead several teams of expert programmers and administrators

Prior to joining Understand.com, Mr. Berry-Jewett served as CTO for Keneisys Corporation, an encryption based data security company. As CTO Mr. Berry-Jewett was responsible for building the technology department and implementing the strategic plan for the development and support of the company's product.

In 2002, Mr. Berry-Jewett served as a Senior Engineer at CISS, LTD, a logistics software company based in Allentown, Pennsylvania.

In 1999, Mr. Berry-Jewett was recruited by V.N. Hermes to create a secure e-mail platform from drawing board to production.

Mr. Berry-Jewett attended Lafayette College, where he received a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science.