Former Vivalink Executive, Aaron Timm, Joins As Chief Executive Officer; Mary Lou Jepsen Remains Chairperson, Continues Leading The Mission For Accessible Healthcare
SAN FRANCISCO–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Openwater, the open-source medtech company delivering portable diagnostic and therapeutic devices at a fraction of typical costs, announces the appointment of Aaron Timm as Chief Executive Officer. As a former Vivalink executive with more than two decades in clinical leadership, Timm brings the strategic acumen and operational expertise to scale Openwater through its next phase of global growth. Company founder Mary Lou Jepsen will continue to serve as an active Chairperson of the Board, maintaining her focus on advancing Openwater’s mission of making hospital-grade care available to all.
Openwater has rapidly grown its worldwide reach by combining sound and light-based therapies with open-source principles, enabling faster product development and broader availability of high-grade medical technology. With heavy pre-order interest for the Open-Motion™ 3.0 imaging unit and Open-LIFU™ 2.0 therapeutic devices, the company is moving from research partnerships into larger-scale commercialization. Aaron Timm’s appointment supports Openwater’s aim to meet surging demand while retaining its open, collaborative ethos.
Timm has served in executive roles spanning medical imaging, remote monitoring, and digital health. At Vivalink, he led commercial strategy, building alliances that accelerated the global adoption of wearable clinical solutions. He also previously guided imaging firm Synarc through acquisition and merger, shaping a pipeline of multi-country clinical trials. His experience in navigating regulatory compliance, patent law, and product-scale supply chain will strengthen Openwater’s ability to place its devices in the hands of researchers, hospitals, and clinicians worldwide.
“Throughout my career, I’ve helped integrate advanced technology into clinical workflows without pushing costs beyond patients’ reach,” said Aaron Timm, Chief Executive Officer at Openwater. “Openwater’s open-source foundations and focus on non-invasive therapy match what the global healthcare market urgently needs: practical, high-quality solutions that anyone can access. My priority is scaling our operations while keeping a clear focus on affordable, game-changing care.”
As company founder and Chairperson, Mary Lou Jepsen will center on product vision, major partnerships, and the ongoing expansion of Openwater’s platform, which integrates consumer electronics manufacturing with medical-grade precision.
“Improving healthcare for everyone is what inspired me to start Openwater,” noted Mary Lou Jepsen, Openwater Chairperson. “By expanding our leadership, we can reach people faster in more places, whether they’re battling cancer, stroke, or neurodegenerative diseases. I will remain fully engaged in driving our overarching mission: make hospital-level care attainable at a fraction of traditional costs.”
Openwater recently established an office in Taiwan to coordinate manufacturing, reflecting the company’s transition from R&D to broader distribution. Timm will oversee expansion both domestically and globally, ensuring the portable, open-source devices can address gaps in imaging, neuromodulation, and targeted ultrasound treatments. The company’s momentum is further energized by ongoing collaborations with major research universities and clinical centers worldwide.
Openwater’s early trials have shown it can non-invasively treat certain cancers at the cellular level, precisely modulate neuronal activity to address severe depression, and offer imaging comparable to hospital-grade machines. By marrying open-source development with consumer-level semiconductor production, Openwater lowers hurdles to regulatory approval and drives down device costs.
ABOUT OPENWATER
Openwater is a medical technology company founded by Dr. Mary Lou Jepsen to make hospital-grade care universally accessible. Backed by notable supporters—including Khosla Ventures, Plum Alley, BOLD Capital Partners, Vitalik Buterin, Esther Dyson, and Peter Gabriel—Openwater employs open-source development and consumer electronics manufacturing to lower the cost and speed the delivery of non-invasive medical devices. The company collaborates with leading institutions worldwide to research, validate, and distribute these technologies, aiming to reach patients across borders and income levels. For more information, visit www.openwater.health.
Contacts
MEDIA CONTACT
openwater@consortpartners.com
