Alex Herzlinger
Women's Health Entrepreneur, HBS '09, Harvard '00, former US Army Infantry Officer
| Headline: | Entrepreneur |
| Website: | http://www.drinkyoutea.com |
| Industries: | Food and Drink, Health |
| Interested in: | Brainstorming, Finding business partners, Finding mentors, Getting press, Meeting new people, Mentoring, Professional opportunities, Promoting my startups, Raising money, Recruiting for my startup, Starting a company |
| Tags: | Entrepreneurship, urinary health, women's health |
| Schools: | Harvard Business School, Harvard University |
FULL BIO
Alex is a Boston dude, an infantry dude, an entrpreneurial dude, and now a women's health dude.
After graduating Harvard in '00, Alex became a US Army Infantry Officer, which led him all over the world and back again. He led a mechanized infantry platoon of 4 Bradley Fighting Vehicles and 35 soldiers in Korea. He then led another infantry platoon, this time without vehicles (our boots are our trucks hooah!) with the 10th Mountain Division. He then led a third type of infantry platoon - mortars - which included a lovely stint with the Kurdish militia in northern Iraq in 2003. He was rewarded for his success by being granted the most feared and loathed job in an infantry battalion - Logistics Officer. This job proved to be the quintessential "challenging and rewarding" as he had to figure out how to get 700 soldiers food, water, ammuntition, fuel, sandbags, wire, flashlights, trucks . . . during combat ops in Baghdad.
Quoting my main man Junior Seau, Alex "graduated" from the Army in late 2005 and moved on to supply chain management, which brought him to Dayton NJ and Indianapolis re-vamping the processes in distribution centers. It was a real barrel of monkeys. He then decided that healthcare was his passion, and headed back to the land of lobstah rolls, frappes and YOUK! to attend Harvard Business School.
In November 2008, Alex sat with Tina Wu in a conference room at Harvard Business School brainstorming ideas for women's health solutions . . . and along came proanthocyanidins . . . and along came YouTea!
WORK EXPERIENCE
| Employer: | YouTea! Inc. |
| Position: | Co-Founder |
| Time period: | November 2008 - Present |
| Description: | Co-founder of women's health venture with innovative and proprietary functional beverage product |
| Employer: | MA Army National Guard, FT Devens, MA |
| Position: | 26th Infantry Brigade Combat Team |
| Time period: | December 2005 - Present |
| Employer: | Medtronic, Inc., Minneapolis, MN |
| Position: | Product Marketing Summer Associate, Global Pain Management, Neuromodulation Division |
| Time period: | December 2007 - November 2008 |
| Description: | Developed product positioning for two major implantable product families, drug delivery systems and spinal cord neurostimulators, in $1B+ pain management sector.
• Created strategy to expand physician and patient base by partnering with external healthcare providers • Led cross-functional team to deliver quarterly competitive marketing materials for two product lines • Developed model that analyzed revenue loss to pending competitive entry and evaluated pricing responses • Positioned flagship product against competitive entry and communicated messages to 450 member sales force • Earned highest performance evaluations from supervisors; recommendations approved by senior management |
| Employer: | Kurt Salmon Associates, Princeton, NJ |
| Position: | Consultant, Supply Chain Group, Consumer Products Division |
| Time period: | December 2005 - November 2007 |
| Description: | Led initiatives to improve productivity in manufacturing and distribution operations for three major retailers. Chose to relocate to clients’ locations throughout duration of projects to maximize exposure to their operations.
• Managed projects that improved facility productivity by an average of 30% • Gained proficiency in change management methodology, coaching managers and employees to succeed through operational restructuring • Coordinated team to develop employee recognition program which significantly improved facility morale |
| Employer: | US Army, 10th Mountain Division, FT Drum, NY and Baghdad, Iraq |
| Position: | Battalion Logistics Officer, Captain |
| Time period: | December 2003 - November 2005 |
| Description: | Responsible for all combat service support, including supply, transportation, maintenance, and fiscal operations, for 700 soldier light infantry battalion. Led five logistical soldiers. Supervised an $80 million annual budget.
• Developed a comprehensive system that supplied over 700 soldiers with all necessary supplies and equipment throughout twelve months of intensive combat operations, completing over $1M in local cash purchases • Managed six construction projects, hiring and supervising an Iraqi labor force • Earned Bronze Star Medal for leadership in combat, among two of eleven staff officers awarded this distinction • Rated by Battalion Commander as top junior Captain of seventeen during annual performance review |
| Employer: | US Army, 10th Mountain Division; US Army, 2nd Infantry Division, FT Drum, NY, Kirkuk, Iraq and Camp Hovey, Korea |
| Position: | Mechanized Infantry Platoon Leader, Rifle Platoon Leader, and Mortar Platoon Leader, Lieutenant |
| Time period: | December 1999 - November 2004 |
| Description: | Led three infantry platoons, responsible for the health, morale, welfare, readiness, training, and tactical employment of 35 soldiers. Accountable for $5M of vehicles, weapons, and equipment.
• Led platoon in combat operations to liberate northern Iraq in concert with US Special F orces and Kurdish militia • Earned Bronze Star Medal for leadership in Operation Iraqi Freedom • Rated by Battalion Commander as top Lieutenant of twenty-three during annual performance review |
EDUCATION
| University: | Harvard Business School |
| Time period: | 2006 - 2009 |
| Degree: | MBA |
| University: | Harvard University |
| Time period: | 1995 - 2000 |
| Degree: | US History, BA |
INFORMATION
| Hobbies: | Enjoy football, cooking, yoga, reading, weight lifting, and traveling with my wife. |
