Dan Roark, CEO of Spokane-based pathology-tech company Gestalt Diagnostics Inc., is a serial entrepreneur, active angel investor, mentor, and a sought-after speaker at entrepreneurial events.

In May, Gestalt raised $7.5 million in Series A funding to help facilitate broader market adoption of digital pathology and help grow the young company. Gestalt’s leading software product, PathFlow, a digital platform developed to reduce the time it takes to review pathology samples by creating digital scans of those samples, enables pathologists to review data faster and download and share information with colleagues.

The new funding will support the company's application for clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Education: Bachelor's degree in chemistry, Whitworth University; bachelor's degree in chemical engineering, Washington State University. 

What would you tell others looking to follow a similar career path as yours? Leaders make sacrifices to build companies. Employees need encouragement and support and it takes dedication — and in my case, a lot of travel — to ensure goals are aligned with customers and partners. It is really rewarding to build teams and ultimately products that change markets. Make sure you create some work-life balance, which is not easy in startups.

What is a major professional accomplishment you are proud of? Playing a small part in building automation for the Human Genome Project and working with world-class engineers across the globe for a noble goal that has changed the face of medicine in fighting disease, including cancer.

Do you have a favorite quote or motto? "If you aren’t making mistakes, you aren’t doing anything." – John Wooden

How do you relax and unwind? Spending time on Lake Coeur d’Alene with my family, golfing, biking, skiing, and reading books.

How do you continue to develop and grow as a leader? I surround myself with good people, and mentor and provide encouragement for others, read books by industry titans about their struggles and their successes, take time to reflect, and be intentional and level headed with my input.