# Duke Rohlen

> Duke Rohlen is the founder, CEO and managing partner of Ajax Health. A former restaurant entrepreneur, he later led or co-founded FoxHollow Technologies, CV Ingenuity, Spirox, EPIX Therapeutics and Cortex. His work combines company operations, investment partnerships and acquisition strategy; he also teaches in the Ajax DRIVE business program.

- **Role:** Founder, CEO & Managing Partner at Ajax Health
- **Organizations:** Ajax Health, Cordis-X, Cordis, Maverix Medical, Puzzle Medical, XII Medical, Cortex, EPIX Therapeutics, Spirox, CV Ingenuity, FoxHollow Technologies, Alta Partners, Blue Chalk Cafe, Left at Albuquerque, Stanford University Athletic Department, United States Ski and Snowboard Association
- **Education:** B.A., Stanford University, M.B.A., Harvard Business School
- **Known for:** Co-founded and served as president of a restaurant company that reached nine units and approximately $20 million in annual revenue., Served as president of FoxHollow before its combination with ev3., Co-founded and led CV Ingenuity, Spirox and EPIX through their acquisitions.

## Career timeline

- **1992** — Opened Blue Chalk Cafe with childhood friend Maurice Werdegar in Palo Alto.
- **2001** — Graduated from Harvard Business School with an MBA.
- **2007** — FoxHollow, where he served as president, merged with ev3; transaction closed in October.
- **2009** — Co-founded CV Ingenuity and served as CEO.
- **2013** — CV Ingenuity acquired by Covidien.
- **2017** — Founded Ajax Health; Spirox acquired by Entellus.
- **2019** — EPIX Therapeutics acquired by Medtronic.
- **2021** — Cordis-X established as part of the investment in Cordis; Rohlen serves as CEO.
- **2023** — Cortex established with a $90 million investment led by KKR and Hellman & Friedman; Rohlen serves as CEO.
- **2024** — Boston Scientific announced an agreement to acquire Cortex in November.
- **2025** — Ajax, KKR and Boston Scientific announced FlowMod, led by Philippe Marco.

## Achievements

- Co-founded and served as president of a restaurant company that reached nine units and approximately $20 million in annual revenue.
- Served as president of FoxHollow before its combination with ev3.
- Co-founded and led CV Ingenuity, Spirox and EPIX through their acquisitions.
- Led Cortex, which was acquired by Boston Scientific.
- Co-authored The Middle Path to Innovation with Regina E. Herzlinger, Ben Creo and Will Kynes, published in 2024.
- Teaches business and leadership in Ajax DRIVE.

## Latest updates

- **2026-09** — Listed as an IPEM Global 2026 speaker for a September 9 Meet the GP session.
- **2025-03** — Ajax, KKR and Boston Scientific announced FlowMod, with former EPIX and CV Ingenuity executive Philippe Marco as CEO.
- **2024-11** — Boston Scientific announced its agreement to acquire Cortex, where Rohlen was CEO.
- **2024-09** — Appeared on Dave Nolan’s Beyond the Finish Line to discuss goal-setting, teamwork and continued learning.

## Links

- Website: https://ajaxhealth.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/duke-rohlen-7610a2a/

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/duke-rohlen
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-26