Meet the Team

James is a co-founder and partner at ExSight Ventures where he has helped lead the firm’s investments in nine transformative ophthalmic companies. In addition to serving on the ExSight investment committee he helms the firm’s operations. His duties include sourcing and evaluating early-stage companies, assisting current and prospective portfolio companies, and is responsible for the firm’s operational functions. He serves on the board of Re-Vana Therapeutics, Ltd, a Northern Ireland ocular pharmaceuticals and drug delivery company, Usher III Initiative, a nonprofit dedicated to finding treatments for individuals with Usher III, and Nectar Services, an unaffiliated New York UCaaS company. James is a board observer at 2C Tech, a California company pioneering nanoparticle technology to treat blinding ophthalmic disease. Prior to co-founding ExSight Ventures, James held various positions at a New York City asset management company, eventually serving as General Counsel and Head of Strategic Initiatives. James is admitted to practice law in the State of New York. He is a member of the Association of the Bar of the City of New York where he serves as Chair of the Emerging Companies and Venture Capital Committee. James received his B.A. from Canisius College and his J.D. from Brooklyn Law School.

Dr. Nissen is a partner at ExSight. He is an experienced clinician with a particular interest in the surgical instruction of retina fellows in the US and abroad as well as a faculty member at Weill-Cornell University Medical Center since 1998. Dr. Nissen is the founder and director of the Insight Foundation. He is a member of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, the American Society of Retinal Specialists, and the New York Ophthalmological Society. Dr. Nissen received his BA from Middlebury college then attended the premedical program at Columbia University and then The Albany Medical College. He served his ophthalmology residency at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City and fellowships in Ophthalmic Pathology at the New York Eye And Ear Infirmary, Medical Retina at New York University Medical Center, and Surgical Retina at Vitreous-Retina Consultants in New York.

Dr. Rahhal is a partner at ExSight, a senior partner and a member of the Executive Committee at Retina-Vitreous Associates Medical Group in Los Angeles, and is Associate Clinical Professor of Ophthalmology at the UCLA Geffen School of Medicine. He has previously served at Cornell University Weill School of Medicine as Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology and Retina Clinic Director. Dr. Rahhal has published extensively in recognized peer-reviewed ophthalmology journals and has been an investigator in over 100 ophthalmology clinical trials. He completed an Ophthalmology Residency at Cornell University Medical Center, followed by a Fellowship in Vitreoretinal Surgery and Uveitis at UCSD Medical Center.