New Executives Will Help the Company Optimize Manufacturing and Prepare to Sell the HOUND® MARIJUANA BREATHALYZER
OAKLAND, Calif., Dec. 09, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Hound Labs, Inc., a health technology company specializing in point-of-care solutions, announced today the hiring of two industry-leading executives. Mr. John Lindgren has joined as Chief Financial Officer and Mr. Ian Felix has joined the Company as Vice President of Manufacturing.
As last month’s elections demonstrated, marijuana legalization is spreading around the United States. Thirty-five states and the District of Columbia now have medical marijuana laws, and adults in 15 states have access to legal recreational marijuana. These numbers are evidence of the widespread acceptance of marijuana. In fact, a Pew Research poll found that two-thirds of Americans say marijuana should be legal1. As individual states legalize, neighboring states are also taking note, preparing the U.S. for the continued spread of legalized marijuana in the short term.
As legal cannabis expands to every corner of the U.S., zero-tolerance policies that were created when marijuana use was illegal are no longer practical. Employers have an urgent need for new tools such as the HOUND MARIJUANA BREATHALYZER that only identify very recent marijuana use within a few hours of smoking. Measuring recent use ensures that employers meet legal obligations to keep workplaces safe while also treating employees fairly.
“I’m excited to join the Hound Labs team at such a pivotal moment,” said Lindgren. “Joining the company during an election season has shown me how much pent-up demand there is for a point-of-care marijuana drug test and how much additional need there will be as more Americans gain access to legal marijuana.”
Lindgren has over 20 years of experience in finance, sales, and channel operations. Lindgren spent two decades at HP in finance and operational roles, and most recently was the Vice President of Finance at Clear Labs, where he helped transition leading-edge next gen testing capabilities into the COVID-19 testing market and set up a CLIA-certified lab.
Felix also brings a wealth of experience to the Hound Labs team with a career that spans over 30 years in manufacturing and operations for medical device companies. His experience includes bringing electromechanical devices from prototype to high-volume manufacturing with quality, regulatory, and cost targets met. Felix will take over the Company’s transition to large-scale manufacturing both domestically and overseas.
“This is the right time to expand our executive team,” said Dr. Mike Lynn, CEO and co-founder of Hound Labs, Inc. “John and Ian both have the deep experience required to immediately add value in a rapidly evolving environment like Hound Labs. We continue to meet the challenges resulting from COVID-19 and are making final preparations to set our customers up for success in the era of expanding cannabis legalization as they navigate the new mandate of maintaining safety while treating employees fairly.”
The growing acceptance of marijuana use combined with ongoing legalization indicate that 2021 will start with more demand for an objective and fair test for recent marijuana use.
“It’s been a difficult year for so many, but Hound Labs has weathered 2020 admirably,” said Colin Woods, General Manager of DISA Global Solutions, a major provider of drug testing and workplace safety and compliance solutions that will market the HOUND MARIJUANA BREATHALYZER to its large customer base. “I look forward to working with Hound Labs to bring the HOUND BREATHALYZER to DISA’s customers, as well as watching them launch their product to the broader market.”
About Hound Labs, Inc.
Hound Labs is a point-of-care health technology company that combines science and technology in novel ways to improve health and wellness. The Company believes its ultra-sensitive and portable technologies will pave the way to practical and fair solutions for some of the leading public health and safety issues. Hound Labs’ point-of-care solutions include the HOUND® MARIJUANA BREATHALYZER2, which allows employers and law enforcement to identify recent marijuana use rapidly and accurately by testing breath on-site, and the HOUND® COVID-19 BREATHALYZER, which captures breath samples on-location for laboratory identification of COVID-19. The Oakland-based company was founded in 2014 by a team including CEO Dr. Mike Lynn, an ER physician, reserve deputy sheriff, and former venture capitalist. Benchmark, Icon Ventures, Intrinsic Capital Partners, Main Street Advisors, NFP Ventures, and individual investors have funded the Company.
CONTACTS
CommStrat
Linden Kohtz
media@houndlabs.com
(512) 964-3784
Hound Labs, Inc.
Jenny Lynn, Co-Founder
media@houndlabs.com
1 https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2019/11/14/americans-support-marijuana-legalization/
2 The HOUND® MARIJUANA BREATHALYZER is intended to detect recent marijuana use. It does not measure whether, or how much, a person is impaired. It is intended solely for use in law enforcement, employment, and insurance settings. It should not be used for any medical or therapeutic purposes, or for any Federal drug testing programs, such as programs run by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), the Department of Transportation (DOT), and the U.S. military.