Dan Markel
Founder | CEO
Dan Markel is the visionary founder of Pure Blue Group, an intuitive platform of companies founded by Markel and connecting his group of investors with the most innovative entrepreneurs/products in digital health, wellness, fitness, and healthy cuisine. He is known as a pioneer across various industries, earning a reputation for creatively resolving some of the most complex market challenges, particularly in the areas of COVID-19 prevention, alcoholism/addiction recovery, and now with sexual wellness. Across a well-established career that includes high-value entrepreneurial ventures in finance, real estate, healthcare, and dining, Markel has raised in excess of $100 million for over 40 private placement offerings, passionately supporting the next generation of industry leaders.
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Dan Markel is the visionary founder of Pure Blue Group, an intuitive platform of companies founded by Markel and connecting his group of investors with the most innovative entrepreneurs/products in digital health, wellness, fitness, and healthy cuisine. He is known as a pioneer across various industries, earning a reputation for creatively resolving some of the most complex market challenges, particularly in the areas of COVID-19 prevention, alcoholism/addiction recovery, and now with sexual wellness. Across a well-established career that includes high-value entrepreneurial ventures in finance, real estate, healthcare, and dining, Markel has raised in excess of $100 million for over 40 private placement offerings, passionately supporting the next generation of industry leaders.
After Markel earned a MFA from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, he spent two years on Wall Street with Morgan Stanely while working toward his Executive MBA at the University of Southern California. He began his professional career in real estate investment, building a 4,000+ portfolio of national properties that included an award-winning Los Angeles Live-Work Loft.
After successful exits from his real estate holdings, he transitioned his focus into startups that he felt would solve significant problems facing society. He also operated some of the most successful fast casual restaurants in the country with Jersey Mike’s and now Hummus and Pita Company, scheduled to open its California flagship location in North Hollywood. Markel soon discovered a personal calling to evolve a revolutionary addiction treatment approach and partnered with a team of addiction psychiatrists to launch a nationwide care program offering a first-of-its-kind implant designed to aid in successful drug addiction recovery (FDA approval pending). After this first successful foray into health technology, Markel went on to co-found Intrivo Diagnostics, responsible for developing a highly accurate over the counter COVID-19 testing kit paired with a proprietary results-tracking app.
Markel’s latest venture, Pure Blue Group, pays homage to one of the mogul’s favorite business books, Blue Oceans Strategy. This groundbreaking investment firm is behind the launch of various promising startups in healthcare, wellness, fitness, energy, technology, and dining. One such venture is Rise Medical, for which Markel serves alongside his wife as Founder/CEO, spearheading a first-of-its-kind community of medical professionals and sexual wellness experts dedicated to the personalized treatment of vitality issues through integrative care.
Finally, having partnered with the inventor of BURN180 – a revolutionary, patent-pending and universally-appealing exercise device – Markel is busy launching the product around the world. Still, amid a vast track record of proven entrepreneurial success, Markel’s proudest achievement remains his long term marriage to his high school sweetheart, writer/director Kathleen Welch Markel, and raising their four amazing children (now adults): Vivian, Jackson, Max, and Stella. Believing that “the true test of a person’s character is what he does when no one is watching, he strives to live every day with
integrity and a lens of gratitude. He and his wife currently split time between California and Markel’s home state of Nebraska with their two dogs, Theo and Truck. Learn more about the Pure Blue Group at PureBlueGroup.com and about BURN180 at Burn180.com. Follow @RiseMedicalinc on Instagram. Rise Medical: The Art & Science of Sexual Wellness™
Kathleen Markel
Co-Founder
A native of Omaha, NE, Kathleen Welch Markel met her future husband and Rise co-founder, Dan Markel, when they were cast together in a high school play. They attended Loyola Marymount University, where she received her BFA. After receiving her MFA from the American Conservatory Theatre in San Francisco, Markel pursued her career as a playwright, actor and director, working in major cities across the US.
Their decision to have four children changed the trajectory of Welch Markel’s career. While freelancing as a magazine writer and interior designer, her primary focus was raising their children the past 20 years. Once the kids were in high school and college, she refocused her time and efforts on her writing career. She is currently in production as the writer/director of an independent feature film.
As a person who has been “ruled by her hormones most of her life,” Welch Markel has always had a keen interest in wellness and women’s health. She jumped at the opportunity to be involved with such a groundbreaking company.
Dr. Laura Purdy, MD
Dr. Laura Purdy graduated from Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences and served full time in the U.S. Army, during which she became the Practice Medical Director at MDLive. Dr. Purdy has worked extensively throughout the telehealth industry and is passionate about the de-stigmatization of intimate wellness as well as growing the access to quality care for all men and women.
She is a Board Certified Family Medicine Physician with years of experience as a full-time Med/Peds Hospitalist as well as Chief of Hospitalist Service for an Army Community Hospital.
Because Dr. Purdy is process-improvement driven; she brings tremendous added value to Rise Medical.
“She has unrestricted licenses in all 50 states.
Dana Hughes
Chief Operations Officer
With over 25 years of leadership roles in various corporate development areas, she has a diverse background in corporate operations and oversight. Hughes emerged into the business space via the insurance industry which led her to become a distinguished expert and consultant in new startup operations
Over the last decade and a half, her combined corporate experience and expansion into technology and product development have blended nicely to provide a high level of expertise in acquisitions, quality assurance, compliance, sourcing, and logistics.
With her 35 years of experience, she has a highly unique blend of well-rounded expertise that is amplified in all aspects of business.
Jonathan Saul
Chief Financial Officer
Jonathan Saul earned his Business and Economics degree from UC Santa Barbara and oversees the product technologies and brand development aspects of Rise Medical.
He is a seasoned lifestyle and medical device executive with a strong background in brand management, product development, strategic marketing, and sales excellence in high-growth companies such as Gucci, Compex, Revelar, and Cefaly.
Several of his products have achieved well over $100M in sales and he is the proud recipient of the European Consumer Choice award for a crossover medical-to-consumer device.
Saul has a deep and personal interest in medical technologies and an unwavering commitment to health and wellness.