Lane Melchor, an executive at Melchor Corporation and board member of the El Camino Hospital Foundation, has a long family history of supporting important healthcare needs.
His philanthropic focus started early, as he follows in the footsteps of his grandparents. His grandmother, a former nurse and staunch backer of the El Camino Hospital, volunteered her time and financially supported the organization before it even had a building, and his grandfather launched the hospital’s foundation. Melchor is proud to follow their legacy as a current member of the El Camino Hospital’s board.
Melchor learned about the Fogarty Institute via his association with the El Camino Hospital and was quickly impressed by its mission and the positive impact it was having on patients through its startup companies.
To complement his professional career, where he manages an investment fund that focuses on publicly traded real estate (in the form of Real Estate Investment Trust or REITs) and allocates portions of them towards venture investments, Melchor finds deep satisfaction and gratification in supporting the Institute and investing in its startups.
Alumni companies Prescient and Intervene were the first to capture his attention, based on their strong presentations, impressive boards and simple, yet effective, technologies that offer the potential to save and improve the lives of millions of patients.
Melchor continues to be involved with these startups he initially supported and has added two more — InPress and Madorra. “Investing in medtech and life sciences is extremely rewarding,” he said. “There is virtually no industry where it’s harder to raise money and bring a product to market, and yet none that is more deserving.”
One of the most pivotal challenges he believes entrepreneurs face is transferring from an academic environment to the “real world” of starting and growing a business. This is where the Institute plays a key role, by providing an incubator setting that offers education and mentoring, while nurturing the companies and increasing their value — all with the ultimate goal of helping patients.
“The Fogarty Institute plays a critical role in providing a platform for these startups to grow strong enough to obtain additional funding and bring their devices to market,” he said. “It’s extremely fulfilling when you are able to realize a return on investment while simultaneously helping people.”
Outside of business and his contributions to patient care, Melchor enjoys travel, fine wine and cooking, all passions he was able to indulge while living in France.