Darren Bechtel

Darren Bechtel is the CEO of Encapsule Medical, a privately-held medical device company focused on the development and commercialization of minimally invasive breast biopsy and tumor removal technologies. Encapsule was formed in May 2010, following the successful acquisition of the product portfolio of Rubicor Medical, Inc. As a former Rubicor engineer, Darren designed and developed what is now Encapsule's flagship breast biopsy device. Under Darren's lead, Encapsule is currently commercializing three FDA-approved medical products for global distribution this year. As the Founder and Managing Director of Deebek Ventures, Darren helps encourage and support innovation by identifying and backing first-time entrepreneurs from the Stanford community in new ventures across a spectrum of industries. Deebek's approach to angel investing with venture principals, combined with its unique fund structure, enables entrepreneurship and innovation while also providing current students and young alumni an opportunity to invest on a deal-by-deal basis with commitments as little as $5,000. Student and young alumni investors are allowed to participate in Deebek investments free of management fees in exchange for conducting diligence and evaluating future opportunities throughout the Stanford community. The mission of Deebek Ventures is to enable first-time entrepreneurs to drive radical innovation and to develop the next generation of strategic venture investors. Darren presently sits on the board of Music@Menlo, a San Francisco Bay Area performing arts non-profit, as well as startups Identified, Lark, Bre.ad, Proven and Womply. Darren earned a B.S. in Product Design from Stanford University in 2004 and an M.B.A. from the Stanford Graduate School of Business in 2010.