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Flying L Partners
William Link's ophthalmic-investment partnership raises capital deal by deal to back eye-care device companies it helps operate.
Flying L Partners
Flying L Partners operates as a partnership of executives who built surgical-ophthalmology franchises before moving into venture. Managing Partner Bill Link co-founded American Medical Optics and later Chiron Vision, which he sold to Bausch and Lomb; Partner Andy Corley was a co-founder of both Chiron Vision and the presbyopia-focused company eyeonics. The team’s wealth of operational experience sits alongside Partner Richard Lindstrom, a cornea and cataract surgeon at Minnesota Eye Consultants, giving the firm an unusual blend of clinical and commercial judgment when evaluating early-stage medical-device opportunities. The firm deploys capital across the ophthalmic value chain, including surgical devices, drug-delivery platforms, and diagnostic technologies. Rather than investing out of a blind pool, it identifies a single asset, raises dedicated capital specifically for that opportunity, and then engages directly with the company to accelerate product development and regulatory approval — a structure that blurs the line between a traditional venture fund and an angel syndicate. Portfolio holdings are not fully disclosed, but the group’s principals have prior involvement with companies such as Glaukos, Second Sight, and Edwards Life Sciences. Operating from Newport Beach, the five-person leadership team connects with innovation clusters in Southern California and the Midwest. Administrative Partner Matthew Larson previously led the Asia-Pacific launch of the KAMRA corneal inlay, while COO Jeevan Gore brings legal and structuring expertise from Tennenbaum Capital Partners and Latham & Watkins. There are no publicly reported recent fund closings, and the firm does not disclose aggregate deployment levels. Flying L’s structural differentiator is its per-transaction capital-raising model — a deliberate departure from the blind-pool funds that dominate medical-device venture. Investors underwrite each deal individually, which allows the firm to size commitments to the specific capital need without the pressure of a fund-life timetable, and gives the operating partners maximum leverage to push clinical milestones on behalf of the patient.
General information
Firm type
Private Equity
Year founded
—
AUM
Undisclosed
Location
Region
North America
Country
United States
City
Newport Beach
Corporate office
Newport Beach, CA, United States
Principals
William Link
Managing Partner
Andy Corley
Partner
Richard Lindstrom
Partner
Matthew Larson
Administrative Partner
Jeevan Gore
Chief Operating Officer
Sector focus
Frequently asked questions
Who runs investment decisions at Flying L Partners?
Managing Partner William Link, alongside Partners Andy Corley and Richard Lindstrom, leads investment decisions. Link is a managing director of Versant Ventures and a serial founder of ophthalmology device companies; Corley previously co-founded and sold eyeonics; Lindstrom is a practicing surgeon at Minnesota Eye Consultants. The trio bring a mix of venture, operational, and clinical expertise to deal evaluation.
Is Flying L Partners structured as a traditional venture fund?
No, the firm raises capital on a per-transaction basis. Once it identifies a single promising ophthalmic company, it forms a capital-raising effort dedicated to that asset. The model avoids a blind-pool fund structure, giving co-investors line-by-line exposure and allowing the firm to size each round to the specific clinical or regulatory milestone.
What investment stages does Flying L Partners usually target?
The firm focuses on early-stage, seed, and start-up opportunities, as well as expansion and late-stage rounds within the ophthalmic sector, according to its Altss research record. It has not publicly disclosed a rigid stage mandate, but the team’s operational background — often stepping in to accelerate product development — suggests a preference for companies approaching or navigating FDA timelines.
How does Flying L Partners source its deals?
Deal flow appears to come primarily through the deep networks of its principals. Bill Link’s venture investing at Versant Ventures, Andy Corley’s executive relationships across the surgical-ophthalmology industry, and Richard Lindstrom’s clinical practice and academic ties at the University of Minnesota provide proprietary access to surgeon-founded device companies, particularly in the United States.
Does the firm maintain any philanthropic or adjacent operating vehicles?
The firm’s website does not disclose a separate philanthropic foundation. Partner Richard Lindstrom is affiliated with Minnesota Eye Consultants, and Matthew Larson currently serves as President and COO of the glaucoma-device company Equinox Ophthalmic. Those operating-company roles sit alongside — but are not formally part of — Flying L Partners’ investment vehicle.
Profile maintained by Altss using OSINT (open-source intelligence), regulatory filings, licensed data partners, and verified direct submissions. Read the methodology. Last updated: . Continuous refresh with full update cycles at least every 30 days.
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