2022 INNOVATOR OF THE YEAR AWARD NOMINEES

Smart Cups, Mission Viejo Chris Kanik, CEO & Founder

Chris Kanik is the CEO and founder of Smart Cups, a sustainability driven technology company responsible for the World’s First Printed Beverage. Born and raised in Union City, New Jersey, Kanik’s creative and entrepreneurial spirit can be directly attributed to being the first generation born of immigrant parents. Having experienced first-hand the struggles and inequalities that exist among socio-economic classes, Kanik has always been drawn to disrupting the status quo and designing better solutions to systems. Kanik officially launched Smart Cups and The World’s First Printed Beverage in December 2017 from their 23,000 sq. ft facility in Mission Viejo, California. Their first offering, Smart Cups Energy Drinks, was a proof of concept for Smart Cups Technology, which has never existed before.

Sole Technology, Lake Forest Pierre-André Senizergues, CEO

Pierre André Senizergues, founder and CEO of Sole Technology, parent company of etnies, éS, Emerica, Altamont Apparel and Thirty-Two, continues to cultivate it’s brands as a global leader in footwear and apparel while providing the most quality, function and style for skateboarders, as well as preserving the core spirit of action sports. As the first professional skateboarder to own and operate a footwear brand, and one of the largest still privately-held skate companies in the industry, Senizergues showcases a tireless work ethic and dedication to seeing skateboarding flourish on a global level. He has guided the Sole Technology brands to unprecedented levels of success for more than a decade and demonstrated an undeniable passion for the environment by staying true to its skateboarding roots while pushing the envelope as a leader of sustainability in the industry.

Sonendo, Laguna Hills Bjarne Bergheim, President & CEO

Bjarne Bergheim is the president and CEO of Sonendo, a commercial-stage medical technology company focused on saving teeth from tooth decay and improving lives. Bergheim was the company’s first employee and previously served as COO. He has been a member of the board of directors since 2008. Bergheim led Sonendo through its initial public offering in October 2021, marking a significant milestone for the company’s growth in the medical technology space. Additionally, he helped develop Sonendo’s flagship product, the GentleWave® System, an innovative technology platform designed to treat tooth decay by cleaning and disinfecting the microscopic spaces within teeth without the need to remove tooth structure. Prior to joining Sonendo, Bergheim was a co-founder and a member of the management team of Fjord Ventures, a life science accelerator located in Laguna Hills focused on building and operating companies in the medical device, diagnostic and biopharmaceutical sectors. Bergheim was also the first employee of 3F Therapeutics, which was acquired by ATS Medical and later by Medtronic.

Specright, Tustin Matthew Wright, Founder & CEO

Matthew Wright is the founder & CEO of Specright, the first cloudbased platform for Specification Management. Specright was named a Gartner Cool Vendor, received the Salesforce Innovation Award and recognized as one of the Top Places to Work by the OC Register and Built in LA. He’s transformed the way companies like Johnson & Johnson, Thermo Fisher, Albertsons and Caterpillar manage their critical product and packaging data. His innovation and vision is enabling these companies to report on sustainability, bring products to market faster, ensure the quality and safety of things we touch or consume every day. He’s also a published author and his book, “The Evolution of Products and Packaging,” was named to the Amazon Hot New Release List for Industrial Relations Business and has a five star rating. Prior to founding Specright, Wright spent more than 25 years in the packaging industry, holding leadership positions at International Paper, Temple Inland, and rightPAQ - a packaging company he co-founded. He also sits on the Packaging Advisory Board at Cal-Poly San Luis Obispo.

Tarsus Pharmaceuticals Inc., Irvine Sesha Neervannan, Chief Operating Officer

Sesha Neervannan is a leader in global drug development with more than 25 years of experience, having led the development of novel therapeutics at several major pharmaceutical companies. At Tarsus, he is instrumental in leading the operational efforts for the pipeline, most notably TP-03 (lotilaner ophthalmic solution, 0.25%), the company’s lead candidate under investigation for the treatment of Demodex blepharitis. Prior to joining Tarsus in 2020, he was senior vice president of Global Pharmaceutical Development at Allergan (an AbbVie company), where he leveraged his strategic leadership to develop small molecule and biologics drug products in the company’s portfolio, leading a team of 300 people with an operating budget of more than $100 million. Before Allergan, Neervannan was director, Pharmaceutics R&D at Amgen where he oversaw CMC functions and assisted in building early development functions, primarily focusing on a discovery-development interface to enable pipeline advancement, and a senior research investigator at Bristol-Myers Squibb Pharmaceutical Research Institute. Neervannan actively participates in local charitable services and serves on the scientific advisory boards of several nonprofit organizations and start-up companies.