Charlottesville Entrepreneurs and Espresso will begin at 8:00 a.m. on Tuesday, November 17, 2015. The format of C-E2 will consist of networking over coffee, a pitch from the Local Nanny Network with time for Q&A, and a "School of Hard Knocks" session with David G. Kalergis, JD/MBA, co-founder of Diffusion Pharmaceuticals LLC. The Early Stage Company Pitch will spotlight one start-up each month. The School of Hard Knocks session will get in the trenches with a successful entrepreneur who will share first-hand experiences and perhaps some outlandish secrets, so other entrepreneurs may discover valuable lessons learned.
Local Nanny Network (LNN) is a unique, nanny based company that provides premier on-site childcare for special events in the Charlottesville area of beautiful Central Virginia. We strive to create a safe, caring and fun environment for children while giving parents the freedom to attend functions and enjoy their time away. Our services ultimately provide peace of mind for brides and grooms, parents and event planners. Our qualified nannies are thoroughly screened, along with being CPR certified, and are coached by LNN staff. Our nannies supervise the children in their care at all times and come prepared with age-appropriate toys, crafts, games, and books.
David Kalergis
David Kalergis, along with Professor John Gainer, is co-founder of Diffusion Pharmaceuticals LLC, and, since 2004, has served as the company’s Chief Executive Officer. Under his leadership, Diffusion has grown into a clinical-stage drug development company commercializing a novel proprietary pharmaceutical technology. Clinical trials of Diffusion’s lead compound, trans sodium crocetinate (TSC), began in 2007 to explore its use in indications including peripheral artery disease and radiation sensitization in the treatment of cancerous tumors.
Before attending graduate school, David worked as an intelligence analyst for the U.S. Government. In 1982, after receiving MBA and JD degrees from the University of Virginia, he was associated with the New York City law firm of Dewey, Ballantine, Bushby, Palmer & Wood, practicing in the areas of corporate finance, public offerings and mergers and acquisitions.
In 1991, David became the first private investor in Pharmaceutical Research Associates, Inc. (PRA), a contract research organization providing clinical trials services to international pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies. PRA went public in 2004 and is now among the world’s largest CROs. David served on PRA’s Board of Directors, and, from 1991 to 1994, as head of Business Development before being named General Counsel. In these capacities he was involved in the planning and implementation of all phases of pharmaceutical clinical trials across a wide range of indications.
After leaving PRA, David became associated with the University of Virginia in an initiative to more closely link high-technology industry with research. He met Professor John Gainer and the two launched Diffusion Pharmaceuticals shortly thereafter. David has remained involved with the University’s efforts to encourage the spin-out of new high technology companies.
David is a founding director of publicly traded Virginia National Bank, and served on its board until May 2012. While on the Virginia National Bank board, he served on the Audit Committee and as Chairman of the Assets and Liabilities Committee. Other past board service includes the Virginia Biotechnology Association.
David graduated from the University of Virginia College of Arts and Sciences with a B.A. in Psychology. In 1982 he graduated from the Combined Program of the Colgate Darden Graduate School of Business Administration and the University of Virginia School of Law, receiving both J.D. and M.B.A. degrees. David is also a graduate of the Harvard Business School’s Leadership and Strategy in the Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology Industry program.