About Axcend

At Axcend, we understand that technology must constantly advance to better meet our needs. That's why we're committed to developing HPLC instruments that fit into your workflows no matter where your teams work. We are your partner for robust analytical devices that make real-time scientific exploration possible, from anywhere, by anyone.

We're making this new reality possible through technology that is easy to use, convenient to deploy, and quick to maintain while using minimal power and chemicals.

it's time to bring the lab to the sample with devices that are at home in the lab, in the field, or in the hood.

2018

Axcend formed to Commercialize

Patented technology originated at BYU, Axcend formed to commercialize in 2018
Multiple industry awards and grants including a collaboration with the Pharma community’s Enabling Technology Consortium (ETC) to develop “Compact HPLC” for reaction monitoring

2024

New Ownership and Investment from Catalyze Partners

New ownership and investment driving global expansion and quarter on quarter growth.
Expansion of direct sales and global launch through distribution- new channels in 8 countries.

2025

Full-stack small form-factor solution introduced in Q1

Autosampler
DAD
CDS

Greg Ward

Chief Executive Officer

Greg Ward brings 30 years of go-to-market expertise to Axcend, including 25 years with Hewlett Packard and its spinout, Agilent Technologies, where he led global GTM and sales efforts with multimillion-dollar impact. He later joined an IoT security startup as a management team leader, guiding product strategy, validation, and fundraising. Greg holds a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from BYU and earned a Six Sigma Green Belt at HP.

Michele Hodde

Chief Operating Officer & Chief Marketing Officer

Michele Hodde brings operations and marketing leadership to Axcend and also serves as CMO for Catalyze Partners, driving sales growth across the suite of portfolio companies. She spent a decade at Orica, the global leader in commercial explosives for the mining industry, and was the founder, president and CEO of EarthRoamer, an Xpedition Vehicle manufacturer. Michele holds a bachelor’s from Iowa State and an MBA from UCLA Anderson.

Milton L. Lee, Ph.D.

Chief Science Officer & Co-Founder

Dr. Milton L. Lee, with nearly 45 years in separation science, is a leading expert, inventor, and entrepreneur. He is the inventor of the Axcend Focus LC® and has developed and commercialized three other instruments: a supercritical fluid chromatograph, a time-of-flight mass spectrometer, and a portable gas chromatograph/mass spectrometer. Milton holds 600+ publications, 20+ patents, 25+ awards, and 40+ years teaching at BYU.

James Bendle

Chief Financial Officer

James Bendle brings financial leadership to Axcend and serves as a Partner & CFO at Catalyze Partners, overseeing finance, accounting, compliance, and reporting across the portfolio. He has held roles at Caterpillar and Dell, built finance and treasury teams at telecom startup General Bandwidth, served as SVP of Finance at space communications startup CesiumAstro, and launched an e-commerce company featured on the Inc. 500 list for three years.

Cary Anne Simpson

Vice President, Global Commercial Operations

Cary Anne Simpson brings 25+ years of sales and marketing experience in the analytical instruments industry to Axcend. She held roles at Dionex, Waters, Sartorius, and Shimadzu, supporting a range of analytical technologies with a focus on chromatography. She holds a B.S. in Chemistry from Southern Illinois University and an MBA from Marquette University.

Matthew Morse

Vice President, Products, Services & Support

With 22+ years of technical service and support expertise across a broad range of analytical instruments and software—including LC, IC, MS, LC/MS, and chromatography data systems—Matthew Morse has supported clients throughout the Americas and globally. He spent 13 years at Thermo Fisher Scientific in various technical service roles, most recently as Senior Manager of Global Technical Services. He also held key roles at Dionex and Sci-Tek.