Ricky Caplin Joins Fellow Mission-Minded Founders and Advisors Across HealthTech and GovTech to Connect Early-Stage Entrepreneurs with Investors
JACKSONVILLE, Fla., Dec. 14, 2021 – Jacksonville entrepreneur, award-winning businessman and top global executive, Ricky Caplin, alongside two other industry-leading experts, announced the founding of The Aurora Forge, a business venture with a mission to infuse market-disrupting innovations with talent and commercial expertise to forge companies that decisively impact our world.
Ricky Caplin, Jacksonville entrepreneur, award-winning businessman and top global executive
“Our goal is to make a transformative difference by developing and harnessing leading-edge technologies to create profitable companies poised to provide novel solutions,” said Caplin. “Through The Aurora Forge, we seek to empower the next generation of brilliant minds with the tools and expert support needed for disruptive advancements.”
Caplin is joined by co-founders Ross Mason, CEO of The Aurora Forge and Founder of the High Impact Network of Responsible Innovators, and Dr. Newton Howard, Professor of Computational Neurology and Functional Neurosurgery at the University of Oxford; Professor of Brain Sciences at Georgetown University; former Director of the Mind Machine Project; a resident scientist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology; and Chairman of the Center for Advanced Defense Studies. Together, they will lead The Aurora Forge to grow seed-stage startups through direct funding, shared operations services and expert coaching.
“The Aurora Forge is not only transforming the HealthTech and GovTech sectors but will also contribute to the growing North Florida job market, helping to ultimately strengthen our economy and multiply opportunities for individuals in our communities,” Caplin said.
Caplin is a tech founder and Chairman of Caplin Family Offices. He has launched and led multiple organizations that have created thousands of jobs, including The HCI Group - one of the largest global healthcare IT consulting firms. Following a March 2017 merger between The HCI Group and Tech Mahindra, Caplin became one of the top global executives at Tech Mahindra, a global technology company with 117,000-plus employees. Under his leadership, the combined companies are thriving through their continued support from adopting digital technologies in the healthcare space.
He is the recipient of the 2015 Ernst and Young “Florida Entrepreneur of the Year Award,” Jacksonville Business Journal’s “Ultimate CEO Award” and has received recognition throughout the nation for his civic service. Caplin was named a 2016 “Rising Stars of the Profession—Excellence in Healthcare” winner by Consulting Magazine, a Top 75 Leader in Healthcare by Advantage Magazine, three-time University of Florida Gator100 award winner, and was selected to participate in the KPMG Quantum Shift program, an elite group of America’s most promising entrepreneurs.
His newest venture, The Aurora Forge, surrounds innovative entrepreneurs at the beginning of their journey with trusted advisors and mentors across HealthTech and GovTech who have been associated with multiple successful exits and played a part in seeding and growing influential companies around the world.
In addition, The Aurora Forge Founders will focus on leveraging a portion of their revenue to generate social capital to help care for people, designing an ecosystem where success creates a rising tide for communities and “the least of these.”
“We are committed to investing in innovative, impactful and transformational businesses,” Caplin said. “Through The Aurora Forge, we strive to make the world a better place by building great companies and donating to charity.”
Through services and support, The Aurora Forge will help entrepreneurs modify and refine their business models to drive customer acquisition and accelerate revenue.
Current advisors include:
Ricardo Azziz, MD, MPH, MBA, Former CEO, SUNY;
Sameer Badlani, MD, FACP, Chief Digital Officer and Executive Vice President for Technology Services, M Health Fairview;
Chad Brisendine, Vice President and Chief Information Officer, St. Luke’s University Health Network;
Saad Chaudhry, Chief Information Officer, Luminis Health;
Zafar Chaudry, MD, MS, MIS, MBA, CITP, Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer, Seattle Children’s Hospital;
Lisa Dykstra, Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer, Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago;
Ophir Frieder, MS, PhD, Biostatistics, Bioinformatics, and Biomathematics Faculty, Georgetown Medical Center, Fellow of AAAS, ACM, AIMBE, IEEE and NAI;
Dustin Hufford, Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer, Cooper University Health Care;
Mir Imran, Chief Innovation Officer, InCube Labs;
Matt Kull, Chief Information Officer, Cleveland Clinic;
Kristin Myers, Executive Vice President, Chief Information Officer and Dean for Information Technology, Mount Sinai Health System;
Emil Peters, President, Cerner Global;
Craig Richardville, Senior Vice President, Chief Information and Digital Officer, SCL Health; and
Tanya Townsend, Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer, LCMC Health.
For additional information about The Aurora Forge, visit theauroraforge.com.
About The Aurora Forge
Founded by experienced entrepreneurs, engineers, policymakers, and healthcare industry leaders, The Aurora Forge grows seed-stage startups through direct funding, expert coaching and shared operations services. Visit theauroraforge.com for more information.