Interview with Jared Bauer, CEO of ProLung
This article is part of a series featuring business executives who choose to live and work in Utah. If you know of an executive we should interview, please contact us.
Growing up in Twin Falls, Idaho, with his 11 siblings, Jared Bauer learned firsthand the value of an honest, hard day’s work. As a result, you’ll often find him working shoulder-to-shoulder with his teams and leading from the front.
An award-winning CEO of ProLung, Bauer is both personally and professionally passionate about improving the lives of others through his service in the med-tech industry, where he has spent the last 10 years. His professional expertise is “turn arounds,” and he enjoys the challenge of solving complex issues.
ProLung developed a predictive analytic medical device utilizing bioconductance, which measures the impedance of a small electrical current introduced into the body. The non-invasive and radiation-free ProLung Test™ rapidly assesses the risk of malignancy in lung nodules found in the chest. The test can be completed in fewer than 30 minutes and can provide results within 24 hours. This cutting edge technology is designed to reduce the time it takes to diagnose cancer.
The ProLung Test™ was designated a ‘Breakthrough Device’ by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in February 2020. Through the Breakthrough Device program, the FDA will provide ProLung with expedited reviews, and the Centers for Medicare Medicaid Services has provisions for a simpler and faster pathway to reimbursement.
How did you get started in the industry?
In 2012, I founded Bauer Exuro Medical and acquired BurnFree products, focusing on regulatory processes and re-working quality systems. Ultimately, I piloted the company into the second-largest burn treatment company globally with distribution in 58 countries.
In early 2017, I co-founded ApolloDx, an in vitro mobile point-of-care diagnostic med-tech company, and Cibus Biotechnologies, a food safety company. As CEO for both companies, I was heavily invested in refining these technologies.
When I joined ProLung in late-2018, I successfully reorganized the company and re-adjusted the corporate strategy. Most recently, my team earned a ‘Breakthrough Device’ designation from the FDA for our patented ProLung Test.
It is a humbling reminder of our team’s tremendous potential to make a difference for those who have lung cancer. I am incredibly proud of our team’s accomplishments over the past 18 months, and our resolve to expand the development of our Artificial Intelligence-driven bioconductance technology has never been stronger.
What drew you to Utah?
The welcoming and pro-business environment is extraordinary, and the opportunities for growth, both personally and professionally, are incredible. I also recognized an opportunity to build something wonderful for my family.
What do you like most about doing business in Utah?
The high quality of life contributes to the state’s incredible talent pool. Utah also has incredible universities that are the key to innovation. The state also has an incredibly strong life sciences community with a rich history of life-saving innovation. I am proud to be a part of this vibrant and growing ecosystem.
What is your business philosophy?
Give me the bad news first. If we don’t know what we’re up against, then we can’t solve the problem.
Tell me some fun facts about yourself.
My wife and I enjoy tackling home improvement projects together.
Getting my hands dirty in my yard is one of the best stress relievers there is; I LOVE yard work.
Tell me about your charitable work.
My wife and I are incredibly proud of our ongoing work as trustees of The Oliver Fund, a non-profit 501(c)(3) that we co-founded to improve children’s standard of living in underdeveloped countries.
We started the organization in honor of our deceased son to improve childrens’ quality of life through play, with a focus on children in refugee camps. The influence he continues to have on our family and those who knew him is profound. In the same way, he brought light to the lives he touched, the Oliver Fund tries to recreate that light by working to improve the lives of children throughout the world.
Connect with him on LinkedIn.