In this episode of Medsider Radio, we’re chatting with Dr. Scott Wolf , a prolific medical device entrepreneur and investor who founded Aerin Medical to bring non-surgical therapies to patients with common nasal airway problems. Prior to founding Aerin Medical, Scott started Zeltiq Aesthetics, the maker of CoolSculpting. His other startups include Endogastric Solutions and Cardiac Dimensions, and he was a partner at Prospect Venture Partners as well as VP at Frazier Healthcare Ventures, both lea...
Apr 07, 2021•48 min
In this episode of Medsider Radio, we’re talking with Rohan Dixit, the Founder and CEO of Lief Therapeutics , which makes consumer- and clinical-grade wearable devices for mental health. Rohan is a neuroscientist who started his career as a researcher with Stanford and Harvard. Rohan founded BrainBot, his first company, at age 23. He’s been the CEO of Lief since 2015. Today, Rohan’s going to break down how Lief started, and we’ll get into product development, how he approaches clinical research,...
Mar 24, 2021•53 min
In this episode of Medsider Radio, we’re talking with Nadim Yared , the CEO of CVRx , a pioneer in neuromodulation for cardiovascular diseases. Nadim has been CEO for 15 years and led CVRx through some major pivots and incredible successes. Today, we’re going to discuss his journey with the company, including Nadim’s expertise on clinical trial strategy, startup funding, and working with FDA & CMS. But first, here’s a bit more about Nadim Yared and his background: Nadim holds two graduate de...
Mar 04, 2021•56 min
In this episode of Medsider Radio, we’re talking with the CEO of Lungpacer Medical , Doug Evans . Lungpacer is developing a novel therapeutic solution that preserves the strength of the diaphragm muscle for critically-ill patients on mechanical ventilation. Doug is also a board member of Intact Vascular, which was acquired by Philips, and the former COO of Kensey Nash. He’s a medtech veteran with decades of experience launching startups, developing products, working with payers & regulators,...
Feb 18, 2021•31 min
We recently caught up with Renee Ryan , the CEO of Cala Health , a bioelectronic medicine company that’s focused on wearable neuromodulation therapies that deliver individualized peripheral nerve stimulation. Renee has 25 years of experience in healthcare as an executive and investor, and in this episode, she shares her expertise with the Medsider community. Renee will discuss some common mistakes that medtech startups make, and talk about what she looks for as an investor in early-stage compani...
Feb 04, 2021•13 min
We recently caught up with medtech start-up extraordinaire, Mike Wallace , who shares his insights and experiences with the Medsider community. Mike is the co-founder and CEO of DeVoro Medical , an early-stage medical device company focused on developing innovative devices for peripheral thrombectomy. Mike says the initial idea or concept for a medtech company is just 5% of the journey. Medsider is all about shining light on that other 95%! In this conversation with Mike, he’ll give tips to newc...
Jan 28, 2021•18 min
In this episode of Medsider Radio, we’re catching up with Bruce Shook, the President & CEO of Vesper Medical. Bruce is a medical device executive with more than 30 years of experience, and today, he’s sharing his insights with the Medsider community! In this conversation, we’ll discuss key aspects of running a medtech company, from the early design and fundraising stages through an eventual sale and exit. Bruce shares his expertise on raising start-up capital, designing and prototyping produ...
Jan 14, 2021•16 min
In this episode of Medsider Radio, we’re talking with Mike Kujak, the President & CEO of Francis Medical. Mike breaks down Francis’ innovative new water vapor technologies, and provides some advice about developing the alpha & beta versions of a medtech product. We’ll also discuss how to navigate the early-stage regulatory environment, and hear Mike’s views on how best to plan & execute a clinical research strategy. Then we’ll discuss fundraising strategies and ask Mike what’s next f...
Jan 13, 2021•12 min
In this episode of Medsider Radio, we caught up with Sean Saint, the CEO of Companion Medical, which recently sold to Medtronic. Sean has more than 20 years of engineering experience in medical devices and various start-ups. Here are a few topics we covered in this interview: How Sean and his team at Companion Medical came up with the idea for the InPen. Sean's advice for raising money from medtech investors. Companion Medical's insurance and reimbursement strategy for the InPen. There's definit...
Jan 05, 2021•14 min
This interview brings us to the end of a throwback mini-series that I’ve been releasing over the past few months with some of my favorite Medsider guests of all time. On this particular episode, I chatted with Rich Ferrari, Managing Director of De Novo Ventures, and one of the most well-known VCs in the Medtech space. Here are some of the points we covered: Novel ways to fund early-stage medical device companies. The metrics that are most important when it comes to early-stage versus late-stage ...
Dec 09, 2020•21 min
We're coming to the end of the throwback mini-series that I’ve been releasing over the past few months with some of my favorite Medsider guests of all time. In this discussion with Sheila Heyer, President of Heyer Regulatory Solutions and former VP of Global Regulatory Affairs at Boston Scientific, we learn where medical device companies are missing the mark when it comes to the FDA approval process. Here are some of the things we chatted about: The three most important steps you can take right ...
Dec 04, 2020•21 min
This interview is a continuation of a throwback mini-series that I’ve been releasing over the past few weeks with some of my favorite Medsider guests of all time. One of which is Lisa Suennen, who was then a Managing Member of Psilos Group, a healthcare-focused venture capital firm with approximately $600 million under management. Although this discussion is several years old and the audio quality isn’t the best, the insights Lisa provides are timeless. Here are some of the things we covered: Wh...
Nov 23, 2020•24 min
This interview is a continuation of a throwback mini-series I’ve been releasing over the past few weeks with some of my favorite Medsider guests. On this particular episode, I chatted with Randel Richner, a true expert in healthcare economics and reimbursement. At the time of this interview, she was with Neocure Group, a company she founded and later sold to Intralign. Although this discussion is several years old and the audio quality isn’t ideal, Randel's insights are timeless. Here are some o...
Nov 17, 2020•18 min
This interview is part of a throwback mini-series to several years ago when I chatted with Kevin Bitterman, who at the time, was with Polaris Venture Partners. He’s now a partner with Atlas Venture, but the lessons you can glean from this discussion still hold true. Namely: What medtech venture capitalists like to see in a startup and how these early-stage medical device companies can best position themselves for success. What requirements would make for an attractive IPO opportunity? What quest...
Nov 10, 2020•19 min
This interview is part of a throwback mini-series from several years ago when I chatted with my good friend, Joe Hage. He’s the CEO of Medical Marcom and Chairman of the Medical Devices Group, a community of over 350,000 medical device members. In this entertaining interview, here are some of the things we talked about: How Joe, with a limited medical device industry background, helped Cardiac Science become a medtech marketing leader. Why Joe thinks search engine optimization (SEO) is among the...
Nov 04, 2020•29 min
This interview is a throwback to several years ago when I chatted with Dr. David Albert about his incredible journey in bringing the AliveCor ECG app to market. Here are a few things we covered: The amazing story of how AliveCor’s iPhone app helped save a man’s life while on an airplane! The roller coaster ride Dr. Albert experienced in his pursuits to develop the ECG app. Five key lessons you can learn from Dr. Albert’s experiences. And his timeliness advice for ambitious doers, which includes ...
Oct 22, 2020•28 min
On this episode of Medsider Radio, our guest is Travis Sessions, the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Biomerics , a leading mid-market interventional device contract manufacturer. He's also a Managing Partner of Med Venture Holdings , a unique medtech growth equity investor. With over 20 years of business management experience, Travis has successfully built and grown multiple medical device technology companies during his career. He got his start professionally at Dow Chemical and has held...
Aug 20, 2020•47 min
In this episode of Medsider Radio, our guest is Matthew Amsden, the Founder, and CEO of ProofPilot , a platform designed to help people design, launch and participate in clinical trials. ProofPilot’s mission statement revolves around making it incredibly easy to run scientifically-valid research studies. They’re dedicated to making research study participation accessible, interesting, and fun. In this discussion with Matthew, we chatted about the importance and feasibility of virtual clinical tr...
Jul 22, 2020•30 min
Over the last 20 years, Dr. Tej Singh has served as the Founder and Chief of Vascular Surgery for three large, multidisciplinary vascular programs in Silicon Valley. He has vast experience with renal failure and vascular access procedures and is acutely focused on his first company, Fist Assist Devices . Dr. Singh’s company is developing the first renal care wearable device for venous enlargement and dialysis enhancement. In this episode, Dr. Singh and I talk about the primary challenge that Fir...
Jul 15, 2020•26 min
I recently sat down with Katherine Ward , Chief Commercial Officer and managing director for Healthy.io. She has worked in healthcare for 28 years — including 15 years with the UK National Health Service and 11 years with United Health Group where she was the Chief Executive with United Health UK and Chief Growth Officer with Optimum International. In this conversation, we cover what Healthy.io does for the broader healthcare community, lessons from the COVID-19 crisis, clinical-grade population...
Jul 09, 2020•25 min
In this episode of Medsider Radio , we downloaded with Jennifer Fried, the CEO and Co-Founder of ExplORer Surgical . Jennifer founded the company with Dr. Alex Langerman as an MBA student at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, where she received her degree with honors in finance and entrepreneurship. Previously, Jennifer was a Vice President at Park Lane Ventures, a healthcare-focused venture capital fund spun out of Essex Woodlands. Jennifer began her career as a consultant at B...
May 22, 2020•27 min
On this episode of Medsider Radio , I had the chance to sit down with Michael Tozzi, President and CEO of TAS Medical. Mike and his team are aiming to eliminate surgical mesh by converting hernia procedures to minimally invasive repairs. Mike has over 20 years of commercial medical device experience and specializes in investor relations, sales & marketing readiness, and improving the execution of early-stage medical device companies. Previous to TAS Medical, Mike served as Chief Commercial O...
May 02, 2020•25 min
Joining Medsider Radio for this episode is Beverly Huss, President and CEO of Qool Therapeutics, a development-stage company working on a novel, non-invasive therapeutic hypothermia device for the preservation of tissue following catastrophic events like a heart attack, stroke, or traumatic brain injury. Previously, Beverly was the CEO of Vibrynt, a start-up medical device company dedicated to creating minimally invasive therapies for patients suffering from morbid obesity. Prior to that, Beverl...
Apr 24, 2020•25 min
I recently had the opportunity to interview Dan Rose, CEO of the French-based medtech company LimFlow . Founded in 2012, LimFlow transformed the peripheral vasculature space by providing a lifesaving option for end-stage critical limb-threatening ischemia (CLTI) patients facing amputation. LimFlow is designed to restore blood flow to the ischemic foot via deep vein arterialization, thereby preventing major amputation, resolving pain, and promoting wound healing. Prior to assuming the role of CEO...
Mar 12, 2020•26 min
After a brief hiatus from recording podcasts, it was a privilege to dust off the microphone and interview Kyle Frye. As U.S. president of SyntheticMR , Kyle is tasked with growing and expanding the brand and business in the U.S. for the Swedish-based company that is creating the future of quantitative MRI technology. Their innovative MRI software solutions support shorter exam times and deliver more information to clinicians, leading to improved diagnostic efficacies. Prior to assuming this role...
Mar 04, 2020•27 min
In late 2016, I was able to sit down with Kevin Sidow. At the time he was President & Chief Executive Officer for Moximed and had been since 2008. Prior to his time at Moximed, Kevin was President & CEO for St. Francis Medical Technologies, a privately held, venture-funded company focused on developing innovative treatments for patients suffering from degenerative spinal disorders. In January 2007, St. Francis Medical Technologies was sold for $725 million to Kyphon, which was acquired b...
Feb 08, 2020•21 min
A few years ago, I had the privilege of sitting down and talking with serial medtech entrepreneur Paul Buckman, who at the time, was CEO of Conventus Orthopedics. Prior to Conventus, Paul held CEO roles at SentreHEART, Pathway Medical Technologies (which sold to Bayer HealthCare), and Devax (which sold to Biosensors International). From 2004 through 2006, Buckman served as President of the Cardiology Division of St. Jude Medical. Before joining St. Jude, he served as Chairman and CEO of ev3, a c...
Feb 08, 2020•23 min
In this two-part interview , I was lucky enough to sit down with Erica Rogers, CEO of Silk Road Medical. We first spoke a few years ago and then again much more recently to catch up on what had changed at Silk Road since our first conversation. During our catch up, we discussed how Erica led her team at Silk Road through PMA approval, successful insurance coverage and reimbursement strategy, which led to a very rewarding public offering for Silk Road, opening at $20 a share. This resulted in the...
Jan 17, 2020•37 min
Daniel Hawkins is the President and CEO of Shockwave Medical. He began his career in marketing and business development roles for Advanced Cardiovascular Systems, otherwise known as ACS, which is now part of Abbott Vascular. Following ACS, he held senior roles in general management, marketing, and business development with a number of private and public...[ read more ] Related Stories Why Intersect ENT is an Example of Hope for the Medtech Industry Are Medical Device Models the Key to Building a...
Apr 06, 2017•41 min
Eric Stone cofounded Velano Vascular with Dr. Pitou Devgon, an internal medicine physician. Velano’s first device, PIVO, enables needle-free blood draws directly from peripheral IV catheters. Velano Vascular is backed by a series of well-respected investment firms, leading U.S. health systems, and dozens of health industry veterans. Before starting Velano Vascular, Stone most recently served...[ read more ] Related Stories Why Intersect ENT is an Example of Hope for the Medtech Industry Are Medi...
Mar 16, 2017•50 min
