meet our founders

Growing up, Robert's father was a physicist at Princeton University and played an important role in his interest in technology.

Following receipt of his Ph.D. in laser applications from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Bob joined the research staff of the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California and later left his position as project leader to form Plasma Kinetics, Inc., the world's first copper vapor laser company.

Bob went on to found DermaCare, Inc., a healthcare services provider. With DermaCare he opened and managed two aesthetic laser centers in Southern California, providing state-of-the-art dermatologic services to over 400 patients per month.

Bob served as a private consultant to the medical laser industry, but returned to start-up activities with the founding of Star Medical Technologies in 1993. Star soon became part of Palomar Medical and concentrated efforts on development of a diode laser system for aesthetic applications. Six years later, Star was sold to Coherent Medical Group, the market leader in laser hair removal with most of its profits derived from its line of LightSheer® in-office systems for permanent hair reduction.

In January of 2003, Bob founded SpectraGenics with three former associates from Star Medical with the mission of becoming the global leader in therapeutic, light-based aesthetic devices for the consumer market. This collaboration resulted in the birth of TRIA Beauty, Inc.

At TRIA Beauty, Inc, Bob's past contributions include serving as CEO until the summer of 2008. His current role as CTO is to identify new technologies; maintain and foster an ongoing relationship with the professional dermatology community; and assist the CEO in evaluating strategic opportunities.

Bob currently serves on the Board of Directors of the American Society for Laser Medicine and Surgery; is the author of ten scientific papers in peer-reviewed journals such as Physical Review Letters; and holds eight U.S. patents in the field of medical lasers and applications.

Born in St. Paul, MN, Toby's family moved to Seattle, where his dad became a professor at the University of Washington, and then settled five years later in Roseville, CA. Growing up, Toby was academically-oriented but also loved sports and the outdoors, being an avid soccer player and skier who was lucky enough to spend 40 days per year on the slopes of the Sierras. Toby graduated high school as his class valedictorian and received a National Merit scholarship.

Toby attended Stanford University as an undergraduate, studying pre-medical and engineering fields, and receiving a BS with Honors in Mechanical Engineering in 1989. While an undergrad, Toby made the decision to remain at Stanford for graduate work, obtaining a Masters degree under the Stanford Fellowship program in 1990 and a PhD in 1997, all in Mechanical Engineering. His graduate work focused on fluid mechanics, lasers, and laser diagnostics.

In 1997, Toby began his career at Star Medical, where he led research and development of a novel laser-based imaging system for measuring blood circulation for application to skin burns, along with overseeing numerous clinical studies and authoring the user manual for the LightSheer® hair removal laser.

Shortly thereafter, Toby focused his efforts on the LightSheer® and directed the engineering of seven different models over several years. The LightSheer® remains the gold standard in laser hair removal. In addition, Toby also led development on the BClear and Relume UV arc-lamp products designed for the treatment of psoriasis, vitiligo (loss of skin pigment), and related conditions. Afterward, Toby focused his talents on leading engineering, manufacturing, and business teams and overall company operations for Lumenis' Aesthetic Business Unit.

Fast forward to TRIA Beauty.
As one of the TRIA Beauty founders, Toby's role has included a wide range of diverse activities, which he loves. His participation ranges from intense involvement in the mechanical engineering, clinical/regulatory/quality, manufacturing, and logistics.

Toby and his team are responsible for obtaining domestic and international regulatory clearances, basic clinical trials, new product engineering, manufacturing, and the logistics to get them in the hands of our customers.

Mark V. Weckwerth, Ph.D.
TRIA Beauty Co-Founder, Vice President, Senior Technical Advisor

Mark was born in Minnesota, the last of five children and the only boy. While his interests as a child included everything from sports to music, Mark decided to pursue his strong abilities in math and science, eventually attending the University of Minnesota where his father was and still is, a Professor.

In 1988, he earned a bachelors degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Minnesota, graduating with high honors. After a brief position with IBM research in New York, Mark attended Stanford University where he received both his Masters and Doctorate in Electrical Engineering with a thesis topic that involved the growth of crystals for high speed quantum-electronic devices. Upon completing a post-doctoral position at Sandia National Laboratories, he decided to pursue his entrepreneurial instincts.

After participating in several high-tech startups including Star Medical Technologies, Inc., Mark is one of the four co-founders of TRIA Beauty, Inc. His focus is on the development of product ideas that reach beyond hair and acne. Mark's tireless pursuit of new technologies, and technical design expertise makes him a true originator and trailblazer in the world of FDA-cleared and proven; professional-grade, light-based aesthetic devices, designed for use at home.

From May 2003 through January 2004 TRIA Beauty co-founder Mark Weckwerth treated a 3"x 3" square patch on his leg once per month with the TRIA Laser. Watch Mark talk about his experience and the great hair-free results he achieved.

Jon Pearson brings an international dimension to the TRIA Beauty team. Prior to co-founding TRIA Beauty, Jon was Executive Vice President, Asia Pacific Operations of Lumenis, Inc. where he had management responsibilities for the company's Asian operations. Under his management, Asia grew to $100 million in annual revenues with a team of 180 people, and two years running was Lumenis' most profitable sales territory with direct operations in both Japan and China. Prior to joining Lumenis, Jon served as Director, Asia Pacific for Coherent Medical Group, where he achieved nine consecutive quarters of revenue over plan, growing his region to be the highest international revenue and profit producing area for the medical division.

Jon holds a masters degree in International Management from the American Graduate School of International Management in Arizona, and a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Washington.