David Stassen

Dave Stassen is a founding Managing Director of Split Rock Partners and a member of the firm's healthcare investment team. While his investing purview spans the country, Dave focuses particularly on the strong medical technology industry in Minnesota. Prior to founding Split Rock Partners, Dave was a General Partner with St. Paul Venture Capital's healthcare team. He rejoined St. Paul Venture Capital in 2000, nine years after he left the firm to lead Spine-Tech, an emerging growth company specializing in development and marketing of revolutionary spinal implant products. Dave led Spine-Tech from its formation in 1991 through growth in revenue to over $100 million. The company was acquired in January 1998 for over $600 million. In acknowledgement of this success, Stassen was named the 1998 Ernst & Young National Entrepreneur of the Year. From 1980 to 1990, Dave was a venture capitalist with North Star Ventures, an early-stage venture capital firm based in Minneapolis. Dave began his business career with IBM Corporation. He holds a bachelor's degree in quantitative methods and an MBA from the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota.