Theodore Walrond
Most people call me Rex.
I trained in behavioral and cognitive neuroscience at the University of Florida, spent my spare time teaching people to breathe underwater, and save my time off for high mountain passes. These days I live in St. Petersburg, Florida, on Tampa Bay, where I'm building an early-stage company in consumer health.
Three things I keep coming back to
The brain
Two research roles shaped how I think. At UF's McKnight Brain Institute (2022–2023) I worked through more than 300 studies on whether bleeding around the brain raises the risk of Alzheimer's later in life. In the summer of 2021, at Romark Laboratories, I tracked more than two dozen COVID-19 drug candidates as their trials unfolded.
The water
I'm an SDI Divemaster. From 2020 to 2023 I was a teaching assistant for the University of Florida's Scientific Diving Program, helping students work from Open Water up through Master Diver. My favorite Florida dive is Paradise Springs. My favorite anywhere is the kelp forest off Catalina Island.
The mountains
I summited Mount Rainier on a guided climb with International Mountain Guides, and I've backpacked the John Muir Trail, the Teton Crest Trail and the backcountry of Glacier National Park. The thinner the air, the better the trip.
Putting a science background to work in consumer health
After completing graduate coursework in finance at the University of Notre Dame, I turned my attention to building. I'm now working on an early-stage consumer health venture, drawing on what I learned reading clinical research and what I learned about how companies get financed.
I also spent a year as an Impact Partner with the American Parkinson Disease Association, leading a monthly support group.