Home About Services Ventures Contact Client Portal
Home / About
About Gary

Builder. Operator.
Board Director.

30+ years commercializing AI at the intersection of regulated healthcare, enterprise analytics, and precision medicine.

Gary Conkright
30+
Years in
Health Tech AI
Board Profile

The Rare Combination of Technical Depth and Operating Credibility

Gary Conkright is a board director, former multi-time venture-backed CEO, and trusted advisor to private-equity and growth-stage healthcare technology companies. For more than 30 years, he has served on Boards of Directors of the companies he has founded and led — partnering closely with investors, independent directors, and executive teams to scale complex businesses through growth, regulatory, and market inflection points.

Gary brings over 25 years of commercializing AI with operating leadership and governance experience at the intersection of artificial intelligence, regulated digital health, and enterprise-grade analytics. He has raised more than $150M in venture capital and helped source over $100M in private equity, with full P&L responsibility across multiple organizations.

$150M+
VC Raised
$100M+
PE Sourced
5
Companies
1
GE Acquisition
Schedule a Conversation
Core Board-Level Expertise

Where Gary Adds the Most Value

Built from three decades of operating at the frontier of AI and regulated healthcare.

Scaling Innovation from Concept to Enterprise Adoption

At SmartSignal, Gary pioneered AI-based signal analytics to predict failure in mission-critical equipment, including jet engines and industrial assets — then transferred those learnings to human physiology. SmartSignal was acquired by GE and deployed globally, validating both the technology and operating model at scale.

AI-Driven Decision Systems in Regulated Environments

Gary has built and governed AI platforms operating in high-consequence environments — healthcare and mission-critical infrastructure — where accuracy, interpretability, and compliance are essential. His work consistently transforms noisy, continuous data streams into early, actionable signals that improve outcomes and reduce risk.

Personalized Medicine & Digital Biomarkers

As Founding CEO of physIQ, Gary led development of the first FDA-cleared AI-based "digital twin" platform enabling personalized medicine — incorporating 5 FDA-cleared digital biomarkers that deliver clinical decision support by translating physiological data into actionable insights for high-risk patients.

Board Partnership, Governance & CEO Mentorship

Across five venture-backed companies, Gary has worked in lockstep with boards for three decades — supporting governance, CEO development, succession planning, capital strategy, due diligence, and M&A decision-making. He is a steady, candid partner to CEOs navigating ambiguity, growth pressure, and transformation.

Career Arc

Three Decades. Three Landmark Companies.

From the first IoT solution for jet engines to FDA-cleared AI biomarkers — built from the ground up.

1990s – 2006 Acquired · GE

SmartSignal Corporation

Founder & CEO

Founded with the University of Chicago to commercialize early AI technology developed at Argonne National Laboratory. SmartSignal built the first "Internet of Things" solution to monitor the health of mission-critical industrial equipment — jet engines, nuclear power plants, and chemical processing facilities. After raising venture capital and expanding globally across industrial sectors, the company was acquired by GE and deployed worldwide, validating the technology and operating model at enterprise scale.

Argonne National Lab IP First Industrial IoT AI GE Acquisition 100+ Patents
2011 – 2023 FDA Cleared

physIQ

Founder & CEO

Spun out of SmartSignal with an IP license of SmartSignal's 100+ patents for the field of biological systems. physIQ built the first AI-enabled biomarker company — obtaining the first AI-based Digital Twin cleared by the FDA. The platform achieved ISO 13485 certification and delivered 5 AI-based, FDA-cleared digital biomarkers for the Clinical Trial and Clinical Care markets, translating continuous physiological data from wearables into personalized, actionable clinical insights.

5 FDA 510(k) Clearances ISO 13485 Certified AI Digital Twin Clinical Trials & Care
2023 – Present Active

IO-IQ

Founder & CEO

Stealth-stage AI company using wearables and precision AI to address the immuno-oncology industry's critical need for safety monitoring — in both Clinical Trials and Clinical Care. Building on the proven technology lineage of SmartSignal and physIQ to deliver the next generation of closed-loop precision medicine for high-risk oncology patients.

Immuno-Oncology Precision Medicine AI Clinical Trials Stealth Stage
Ongoing Advisory

GWC Advisory LLC

Founder & Board Director

Board directorship and strategic advisory for PE-backed and growth-stage healthcare AI companies. Gary serves as an independent director, trusted advisor, and operating partner to founders and PE firms — applying 30 years of operational credibility to governance, strategy, fundraising, and market entry.

Board Directorship PE Advisory Fundraising & IR Go-to-Market
Education

Academic Foundation

B.S. Aeronautical Engineering
Purdue University
Engineering foundations that underpin 30 years of applied AI in complex systems.
MBA
University of Chicago Booth School of Business
Business strategy and finance grounding that bridges technical innovation and market value creation.
Work Together

Ready to put 30 years of experience to work for your company?

Board directorship, strategic advisory, and fundraising support for PE-backed healthcare AI.

Schedule a Conversation Explore Services →