Our Team

Mr. Fassberg is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Trout Capital. He has worked in the life sciences industry for 15 years and been an advisor to senior management of over 100 companies, both public and private. Prior to founding Trout, Jonathan was a sell-side analyst at a healthcare-focused investment bank. Before his career on Wall Street, Jonathan spent four years at DuPont Pharma in various sales and marketing positions.

Jonathan holds a Bachelor of Science degree in biology and chemistry from The University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill and a Master of Business Administration degree in finance from New York University’s Stern School of Business. He also holds Series 7, 24, 79 and 63 securities licenses.

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Mr. Stern has a broad array of experience in investor relations, management consulting and finance. Since joining Trout, he has worked with numerous health sciences companies to develop and implement their investor positioning strategies, assisted companies with capital-raising strategies and advised senior management on general company strategy. His responsibilities also include daily operations of the firm.

Lee holds a Bachelor of Science degree in quantitative economics from Tufts University and is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA). He also holds Series 7, 24, 79 and 63 securities licenses. He is a member of the New York Society of Security Analysts (NYSSA) and the CFA Institute. He also plays drums for a New York-based rock and roll band.

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Ms. Fassberg joined Trout as General Counsel from Davis Polk & Wardwell, one of the world’s leading corporate law firms. Ms. Fassberg’s experiences at Davis Polk & Wardwell includes corporate work such as representing investment banks and issuers in various securities offerings, including registered and private placements for domestic and foreign issuers, representing banks in lending transactions, providing advice relating to investment management, as well as general corporate work including corporate governance.

Edith received her Juris Doctorate, magna cum laude, from New York University School of Law in 1997.

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Mr. Levitan joined the firm in 2007 to expand the capital-raising, M&A and strategic advisory services efforts provided through Trout Capital LLC. Mr. Levitan has 16 years of experience in healthcare investment banking and corporate development, principally focused on the biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, life sciences and life science IT sectors. He has executed a broad range of healthcare transactions totaling over $3 billion in value. He has senior-level experience with boutique investment banks and with Bear Stearns in New York. Michael began his investment banking career at Lehman Brothers in 1996. Before that, he worked at Eli Lilly and Company in medical device and pharmaceuticals business development.

He also holds Series 7, 79 and 63 securities licenses.

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 Mr. Roemer joined the Trout Group in 2009 from Zelos Therapeutics, where he served as Chief Financial Officer & Treasurer and was responsible for all finance, accounting, administration, legal, human resources, information technology and investor/media relations functions. Prior to joining Zelos Therapeutics, Mr. Roemer was at Pharmasset (Nasdaq: VRUS) from 1999-2008. He was Pharmasset’s first full-time management hire, then responsible for developing the early stage operational infrastructure, fundraising transactions, investor relations and business development activities. Mr. Roemer raised over $100 million of private and public equity for Pharmasset while serving as Vice President in a variety of senior management roles. Before joining Pharmasset, Mr. Roemer was a healthcare consultant for Booz-Allen & Hamilton and Deloitte Consulting, and he also held various operational roles at Bank of America.

Mr. Roemer received a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Georgetown University and M.B.A. and M.P.H. degrees from Emory University's Goizueta Business School and Rollins School of Public Health. He also holds Series 7 and 63 securities licenses.

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Mr. Korb has lead investor relations and corporate finance activities for numerous biotech, diagnostic and specialty pharmaceutical companies in the US, EU and China since joining the firm in 2000. He has extensive experience advising companies and developing targeted IR initiatives covering clinical data, activist investors, FDA panels, financings, partnerships, M&A activity and ongoing litigation. He created and launched Trout’s popular US and EU Wall Street Unplugged Conference series. He previously worked as an Assistant Director for the California Public Interest Research Group, a non-profit environmental organization where he headed fundraising efforts in Southern California and attracted media coverage on target issues by drafting press releases and organizing news conferences.

He graduated magna cum laude from Tufts University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology. He is an avid marathon runner and triathlete, loves to travel and maintains his focus through regular yoga practice. He also holds Series 7, 79 and 63 securities licenses.

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Mr. MacDonald has worked with Trout since 2004 and brings over 14 years of experience in healthcare banking, operations and consulting to Trout Capital. David has advised companies at all stages from start-up companies to large, public pharmaceutical companies and has executed transactions in hedge/venture fund placement, private company finance, and business development/M&A.

David began his career as the CFO of Aptagen, Inc, a DNA and protein science company in Northern Virginia. He holds a BA in Economics and Philosophy from Skidmore College and an MPhil and PhD from Cambridge University in Economic Theory. He also holds Series 7, 79 & 63 securities licenses.

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 Mr. Fechtner joined the firm in 2001 and has been involved in a wide variety of activities at Trout. His language skills, knowledge of the European markets, and relationships have helped Trout clients expand their reach into Europe. Recently, Thomas was the keynote speaker at a CEO-CFO event in Germany about the US market, with an audience of more then 100 CEOs. His experience prior to joining the firm includes the sales of financial products and business communications. His role in investor relations for both domestic and international clients includes many aspects, such as investor targeting and roadshow outreach/logistics, implementing strategic planning, developing conference call scripts and investor audits. He also plans and advises biotechnology related investor conferences and assists in developing effective websites for clients.

Thomas completed his studies at the University of Augsburg in Germany. He has earned the honorary Trout title of Global Concierge. He also holds Series 7 and 63 securities licenses.

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 Ms. Glaser joined the firm in 2004, and is based in our San Francisco office where she offers both on-site access to the West Coast investment community as well as support to Trout clients. Prior to joining Trout, she spent a year traveling, and completed research in palliative care and women's health in multi-generational households at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. She has provided both U.S. and Australian companies with comprehensive investor relations and strategic development programs.  

Lauren graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a Bachelor of Arts degree in healthcare management and a minor in nutrition.  She also holds Series 7, 79 and 63 securities licenses.  Lauren enjoys yoga, snowboarding and participates in local triathlons.

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At the heart of Mr. Lewis's professional experience is client service; helping clients develop and implement strategies to achieve specific goals and measuring progress along the way. Prior to joining Trout, Seth was a Financial Consultant with Smith Barney where he developed relationships with both individuals and corporations, assisting them with portfolio management and strategic consulting. His background also includes over two years working in estate planning, advising senior citizens on issues regarding Medicare, Medicaid, prescriptions, and long- term care. Seth is based in our Boston office.

Seth has a Bachelor of Arts degree in history from Hartwick College. He also holds Series 7, 79 and 63 securities licenses and is a Series 65 Registered Investment Advisor. Seth is known to have an uncanny knowledge of all things trivial.

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Mrs. Nanus joined The Trout Group in 2003. She is experienced in advising late-stage biotechnology companies in their financing strategies and investor relations programs. She also has global expertise, working with Canadian and Israeli biotechnology companies to create visibility and exposure in the U.S. and European markets. Prior to joining Trout, Marcy worked in the consumer healthcare division of McCann Erickson.

Marcy received a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in finance, and consulting & venture management from Emory University's Giozueta School of Business. She is the co-founder and program director of the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of America's Camp Oasis and sits on the foundation's Board of Directors and Young Professionals Committee. She also holds Series 7, 79 and 63 securities licenses.

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Ms. Ogawa brings a diverse scientific background stemming from her four years of research experience in academia and industry. She joined the firm from Medarex, Inc., a monoclonal antibody- focused company, where she helped create a BCL-2 mouse for optimal monoclonal antibody production. She was previously a Research Associate at StemCells, Inc. where she worked in the development of neural markers as they related to monoclonal antibody and protein fragments.

Gitanjali holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics from Brown University and a Master of Science degree in biology from New York University. Her research while at New York University focused on the effects of catalase on hematopoietic progenitors. She also holds Series 7, 79 and Series 63 licenses.

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Mr. Rubin joined Trout’s after co-heading the Biotechnology Capital Markets Intelligence Group at Thomson Financial, assisting over 60 life sciences companies in their understanding of Wall Street. He brings with him over ten years of experience in advising life science companies on topics including shareholder targeting, capital markets transactions, message crafting and scenario analysis. His experience includes work in finance, consulting and market analysis. He has been involved with companies from pre-IPO stages to follow-on and convertible offerings. He is involved in capital transactions with corporate clients and has counseled clients on domestic and cross-border transactions and binary data events.

Chad holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in business administration with a concentration in finance from Franklin & Marshall College. He has a minor in film and media studies. He also holds Series 7, 79 and 63 securities licenses.

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Mr. Rahmer joined Trout in 2007. During his tenure, Peter has implemented various investor relation programs and assisted in managing and executing multiple equity fund raisings. Peter comes with a diverse academic background complemented by recent work experience as part of Thomson Financial’s Biotechnology Capital Markets Intelligence team. He has experience working with biotech companies ranging from micro-cap to large-cap and pre-clinical to marketed products. Peter has specialized in assisting investor relations efforts encompassing market intelligence, investor targeting, and situation analysis. Peter is based in our San Francisco office.

Peter holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics from St. Lawrence University and a Master of Business Administration degree with a concentration in international business from the Rochester Institute of Technology. While obtaining his degrees, Peter had the opportunity to study in China, Scotland and Washington, D.C. He also holds a Series 7 and 63 securities license. He enjoys traveling and all activities that keep him outdoors.

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Ms. Yang joined the Trout Group after co-heading the Biotechnology Capital Markets Intelligence Group at Thomson Financial and managed a team of nine analysts and over 50 clients. She brings her investor and capital markets advisory experiences to Trout, giving clients a broader understanding of their market perception, current shareholder base, and targeting practice. Since joining Trout, Christine has assisted on several capital transactions with corporate clients and has counseled clients on cross-border transactions and binary data events. She has been responsible for developing several initiatives at Trout including the Trout Group Client Book and reports such as “Current Market Perceptions in the Life Sciences Investment Community” and “Taking a Look at German Biotech.”

She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in cultural anthropology from Barnard College, Columbia University. She also holds Series 7, 79 and 63 securities licenses.  Christine enjoys practicing yoga, dancing, and playing tennis in her time away from the office.

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Ms. Spangler joined Trout in 2009 from Stratton Capital Management. At Stratton, her primary responsibilities included corporate communications and business development for the capital raising process. She holds a FINRA Series 7, 79 and 66 License and is presently a candidate for the Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst (CAIA). 

Prior to joining Stratton, Danielle worked for UBS Wealth Management in Equity Research Sales where she developed client relationships and learned market strategies. Previously, she held a position in Global Operations at Wachovia Bank in Philadelphia.

Danielle received a BS in Economics from the Smeal College of Business at Pennsylvania State University. As part of the Program, she resided in Seville, Spain where she studied the European Union.  

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Mr. Harnest joined the Trout Group in 2010. Previously, Simon has worked in private wealth management at Deutsche Bank, corporate communications at Still, and served on the board of directors of Westminster Business Consultants, the UK's largest student enterprise. During his studies in London, Simon held the positions of Course Representative, Education Officer, International Students Officer and Student Ambassador.

Simon is fluent in English, French and German. Simon holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Economics and a Master of Science degree in Bioscience and Society from the London School of Economics. He also holds Series 7 and 63 securities licenses. Additionally, he completed graduate courses in Music Performance for Flute at the Paris National Conservatory (CNR) and International Conservatory (Ecole Normale Alfred Cortot). Apart from his interest in the arts, Simon enjoys sailing, windsurfing and tennis.

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