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MBA Alumnus Ted Mosler Receives Top 50 Catalyst Award

Ted Mosler is having quite the kick start to his year. As president and chief technical officer at Gilero Biomedical, a biomedical product innovation company, his company is growing and hiring new staff. His company was recently named one of the fastest-growing private companies in America by Inc. magazine. This was the second year in a row Gilero Biomedical achieved a ranking on this list.

Better still, in early March, Mosler was voted one of the top 50 Catalyst Entrepreneurs in RTP. He shared the accolade with some prominent RTP entrepreneurs including the CEO of SAS Institute, Inc. And this is all from a young man (he's only 35) and an alumnus from the NC State University Poole College of Management's Jenkins MBA program. At the Business Leader Events reception in Raleigh, NC Mosler says that the entrepreneur award was an honor. "I consider myself more of an engineer and technologist. Being recognized for something that isn't a natural skill, but something that is cultivated, feels wonderful."

An Entrepreneur and MBA

Mosler's entrepreneurial spirit may be cultivated. But it's also taken considerable drive and fearlessness to build a thriving company since its initial launch in RTP eight years ago. Mosler grew up in Wapakoneta, Ohio; a town of less than 10,000 people and home of Neil Armstrong; America's beloved First Man on the Moon. Mosler's background is modest. His Dad worked in a grocery store and his mother nobly raised six children. Mosler is the middle child and says he always wanted to "do something." There was no fellow entrepreneur, inventor, technologist or engineer nearby as he grew up. But Mosler says his Dad is his ultimate role model. "My Dad showed me how to work hard and how to care for family."

In 1998, soon after graduating with his bachelor of science in mechanical engineering from the University of Toledo, Ohio, Mosler and his wife (then fiance) relocated to Raleigh, NC.

They were lured by the great weather and promising job market. His first job was a design engineering role at Alaris Medical Systems, Inc. Mosler loved working there and his company appreciated him too, so much that in 2000 they paid for him to pursue his MBA degree at NC State University. He studied part-time, at night, while working full-time during the day. Mosler made technology education and commercialization (TEC) his concentration and graduated in 2002. This was the very first graduating MBA class of the Jenkins MBA program.

Learning to be a Technology Entrepreneur through the Jenkins MBA Program

It was when studying his MBA degree that Mosler learned more about how to apply his engineering and technology skills to his own startup venture. The Jenkins MBA taught him how to write strong business plans, to approach projects as a team and the importance of choosing team mates who are brighter than oneself. "The Jenkins MBA program was full of bright people and so I learned a lot."

Mosler also found excellent contacts. The executives in residence at the TEC program for instance, helped and advised him as he founded Gilero Biomedical. Even today he frequently advises with attorneys he met while studying at the Jenkins MBA program. Mosler also learned how to take technologies and find solutions. "I still do that now, but I find problems and apply technologies to solve them."

Challenges for the Entrepreneur

Mosler's career seems unlimited. Gilero Biomedical is currently exploring other U.S. markets to expand into. Meanwhile he and his co-founder, Todd Korogi recently attracted $10 million in funding to start a new RTP company called Yukon Medical. Gilero Biomedical designs drug delivery devices for pharmaceutical companies. The new company, Yukon Medical, makes those devices. Mosler is also an inventor, now with over 30 issued U.S. patents and with many others pending.

But for this MBA, entrepreneur work has not always been easy. The 2009 economic downturn hit Gilero Biomedical hard. Clients put projects on hold and this forced layoffs of a few precious staff. (These clients have since returned, but it was still rough in the interim.) Mosler also must continually balance a very full work life and family life with his wife and four children. "You have to find your way," he says.

Jenkins MBA Entrepreneur Still Connects With the Program

And yet Mosler says he loves the thrill and challenge of his work and he insists that his MBA certainly helped him achieve his life goals. Consequently he has served on the Jenkins MBA program alumni board. He is a frequent guest lecturer at the engineering school and TEC and helps whenever asked. It was Associate Dean Dr. Steve Allen who nominated Mosler as a 2011 Triangle Top Catalyst Entrepreneur. Mosler personifies the ideal desired outcome for the Jenkins MBA and the TEC concentration, Allen says. "He has taken his technical skills to start a successful company using the management skills learned in our program. He's a model alumnus."