Rimac joins Cognoa to provide financial and strategic leadership, bringing over 30 years of broad operating and finance experience within the pharmaceutical, medical device, biotechnology, and drug delivery industries
(Palo Alto, Calif. – September 30, 2021) – Cognoa, a pediatric behavioral health company developing diagnostic and therapeutic solutions for children living with behavioral health conditions, today announced that Tony Rimac has joined as Chief Financial Officer (CFO). Rimac joins Cognoa’s management team to lead the development and implementation of the company’s financial strategy.
“We are thrilled to welcome Tony to the Cognoa team and look forward to leveraging his financial and strategic leadership abilities. Tony has a wealth of private and public industry experience that will greatly assist us as we prepare to introduce our lead product to the healthcare community, while thoughtfully collaborating with policymakers to improve pediatric behavioral healthcare and outcomes for children and families,” said David Happel, CEO of Cognoa.
Rimac has over 30 years of broad operating and finance experience, including more than 20 years of financial leadership within the life sciences industry. He is an experienced financial leader, who has developed and implemented infrastructure to move development stage enterprises to commercially focused organizations.
Rimac joins at an important juncture for Cognoa which recently announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted marketing authorization for its autism diagnosis aid, Canvas Dx™. The AI-based device is the first FDA-authorized diagnosis aid designed to help physicians diagnose autism in the primary care setting.
“I am excited to be joining Cognoa at such a pivotal time for the company and working with industry leaders to address critical unmet needs within autism and behavioral health,” said Rimac. “What excites me the most is the potential for Cognoa’s pipeline of innovative AI-based software solutions to impact the lives of children and families in meaningful ways. I look forward to leading Cognoa’s financial team and help bring the company’s vision to fruition through its lead and pipeline products.”
Rimac joins Cognoa from ESCAPE Bio, a biotechnology company focused on the development of precision neurology therapies, where he served as Chief Financial Officer. Prior to his time at ESCAPE Bio, Rimac served as Chief Financial Officer and Chief Business Officer of Chrono Therapeutics Inc, as well as CFO of Aldea Pharmaceuticals, Adamas Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: ADMS), for which he led the Initial Public Offering, and Aerovance, Inc. During his over 20 years in the life sciences industry, he has led financing teams to raise in excess of $500M in private and public equity, debt capital, and partnership financing.
About Cognoa
Cognoa is a pediatric behavioral health company developing diagnostic and therapeutic solutions with the goals of enabling equitable access to care and improving the lives and outcomes of children and families living with behavioral conditions, starting with autism. Cognoa’s products are intended to be routinely prescribed by providers and covered by insurers. For more information, visit https://www.cognoa.com/.