Tarek Makansi, PhD Electrical Engineering, is StimAire’s founder and inventor of the fundamental technology that enables the injectability of a neurostimulator activated by a magnetic field. Prior to StimAire, Tarek founded Tempronics, which exited to a Fortune 500 manufacturer. Tarek also had a 20 year career at IBM, where he was Director of Worldwide Product Strategy for the multi-billion dollar data storage unit, including M&A recommendations. Tarek is an inventor of over 20 US patents. Tarek is a guest lecturer at the University of Arizona School of Entrepreneurship and an advisor to the Dean of Engineering.

Dan Root MD is a Board-Certified Sleep Physician and founded Oregon Sleep Associates, a sleep medicine facility in Portland, Oregon. His experience with thousands of sleep apnea patients revealed key gaps in the available treatments, which he is working to close with StimAire. Dan also founded a company hosting an online store for sleep apnea patients, which exited successfully in 2017. Dan is a member of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. At StimAire, Dan co-developed the user interface, the injection and titration procedures, and the introducer for our neuromodulator for treating Obstructive Sleep Apnea.

Michael Deitch was most recently a founding partner for UA Venture Capital where he gained significant experience investing in and exiting portfolio companies. In addition, he has taken a company from inception through its initial public offering including two follow-on offerings, and negotiated for and raised millions of dollars of financing (private equity, venture capital, mezzanine capital, and commercial lending). Michael was the founding CFO at both SinfoníaRx, Inc., and The Providence Service Corporation (Nasdaq: PRSC) where he closed over 30 acquisitions. He has an MBA from the University of Tennessee and was a certified public accountant from 1982 until 2024.

Robert Dean PhD, MD/ENT developed the injection procedure for the StimAire neurostimulator device for treating Obstructive Sleep Apnea. Robert is CEO of Urgent Specialists, has been President of Tucson ENT, and is an active member of the American Academy of Otolaryngology.

Abhay Sanan, MD is a Board Member of StimAire. He has practiced for 24 years at the Center for Neurosciences, the largest in Southern Arizona focused on neurological disorders. Abhay serves as an Assistant Professor of both Neurosurgery and Radiation Oncology at the University of Arizona.

Tony Arnold is Board Member and an Independent Director for StimAire. Tony has a seasoned career as CEO of venture-backed neuromodulation companies, including SetPoint Medical in Santa Clarita, California. Previously, Tony was an executive with Boston Scientific.

Fiona Bailey PhD is Professor of Physiology at the University of Arizona, specializing in sleep and sleep-disordered breathing, specifically obstructive sleep apnea. Prof. Bailey has over 40 published research papers in the neuromuscular aspects of respiration. Prof. Bailey leads StimAire’s preclinical human testing.

Andy Fuglevand PhD is Professor of Physiology, Neurosciences, and Biomedical Engineering at the University of Arizona, focused on research about how the nervous system controls muscles to produce coordinated movements. Prof. Fuglevand has over 70 published research papers on neuromuscular topics. Prof. Fuglevand leads StimAire’s preclinical animal testing.