Gabriel Jones is a captivating figure, driven by an unquenchable curiosity spanning engineering, law, finance, philanthropy, and more. Despite his impressive achievements, Gabriel manages to remain remarkably down-to-earth. His path has been anything but linear, and it's not privilege or luck that has taken him places but his perpetual curiosity.
Gabriel is currently the co-founder and CEO of Proprio. ‘Proprioception,’ also known as kinesthesia, is our body's ability to sense movement, action, and location present in every part of the body. Without it, we wouldn't be able to walk without thinking about our next step. This is exactly what Gabriel and his team at Proprio are honing in on: aiming to revolutionize surgical precision and efficiency with AI-powered technology.
Gabriel’s globe-trotting career started in Japan, where he studied engineering via the University of Washington. The program was taught entirely by Japanese professors, covering a diverse range of subjects like mechanical and electrical engineering, as well as computer science. Competing with hard-working Japanese students, Gabriel excelled and landed a job in Japan at Taisei Kensetsu — one of the largest civil engineering and manufacturing firms in Asia — as their only non-Japanese employee.
But engineering is just the tip of the iceberg. Driven by insatiable curiosity, Gabriel moved to Washington, DC, to study legal systems and governance. He then transitioned to Wall Street, where he worked for high-profile clients such as AT&T and Google and was involved in large-scale mergers and acquisitions.
However, the financial world couldn't hold Gabriel’s interest for long. Feeling a pull towards making a societal impact, he came back to Seattle. There, he engaged with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to work on global initiatives, focusing on healthcare and technology. At this time, he had the opportunity to work directly with Bill Gates on special projects.
Eager to apply his diverse set of skills and experiences and hopefully drop a career anchor, Gabriel co-founded Proprio in 2016. The company's mission reflects his lifelong question: “Is it possible to do well and do good?“
At Proprio, Gabriel and his team are revolutionizing the very nature of surgical interventions, as surgeons tend to rely on outdated methods like reading printouts or X-rays during surgeries. With its emerging technology, Proprio aims to put them in a real-time 3D environment where they’ll get immediate feedback while operating — just like navigating with real-time GPS rather than a printed map. By providing an immersive 3D environment, Proprio tries to tackle a number of challenges in the surgical field, ranging from spinal corrections that are only effective 35% of the time, to catering to patients who need multiple surgeries for the same pathology, like in the case of breast cancer.
It’s safe to say that the future of Proprio is grand, yet grounded. Gabriel sees the technology being adopted across various specialties, whether it's a cardiologist in a cath lab or a general surgeon in an operating room. In numerical terms, that involves tapping into markets with billions of dollars in annual reimbursements, such as the spine surgery market, which grosses $30 billion in the U.S. alone. However, beyond the financial aspects, the real mission is to bring surgical interventions closer to perfection.
Gabriel and his team have come a long way since raising their Series A funding in the middle of the pandemic's first wave — a feat Gabriel jokingly refers to as "raising money from his kitchen." The company still managed to hit significant milestones, having received 510(k) clearance for spine surgeries in April 2023, which has provided a solid foundation to expand into other surgical areas.
Key Learnings From Gabriel’s Experience
- To truly create a long-lasting impact, your company needs to function as a platform that benefits all its partners. Don’t think of your startup as a solitary entity but as a part of a larger system where your success can uplift others.
- Raising capital is a challenge that tests a founder's skills, patience, and ability to adapt. Take a phased, incremental approach to growth, focus your efforts, implement timing cushions, and put yourself in the shoes of the investors you’re pitching to.
- Marketing communications, or PR, is not an afterthought or a checkbox to tick off — it should be an integrated part of how you envision leadership, both as a tool for inspiration and a framework for building a sustainable road for your company’s future.
Before co-founding Proprio in 2016, Gabriel Jones's career spanned engineering, law, finance, and philanthropy across the world. He studied engineering at the University of Washington before joining Tase Kensetsu, a major civil engineering and manufacturing firm in Asia. He then moved to Wall Street to work on large-scale mergers and acquisitions for high-profile clients like AT&T and Google. After returning to Seattle, he collaborated with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation on global healthcare initiatives. Today, he is the CEO of Proprio, a revolutionary medtech startup aiming to improve surgical precision with AI-powered technology.
Don’t Be Afraid to Create Your Own Ecosystem
Despite financial hardships during his childhood, Gabriel has created a multifaceted career that would baffle most LinkedIn algorithms. He views himself as an “active player,” always striving to be at the forefront of knowledge and innovation. "We have a lot of privilege just by being in this country at this moment in time with technology available to us," Gabriel reflects. "That's not enough to win the game, but you're in the game. Now you want to stay in the game."
Gabriel emphasizes the importance of not just being a product — but an ecosystem. Seattle, home to tech giants like Amazon and Microsoft, is also where Proprio is based. But Gabriel thinks that the Pacific Northwest ecosystem is missing a major medtech hub. "There's no Intuitive Surgical. There's no Medtronic here," he notes. And he doesn’t hesitate to believe he can create this ecosystem himself.
Yet, geography doesn’t have to be destiny in the 21st century. Gabriel notes that in today's virtual world, even smaller teams can harness global talent to create something remarkable.
"They're getting teams up in India of 25-50 software engineers. And then you have five people here in Seattle that are punching above their weight," he says. Size isn’t necessarily equal to impact. Even smaller teams can leverage existing technological tools to make waves in their domain.
However, even if you manage to break through, there are nuances to building a sustainable environment. To truly create a long-lasting impact, a company needs to function as a platform that benefits all its partners. Your startup is not a solitary entity but a part of a larger system where your success can uplift others. As Gabriel explains, "If you want to build an ecosystem, you have to build a platform company, which means your products have to make other products sing."
When it comes to the elephant in the room — a lucrative acquisition or an exit — Gabriel advises caution. Such endgames come naturally to companies that create value and remain committed to innovation. "Keeping your eye on the long-term goal is the way to drive that event anyway," he suggests. Don’t get lost in the grandeur of a lucrative exit; continue building something sustainable and impactful. A company that can execute on "true innovation and commercialization very well and does it many times" is most likely to succeed, according to Gabriel.
Raising Funds, Raising Stakes
Gabriel has navigated through multiple fundraising stages from pre-seed to Series B. He began by funding his startup through his own savings account, which was "rapidly dwindling” at the time. His initial boost came in the form of a $50K grant, which subsequently allowed him to raise a $1.6 million pre-seed round.
Gabriel’s approach to fundraising is preparing for the unknown. "One funny thing about being a founder and CEO is if you're doing interesting, challenging things, then you're not prepared for the next job. Not fully. And the same thing is true for financing," Gabriel says. Any financial strategy that worked before won't suffice in subsequent rounds; you'll need to improve and iterate on your previous playbook with "more creativity, more hustle, more grind."
Gabriel also offers some solid pragmatic advice. In terms of timing, he says: "If you have a number in your head about how long it's going to take you to do it, add at least 50%. If you thought it was six months, it's minimum nine months." Unexpected delays, obstacles, and challenges are inevitable in any fundraising process.
On the tactical side, Gabriel stresses the need for a strategic approach. He recommends meeting only with investors who have a recent track record in your field. "Don't spend your time with people who haven't written a check in your space in more than two years. It's not worth your time". Your interactions with potential investors should be as impactful as possible, and that means doing your homework and being selective.
On another note, Gabriel makes an interesting point on understanding the investors. Founders must realize the precarious situation that venture capital firms are in. When VCs commit to investing in your startup, they need to justify this commitment to their own investors. Understanding the dynamics of this “capital call” can help you present a more compelling case.
In summary, Gabriel circles back to the importance of resilience and adaptability. The journey from Series A to Series B, in his words, is just "one more hurdle that you need to cross." As the hurdles keep coming, you need to "celebrate the ticket to play” while looking for the ticket to win.
Turn Publicity Into Promise
Conveying your startup's mission to the public is not just a marketing strategy but also a way to inspire and engage with the community.
For Gabriel, the fascinating technology and the cutting-edge science behind Proprio are just one part of the whole picture. It’s also another link in his "life's work" of solving problems for humanity. That said, public storytelling is an essential part of his leadership strategy and mission for a greater purpose.
We can all agree that there are practical benefits of good PR. For Gabriel, the company culture and products are a reflection of the message he wants to communicate. He argues that a well-crafted public relations strategy not only influences the kind of talent that is attracted to the company, but also shapes the quality and focus of the feedback you receive from the market.
He is also acutely aware of the challenges that come with being in the public eye. Yet, he accepts the risks of saying something controversial or facing failures publicly as inherent aspects of the journey.
Being so outspoken in the market comes with its own challenges, but rather than shying away, Gabriel embraces these challenges with what he calls the "10-second rule,” which allows the team to briefly savor victories and learn from setbacks without getting bogged down. Being able to move on quickly both from celebrations and missteps, enables them to stay focused on the larger picture.
Over the next year, Gabriel and his team plan to capitalize on a pretty unique opportunity to deliver on the immense promise the company holds. This means that the next two-to-three years are about converting years of market-building efforts and technological advancements into tangible improvements in surgical interventions.
Gabriel Jones is a captivating figure, driven by an unquenchable curiosity spanning engineering, law, finance, philanthropy, and more. Despite his impressive achievements, Gabriel manages to remain remarkably down-to-earth. His path has been anything but linear, and it's not privilege or luck that has taken him places but his perpetual curiosity.
Gabriel is currently the co-founder and CEO of Proprio. ‘Proprioception,’ also known as kinesthesia, is our body's ability to sense movement, action, and location present in every part of the body. Without it, we wouldn't be able to walk without thinking about our next step. This is exactly what Gabriel and his team at Proprio are honing in on: aiming to revolutionize surgical precision and efficiency with AI-powered technology.
Gabriel’s globe-trotting career started in Japan, where he studied engineering via the University of Washington. The program was taught entirely by Japanese professors, covering a diverse range of subjects like mechanical and electrical engineering, as well as computer science. Competing with hard-working Japanese students, Gabriel excelled and landed a job in Japan at Taisei Kensetsu — one of the largest civil engineering and manufacturing firms in Asia — as their only non-Japanese employee.
But engineering is just the tip of the iceberg. Driven by insatiable curiosity, Gabriel moved to Washington, DC, to study legal systems and governance. He then transitioned to Wall Street, where he worked for high-profile clients such as AT&T and Google and was involved in large-scale mergers and acquisitions.
However, the financial world couldn't hold Gabriel’s interest for long. Feeling a pull towards making a societal impact, he came back to Seattle. There, he engaged with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to work on global initiatives, focusing on healthcare and technology. At this time, he had the opportunity to work directly with Bill Gates on special projects.
Eager to apply his diverse set of skills and experiences and hopefully drop a career anchor, Gabriel co-founded Proprio in 2016. The company's mission reflects his lifelong question: “Is it possible to do well and do good?“
At Proprio, Gabriel and his team are revolutionizing the very nature of surgical interventions, as surgeons tend to rely on outdated methods like reading printouts or X-rays during surgeries. With its emerging technology, Proprio aims to put them in a real-time 3D environment where they’ll get immediate feedback while operating — just like navigating with real-time GPS rather than a printed map. By providing an immersive 3D environment, Proprio tries to tackle a number of challenges in the surgical field, ranging from spinal corrections that are only effective 35% of the time, to catering to patients who need multiple surgeries for the same pathology, like in the case of breast cancer.
It’s safe to say that the future of Proprio is grand, yet grounded. Gabriel sees the technology being adopted across various specialties, whether it's a cardiologist in a cath lab or a general surgeon in an operating room. In numerical terms, that involves tapping into markets with billions of dollars in annual reimbursements, such as the spine surgery market, which grosses $30 billion in the U.S. alone. However, beyond the financial aspects, the real mission is to bring surgical interventions closer to perfection.
Gabriel and his team have come a long way since raising their Series A funding in the middle of the pandemic's first wave — a feat Gabriel jokingly refers to as "raising money from his kitchen." The company still managed to hit significant milestones, having received 510(k) clearance for spine surgeries in April 2023, which has provided a solid foundation to expand into other surgical areas.
Key Learnings From Gabriel’s Experience
- To truly create a long-lasting impact, your company needs to function as a platform that benefits all its partners. Don’t think of your startup as a solitary entity but as a part of a larger system where your success can uplift others.
- Raising capital is a challenge that tests a founder's skills, patience, and ability to adapt. Take a phased, incremental approach to growth, focus your efforts, implement timing cushions, and put yourself in the shoes of the investors you’re pitching to.
- Marketing communications, or PR, is not an afterthought or a checkbox to tick off — it should be an integrated part of how you envision leadership, both as a tool for inspiration and a framework for building a sustainable road for your company’s future.
Before co-founding Proprio in 2016, Gabriel Jones's career spanned engineering, law, finance, and philanthropy across the world. He studied engineering at the University of Washington before joining Tase Kensetsu, a major civil engineering and manufacturing firm in Asia. He then moved to Wall Street to work on large-scale mergers and acquisitions for high-profile clients like AT&T and Google. After returning to Seattle, he collaborated with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation on global healthcare initiatives. Today, he is the CEO of Proprio, a revolutionary medtech startup aiming to improve surgical precision with AI-powered technology.
Don’t Be Afraid to Create Your Own Ecosystem
Despite financial hardships during his childhood, Gabriel has created a multifaceted career that would baffle most LinkedIn algorithms. He views himself as an “active player,” always striving to be at the forefront of knowledge and innovation. "We have a lot of privilege just by being in this country at this moment in time with technology available to us," Gabriel reflects. "That's not enough to win the game, but you're in the game. Now you want to stay in the game."
Gabriel emphasizes the importance of not just being a product — but an ecosystem. Seattle, home to tech giants like Amazon and Microsoft, is also where Proprio is based. But Gabriel thinks that the Pacific Northwest ecosystem is missing a major medtech hub. "There's no Intuitive Surgical. There's no Medtronic here," he notes. And he doesn’t hesitate to believe he can create this ecosystem himself.
Yet, geography doesn’t have to be destiny in the 21st century. Gabriel notes that in today's virtual world, even smaller teams can harness global talent to create something remarkable.
"They're getting teams up in India of 25-50 software engineers. And then you have five people here in Seattle that are punching above their weight," he says. Size isn’t necessarily equal to impact. Even smaller teams can leverage existing technological tools to make waves in their domain.
However, even if you manage to break through, there are nuances to building a sustainable environment. To truly create a long-lasting impact, a company needs to function as a platform that benefits all its partners. Your startup is not a solitary entity but a part of a larger system where your success can uplift others. As Gabriel explains, "If you want to build an ecosystem, you have to build a platform company, which means your products have to make other products sing."
When it comes to the elephant in the room — a lucrative acquisition or an exit — Gabriel advises caution. Such endgames come naturally to companies that create value and remain committed to innovation. "Keeping your eye on the long-term goal is the way to drive that event anyway," he suggests. Don’t get lost in the grandeur of a lucrative exit; continue building something sustainable and impactful. A company that can execute on "true innovation and commercialization very well and does it many times" is most likely to succeed, according to Gabriel.
Raising Funds, Raising Stakes
Gabriel has navigated through multiple fundraising stages from pre-seed to Series B. He began by funding his startup through his own savings account, which was "rapidly dwindling” at the time. His initial boost came in the form of a $50K grant, which subsequently allowed him to raise a $1.6 million pre-seed round.
Gabriel’s approach to fundraising is preparing for the unknown. "One funny thing about being a founder and CEO is if you're doing interesting, challenging things, then you're not prepared for the next job. Not fully. And the same thing is true for financing," Gabriel says. Any financial strategy that worked before won't suffice in subsequent rounds; you'll need to improve and iterate on your previous playbook with "more creativity, more hustle, more grind."
Gabriel also offers some solid pragmatic advice. In terms of timing, he says: "If you have a number in your head about how long it's going to take you to do it, add at least 50%. If you thought it was six months, it's minimum nine months." Unexpected delays, obstacles, and challenges are inevitable in any fundraising process.
On the tactical side, Gabriel stresses the need for a strategic approach. He recommends meeting only with investors who have a recent track record in your field. "Don't spend your time with people who haven't written a check in your space in more than two years. It's not worth your time". Your interactions with potential investors should be as impactful as possible, and that means doing your homework and being selective.
On another note, Gabriel makes an interesting point on understanding the investors. Founders must realize the precarious situation that venture capital firms are in. When VCs commit to investing in your startup, they need to justify this commitment to their own investors. Understanding the dynamics of this “capital call” can help you present a more compelling case.
In summary, Gabriel circles back to the importance of resilience and adaptability. The journey from Series A to Series B, in his words, is just "one more hurdle that you need to cross." As the hurdles keep coming, you need to "celebrate the ticket to play” while looking for the ticket to win.
Turn Publicity Into Promise
Conveying your startup's mission to the public is not just a marketing strategy but also a way to inspire and engage with the community.
For Gabriel, the fascinating technology and the cutting-edge science behind Proprio are just one part of the whole picture. It’s also another link in his "life's work" of solving problems for humanity. That said, public storytelling is an essential part of his leadership strategy and mission for a greater purpose.
We can all agree that there are practical benefits of good PR. For Gabriel, the company culture and products are a reflection of the message he wants to communicate. He argues that a well-crafted public relations strategy not only influences the kind of talent that is attracted to the company, but also shapes the quality and focus of the feedback you receive from the market.
He is also acutely aware of the challenges that come with being in the public eye. Yet, he accepts the risks of saying something controversial or facing failures publicly as inherent aspects of the journey.
Being so outspoken in the market comes with its own challenges, but rather than shying away, Gabriel embraces these challenges with what he calls the "10-second rule,” which allows the team to briefly savor victories and learn from setbacks without getting bogged down. Being able to move on quickly both from celebrations and missteps, enables them to stay focused on the larger picture.
Over the next year, Gabriel and his team plan to capitalize on a pretty unique opportunity to deliver on the immense promise the company holds. This means that the next two-to-three years are about converting years of market-building efforts and technological advancements into tangible improvements in surgical interventions.
