Medsider

"My approach to biosurgery and some platform products is like looking at a fried egg. The yolk is the center of what you go for, which needs to be big enough to put food on the table. It’s the market opportunity that is crisp and large enough to keep you busy once approved. The white of the egg is a bunch of smaller opportunities around it. Using both pre-market and post-market data, you gradually explore these. But don't start focusing on some obscure part of the egg white in the beginning." Amar Sawhney is a serial entrepreneur whose inventions in biomaterials have led to numerous FDA-approved devices, such as surgical sealants, spacers, and drug delivery systems. Together, they have impacted over 8 million patients globally. Today, Amar is the CEO of Instylla, Rejoni, Inc, Sealonix, and Pramand LLC, all companies focused on developing advanced biosurgical products. In particular, Instylla is developing polymerizing liquid embolics to shut down the blood supply to hypervascular tumors. Here’s a glance at his insightful conversation with Scott Nelson. 🍳 Don't take on too many risk factors at once, especially those outside your expertise. Prioritize ideas with immediate, clear value over those with uncertain long-term outcomes. A strong "wow moment" can drive market pull organically. 🧩 When designing clinical trials, ensure your primary endpoints directly reflect your technology's core function. You can have cascading secondary endpoints, but start simple and layer in sophistication only after your key goals are established. 🤩 Pick your initial indication wisely. Aim for something that has the potential to be disruptive, instead of implementing small tweaks to existing solutions. Learn more from Amar’s vast medtech experience in the full interview [link in comments]. This Medsider episode was brought to you by FastWave Medical, a hot IVL startup in the cardiovascular space. Don’t miss out on their next fundraise (more details in the comments). P.S. - We recently launched Medsider Mentors Volume VI, which is packed with insights and learnings from founders and CEOs of some of the most dynamic medical device and health technology startups in the world. Click the link in the comment section for this latest edition now available exclusively to our premium members.

Here’s Reinhard Krickl, CEO of Phagenesis Ltd, quoting his co-founder Conor Mulrooney:  “What's important is not what your device can do, but what it can do for the end user. So it's not about the features and all the cool technology you’re developing. It's really what's going to net the biggest impact in the hands of the user. What is it going to solve for them?” Reinhard is an engineer turned #medtech entrepreneur who thinks transforming patient care through technology is “the most exciting thing you can do.” Under his leadership, Phagenesis is commercializing a neurostimulation system designed to treat dysphagia—difficulty in swallowing—which affects millions of patients globally, especially after stroke or extensive ventilator use. Here's a sneak peek at Reinhard’s conversation with Scott Nelson: ☘️ Simplify for impact: In medtech, focus less on features that don’t contribute to usability or functionality and more on intuitive design that solves real user needs. Understand your market by engaging stakeholders with an open mind. 🧩 Understand the ecosystem: Know how your tech fits into the clinical workflow. Additionally, structural dynamics, such as regulatory requirements, reimbursement policies, and standard of care procedures, can either hinder or facilitate the adoption of your device. 👁️🗨️ Consistent investor communication is crucial for securing funding. When it comes to pitching, you have to be able to tell an engaging story. Use every opportunity, regardless of the outcome, as a learning experience. Learn more from Reinhard’s experience in medtech [link in comments]. This Medsider episode was brought to you by FastWave Medical, a hot IVL startup in the cardiovascular space. Don’t miss out on their next fundraise (more details in the comments). P.S. - We recently launched Medsider Mentors Volume VI, which is packed with insights and learnings from founders and CEOs of some of the most dynamic medical device and health technology startups in the world. Click the link in the comment section for this latest edition now available exclusively to our premium members.

This week, find out how Derek Herrera, founder of Bright Uro and a decorated Marine veteran, built multiple medical device startups, including his experiences as a first-time entrepreneur. And revisit an episode with Jared Bauer, CEO of IONIQ Sciences, Inc., to explore his career transforming several #medtech companies. (links in the comment section) Here’s a sneak peek at two of our exclusive interviews: 𝗚𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗣𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝗥𝗲𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝘀 𝗮 𝗙𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁-𝗧𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝗘𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘂𝗿: 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗗𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗸 𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗿𝗲𝗿𝗮, 𝗙𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝗕𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗨𝗿𝗼 ♿ How Derek’s life-threatening injury in Afghanistan catalyzed his startup for neurogenic bladder solutions. 💉 Derek’s approach to gathering statistical and clinical evidence and their unique approach to first-in-human feasibility studies. 𝗗𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗠𝗲𝗱𝘁𝗲𝗰𝗵 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗽 𝗗𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗲 𝗮 𝟮𝗻𝗱 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲? 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄 𝗪𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗜𝗢𝗡𝗜𝗤 𝗖𝗘𝗢 𝗝𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗕𝗮𝘂𝗲𝗿 🏃🏻♂️ The two key factors that determine whether a medtech idea is worth pursuing: the novelty of the product and size of the market. 💗 What Jared looks for in investors: people with an emotional connection to your mission. PS - We've launched exciting new features exclusively for Medsider premium members: ⭐ Playbooks: Go from 0 to 100 with hand-picked collections of the best Medsider interviews with the brightest founders and CEOs. ⭐ Investor database: Find your next #medicaldevice or #healthtechnology investor with our growing database of VC funds, equity investors, and high-net-worth angels.

Here's the newest op-ed Scott Nelson, our host and CEO of FastWave Medical, penned for MD+DI. In this article, he talks about 5 essential frameworks that every #medtech CEO can utilize to steer their company toward success. Big thanks to our guests for sharing their wisdom with the Medsider community. Click on the link ⬇ to check out the full article.

“There's got to be stage-appropriate funding, stage-appropriate strategy, stage-appropriate boards, and stage-appropriate everything. And it changes with every stage as you evolve. Once you've actually achieved a certain target and met a goal, you need to pivot to what's next, and that will require its own way of capitalization and it will have its own set of priorities.” With a career spanning three decades, digital health veteran Sumit Nagpal has co-founded and grown five companies that have tackled significant challenges in healthcare. His experience also includes working with Steve Jobs at NeXT. Currently, Sumit is the Chairman and CEO of Cherish, the company developing 'Serenity' a radar-based health and safety monitoring device to support proactive self-care at-home for the elderly and others. He also serves on the board of HIMSS. Here's a sneak peek at Sumit’s conversation with Scott Nelson: 🎨Steal like an artist. Learn from the successes and failures in other industries. Observe patterns, simplify ideas, and create a collaborative environment where ideas and feedback flow freely. 📏 Each phase of your business, from invention to scaling, requires different resources and priorities. Set clear and stage-appropriate goals, raise the necessary amount of capital—without excess—and meet those milestones. 👂 Cultivate an inquisitive mindset. Make listening key to your company culture. Gather diverse input, choose authentic partners, and build trusting relationships to support mutual goals. Check out the full interview link with Sumit in the comments below. This Medsider episode was brought to you by FastWave Medical, a hot IVL startup in the cardiovascular space. Don’t miss out on their next fundraise (more details in the comments). P.S. - We just launched Medsider Mentors Volume VI, which is packed with insights and learnings from founders and CEOs of some of the most dynamic medical device and health technology startups in the world. Click the link in the comment section for this latest edition now available exclusively to our premium members.

“You want it to be about genuine partnerships. You don't want it to be a client-vendor, and you don't want it to be like, ‘Hey, I'm just going to tighten the screws as much as possible and get everything I can in the short term.’ That doesn't establish that long-term partnership which is going to be extremely important for building a business at scale. Because the last thing you want to do is have a partnership that allows you to get to market, and all of a sudden, it falls apart.” Meet Dan Nardi, CEO of Reimagine Care and a veteran entrepreneur with over 20 years of experience in digital health. He's a results-driven executive who previously served as COO at Carrum Health, driving value-based care initiatives. He also played a pivotal role in scaling Livongo to its IPO. Extending care beyond the clinic, Reimagine Care integrates clinical oncology experts and robust technologies to deliver individualized, at-home cancer care thereby reducing the burden of commutes, in-clinic appointments, and overall stress of the cancer journey. Here are the key takeaways from Dan’s conversation with our host Scott Nelson: 🤝 Partnerships are essential for growth in the healthcare industry. Focus on building strategic alliances that leverage both your core competencies and those of your partners. Prioritize long-term, win-win collaborations over short-term gains. 🍀If you’re disrupting a market, early adopters are your life vest, but they are not enough. Work closely with them to demonstrate the value and ROI of your offering while further proving its outcomes through clinical studies.    🍵 Embrace healthcare's shift to fee-for-value. Opt for risk-based agreements tied to patient outcomes to demonstrate long-term value and ROI when introducing novel solutions. Also pay attention to the incumbents and flow of funds. Check out the full interview link with Dan in the comments below. This Medsider episode was brought to you by FastWave Medical, a hot IVL startup in the cardiovascular space. Don’t miss out on their next fundraise (more details in the comments). P.S. - We recently launched Medsider Mentors Volume VI, which is packed with insights and learnings from founders and CEOs of some of the most dynamic medical device and health technology startups in the world. Click the link in the comment section for this latest edition now available exclusively to our premium members.

“Startups are like sharks. They’ve got to keep swimming. They’ve got to keep moving. If you run out of capital and have to pause things, it does more than pause things.” Dan Rose, former CEO of LimFlow SA “Find an actual problem, and don't just invent one. Find a problem that you can solve and that has either an existing market, or a market that you can create and grow.” Marissa Fayer, CEO of DeepLook Medical “It almost sounds blasphemous because everybody wants the 510(k) or the CE mark when you can get it. I'm just simply pointing out that pre-commercially, they're expensive to maintain.” Trent Reutiman, CEO Mercator MedSystems, Inc. Medsider Mentors are book volumes we publish a few times a year, summarizing the best Medsider interviews from the last few months. Here’s the last of our #medtech rockstars from Volume VI of Medsider Mentors, authored by our host Scott Nelson, who is also the co-founder and CEO of FastWave Medical. Here’s more to chew on: 🌞 In the early development phases, design for the average user to maximize adoption rates. Keep it simple and don’t be afraid to pivot. 🔓 Identify a genuine need and develop a product that enhances efficiency and outcomes while fitting into existing workflows. 🤹🏼♂️ Be intentional about the balancing act of demonstrating your technology’s efficacy by gathering data for regulatory purposes while consistently improving upon the design and usability of your device. Available for premium members for free, check out the full edition of Medsider Mentors - Volume VI (link in comments) to learn from founders and CEOs of the hottest #medicaldevices and health technology startups in the world. For non-premium members, individual volumes can now be purchased separately.

“The biggest learning for me and the biggest excitement with the community round is every time somebody invests, there's a little box where they get to put in information about why they're investing. Some folks don't say anything, but a lot of them do. It's been so rewarding for me to read through those comments and just hear the stories about family members and loved ones who see how they could use our technology.” Meet Conor Cullinane, PhD, an aeronautical engineer by training who went from designing NASA space suits to developing novel #medicaldevices. Conor has an impressive resume that includes Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration. He, along with two other rocket scientists, co-founded Pirouette Medical, a startup developing Quicpush, a disk-shaped autoinjector that delivers medicines with just the push of a button. Here’s a sneak peek into Conor’s conversation with Scott Nelson: 📐 Be selective with where you innovate. Disrupt where it matters most, but don't reinvent the wheel unnecessarily. By aligning with established practices and industry standards, you can streamline your development processes, reduce costs, and ultimately leave room for creative freedom where it counts. 🔄 Although less common in medtech, community fundraising rounds may offer benefits like brand awareness and direct engagement with potential end users. View all investors as valued partners to foster a strong community and feedback loop around your product. 👓 Everyone in the healthcare supply chain, from payers to providers, needs a reason to choose your product. To successfully launch a #medicaldevice, it's crucial to understand the needs of all stakeholders. Check out the full interview link with Conor in the comments below. This Medsider episode was brought to you by FastWave Medical, a hot IVL startup in the cardiovascular space. Don’t miss out on their next fundraise (more details in the comments). P.S. - We just launched Medsider Mentors Volume VI, which is packed with insights and learnings from founders and CEOs of some of the most dynamic medical device and health technology startups in the world. Click the link in the comment section for this latest edition now available exclusively to our premium members.

We love it when Scott Nelson, our host and co-founder of FastWave Medical, puts together these op-eds for MD+DI! His recent article explores five unconventional approaches for #medtech success. Big shoutout to our past guests featured below for sharing their stories and insights. Click on the link ⬇ to check out the full article.

“What I like to do in the moments of critical decisions is to expunge myself of any bias with respect to money that's been spent, and try to make a decision with fresh eyes." Benjamin Sexson, CFA, CEO of Monogram Technologies “Talking to the partners, members, and clients really helps me decide what's next. You’ve got to be out meeting with folks and getting feedback on an ongoing basis.” Bill Snyder, CEO of Cylinder “If the nurse doesn't like your product or the scrub tech doesn't like your product, your product isn't going to be used in the OR no matter how much the surgeon loves it.” Ahmed Zobi, EMBA, CEO of Syntr Health Technologies, Inc. Here's our next set of guests featured in the latest edition of Medsider Mentors, a book summarizing the best Medsider interviews from the past few months. These three #medtech entrepreneurs from our previous Medsider episodes have now returned as mentors, making an appearance in Volume VI, authored by our host Scott Nelson, who is also the CEO of FastWave Medical. Here are a few more takeaways from these featured interviews: 👓 Don't let past investments cloud your judgment about a project's present viability. Regularly reassess the viability of your idea based on current conditions, not past investment. 🌐 You have to know where your product or service fits in the overall healthcare ecosystem. That way you can connect the dots for your providers and consumers about the precise role you play in the benefits they receive.  🛣️ Focus on meeting FDA’s core requirements first. Don't get tied down trying to add extra features to early prototypes. Submit ASAP to pave the road to market. Available for premium members for free, check out the full edition of Medsider Mentors - Volume VI (link in comments) to learn from founders and CEOs of the hottest #medicaldevices and health technology startups in the world. For non-premium members, individual volumes can now be purchased separately.