Jim joined Venture Investors in 2006 as a Managing Director and heads up the Firm’s latest Fund and its Ann Arbor, Michigan office. He leverages his technical, operational and venture capital background by focusing on investments in medical devices, diagnostics, and healthcare IT.
He currently serves as Chairman of the Board of Directors of HistoSonics, a company Venture Investors spun out of the University of Michigan and led the $15M Series A financing. Until the recent sale to Johnson & Johnson and Medtronic, Jim served as Chairman of the Board of Directors of Tissue Regeneration Systems, where he was a co-founder and the Company’s first CEO. In addition, Jim serves on the Board of Directors of ViaLase and SkySpecs and is a Board Observer at NeuMoDx Molecular. He was previously a Board Observer of LenSx (acquired by Alcon for up to $744M).
Jim’s prior venture capital experience includes a combined nine years as a partner at RidgeLine Ventures and EDF Ventures. During this time, Jim helped launch and was the CFO and a Board member of HandyLab (acquired by Becton Dickinson for $275M), and Xtera Communications (XCOM) by serving in the operating roles of CFO and General Manager until a management team was recruited.
Prior to his venture capital positions, Jim had nine years of operating experience both domestically and internationally. In these roles, he wore many functional hats: engineering, marketing, business development, and operations.
Adox holds a Bachelors’ and Master’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering, and a Master’s in Business Administration, all from the University of Michigan. Jim was the President of the University of Michigan’s Society of Automotive Engineering student chapter and led the Mini-Baja race team while earning his undergraduate engineering degree.
Jim is a competitive triathlete and a five-time Ironman finisher. He is a Cyclocross rider and racer, and an American Birkebeiner cross-country skier. In his free time, he enjoys road biking, working on his Alfa and photography.
Jim Adox, BSME ’88, MSE ’90, MBA ‘95
Managing Director
Venture Investors, LLC