About Us
Meet The Team
Founder & CEO
Maria Aboytes
Board Member – Innovator and entrepreneur in MedTech with a special focus on Neurovascular. María founded and directed Medina Medical, which was later acquired by Medtronic. She has held key positions in several successful companies such as NFocus, Ardian, and Concentric Medical, all acquired by major industry leaders like Medtronic and Stryker.
With over 30 years of experience in startup management, R&D, scale-up, regulatory approvals, and neurovascular engineering, María has been a driving force in bringing medical device products to market. She is a prolific medical device inventor, holding over 75 patents and patent applications.
Currently, María advises early-stage medical device companies and investors and serves on the boards of Vena Medical Inc., Cognition Medical Inc., and Uphill Medical. Her extensive experience and innovative contributions continue to shape the future of MedTech, inspiring the next generation of medical entrepreneurs.
CSO & Co-Founder
Aurelio D. Valencia
My name is Aurelio Valencia, a proud first-generation Mexican, Maria’s son, and Crystal’s younger brother. In 2023, I graduated from the University of Oregon with a degree in Journalism, specializing in advertising. While my academic background and much of my life had little to do with the Med-Tech industry, I’ve had the incredible opportunity to collaborate with the two most important people in my life to build a brand that can help incubate new businesses in the medical field.
Our journey began in 2017 when Crystal started selling medical equipment from our family's porch. When she decided to explore other career paths, I was given the chance to revive Karp with the support of my family. Since 2023, I have played a key role in opening our first warehouse and showroom, as well as launching our website and brand. Together with Crystal and Maria, we have relaunched Karp, staying true to our original mission of empowering companies in the medical field.
I am thrilled to lead our family-owned company into the future and to support the businesses that partner with us. I look forward to connecting with you, so please feel free to reach out if you have any questions!
COO & Co- Founder
Crystal Valencia Tompkins
I'm Crystal, a Co-Founder of Karp Medical, a venture I started with my mom to help pay for college after being accepted into the University of San Francisco. After graduating in 2015, I discovered my passion for Technical and Corporate Recruiting.
My recruitment journey has been incredibly rewarding, with the privilege of working for prestigious organizations such as Stanford Research Institute (SRI), the innovative Med Tech company ViewRay, and the dynamic startup software company Replicated. These experiences have equipped me with the expertise to empower companies in the medical and tech fields by finding the right talent to drive their success.
I am deeply grateful to those who have supported me since the beginning of this journey. Your trust and partnership have been invaluable, and I look forward to continuing our collaboration and building relationships with new clients and companies.
If you have any questions or need assistance with recruitment, please feel free to reach out. I'm always here to help and eager to connect with you.
Thank you, and I look forward to working together!