Texas Emerging Technology Fund Award

Ben Hertzog, CEO of Houston-based Procyrion, said he's excited about the company's recently awarded $750,000 Emerging Technology Fund grant.But what others may be excited to know is that Hertzog discovered Procyrion when he was working for Houston-based AlphaDev LLC, which provides business oversight to startup life sciences companies.Hertzog, who spent time working as a management consultant with New York City-based McKinsey & Co.'s pharmaceutical and medical products practice, helped "triage" Procyrion's portfolio, shepherded intellectual property and tested the company's concept.The company's technology, a catheter-deployed ventricular-assist device, was developed by Dr. Reynold Delgado, who came up with the concept while working at the Texas Heart Institute.