San Diego

David has +30 years buy- and sell-side expertise of M&A, partnering and investments within the life sciences and healthcare sectors working within strategic biopharmaceutical companies, private equity, investment banking and venture capital. He serves as Managing Partner for Cardiff Advisory LLC, a boutique mergers & acquisitions FINRA investment banking and strategic advisory firm focused on M&A and partnering collaborations for life sciences and healthcare companies.  He currently serves as an advisor to more than 40 entrepreneurs and their companies.
 
In parallel to his investment banking activities, David is an emerging fund manager and raising capital from limited partners for Coast BioVentures, a $50 million life sciences fund focused on the Southern California market.  He is also a venture partner for Suncoast Ventures and LemVega Biotech Fund and a limited partner for Mesa Verde Venture Partners, three life sciences venture funds focused on incubator through growth-stage companies. 
 
David currently serves in leading Boards of Director roles for Histogen, Inc. (Nasdaq: HSTO), Paracrine Inc., Almon Therapeutics, California Life Sciences (CLS), and BIOCOM California as Chair of Capital Development. He is also Chairman Emeritus of the Board for the Alzheimer’s Association for San Diego/ Imperial Counties.
 
As a result of his trusted and outstanding advisory work, Dr. Crean has been awarded numerous recognitions including 2023 Leader of Influence in Life Sciences by San Diego Business Journal, San Diego’s 500 Most Influential people for the past four years (2019 -2022), 2020 Top Thought Leaders by Axial, M&A Advisor of the Year in 2019, and the 2018 Healthcare Hero Award. 

John co-chairs Life Science, Biotech and MedTech CEO peer-to-peer advisory groups advising CEOs in multiple stages including Startup, Early Venture, and Late Growth. 

With over 30 years of business innovation and growth, John helps privately-held, middle market companies navigate the changing technology, marketing, sales, and digital landscape. He helps businesses reimagine, reshape, and retool for an era in which traditional business models are being transformed.

With extensive experience with investor backed companies, John understands how to fast-track revenue growth, transform sales organizations, reposition and rebrand based on customer data and insights.

John is a creative problem solver who anticipates the needs of the market and investors, and helps guide business stakeholders accordingly. Adept at building and managing relationships throughout the organization, and has a successful track record of leading cross-functional teams.  

Paul helps entrepreneurs and their investors get companies formed, funded and sold, including initial formation of corporations and LLCs, negotiation of seed, early and mid-stage equity financings and buy and sell-side mergers and acquisitions. He is also adept at venture capital investments, public and private securities offering and compliance and general business counseling. Paul has also counseled some of San Diego’s most successful companies in Securities and Exchange Commission compliance and general corporate governance.

Dr. Yang provides comprehensive IP strategic counseling to public and private biotechnology, pharmaceutical, digital health and medical device companies. His patent counseling and prosecution experience creates and protects IP assets as primary value propositions for growth enterprises in all stages of business, from proof of concept to clinical development, regulatory approval and product launch. Dr. Yang is also experienced in conducting due diligence in complex venture financings, public offerings, partnering/licensing transactions, and mergers and acquisitions. Dr. Yang has a global client base, including companies and investors in U.S., Europe, and Asia. After obtaining his B.S. in polymer chemistry and Ph.D. in organic synthesis, Dr. Yang worked as a medicinal chemist in the pharmaceutical industry for more than four years before becoming a patent practitioner in 2006. He is a member of the firm’s Management Committee.