The Medtech Impact Podcast

Large numbers of people are affected by infertility in their lifetime. According to a new report published today by the World Health Organization, around 17.5% of the adult population – roughly 1 in 6 worldwide – experience infertility, showing the urgent need to increase access to affordable, high-quality fertility care for those in need. The new estimates show limited variation in the prevalence of infertility between regions. The rates are comparable for high-, middle- and low-income countries, indicating that this is a major health challenge globally. Lifetime prevalence was 17.8% in high-income countries and 16.5% in low- and middle-income countries. Joining this episode to share their mission to solve some of the problems couples are facing, is the dynamic duo of Andreia Trigo (CEO) and husband Frank Khan Sullivan (CTO) of Enhanced Fertility. Their platform is bringing a new level of data-driven accessibility to patients from the comfort of their homes. Andreia’s shares how current inadequate systems impacted her own fertility journey, an emotional story that sets the stage for the collaborative program they are providing to deliver better outcomes for couples across the globe. Founders’ stories are often intertwined with personal knowledge of the problem they are looking to solve. From the get-go learning about Andreia’s own experiences, this discussion offers a range of insights into the trials and tribulations that couples are facing through their fertility journeys. Frank shares how their North Star is referred to as Net Baby Score, a measured commitment to help millions of people procreate their families, an incredible mission that is sure to leave you informed and inspired.

Breast cancer is the most commonly occurring cancer in women and the most common cancer overall. Treatment often starts with a surgery known as a lumpectomy to remove the cancer, but in a high % of cases, patients may undergo multiple re-excisions after their procedure in an attempt to obtain clear margins and avoid mastectomy. In this episode, CEO of Dilon Technologies, George Makhoul, shares how they are helping to significantly reduce the need for re-excision with the use of their MarginProbe. A lumpectomy is a challenging surgical procedure, complicated by two obvious yet conflicting priorities: excise as much tissue as necessary to remove the cancer from the breast, remove as little tissue as possible to achieve the best cosmetic result. The MarginProbe System is designed to give today’s surgeons a significant new advantage in margin assessment. In a procedure of roughly five minutes, MarginProbe provides real-time, detailed information to help a surgeon decide whether additional tissue should be taken, or whether to complete the lumpectomy procedure and close the incision. George’s background in marketing gives him a strong edge in the art of communication with stakeholders which shines through as he details the technology’s journey over the past four years. His consummate professionalism in articulating a clear approach and vision, has helped position Dilon as a leader in its field, backed up by some game-changing innovation that can significantly improve the outcomes for patients. With an inspiring mission for creating impact across the globe for women, this discussion will truly leave you informed and inspired.

The rigid, plastic T-shaped intrauterine device (IUD) has been available for over 40 years, with little to no innovation. Insertion is painful and involves numerous painful steps, and removal requires bothersome dangling strings, which are a nuisance for women and their partners. Most importantly, the pain associated with insertion and removal is widely known, leading to a nearly universal fear, particularly among younger women, of selecting an IUD. This ‘fear factor’ is a significant barrier that prevents women from adopting one of the most effective forms of contraception. 3Daughters’ goal is to eliminate this barrier to adoption and radically transform the IUD experience for both practitioners and patients. Mary Beth Cicero, CEO and co-founder of 3Daugthers, joins this episode to share how their innovative design forms a small frameless magnetic IUD that self-assembles in the uterus and conforms to a women’s body – with no strings attached. Through technological and scientific advancements, 3Daughters is addressing the pain and resulting ‘fear factor’ of IUD insertion. Alongside experienced co-founder Shelley Amster, Mary Beth discusses how in just two years the company has already made significant progress to translate their novel approach. With a comprehensive system and high-performance team, there is a belief within that this could be the first billion-dollar women’s health product. Big problems require big vision thinking, and it’s clear through this conversation that this is a team brimming with the passion and perseverance to realize their goals. As a seasoned consultant and marketer, Mary Beth offers some welcome insights as to what it takes to build a solution when those around you might not share the same optimism. #IUD has been trending for the wrong reasons and 3Daughters is on a mission to change the status quo. If you’re ready to be informed and inspired, then listen in.

Transforming the outcomes for a disease takes great innovation. With that, you need impeccable dedication and leadership for the team to deliver on taking a solution to market. Former CEO of LimFlow, Dan Rose, is one such leader who can attest to the trials and tribulations of this challenging journey. Dan joins this episode to share the story of how LimFlow’s technology has gone from an idea with potential, to a life-saving solution. In achieving this, the company has been able to re-design the anatomy of the body to offer hope to those suffering the effects of Chronic Limb-Threatening Ischemia (CLTI). During this discussion you will learn the despairing depths of a disease that is quite literally ravaging people’s lives. Dan shares how he was able to build a world class team from across the globe to design a new option for patients where none existed before. Navigating numerous challenges, raising significant amounts of capital, and leading the company to a successful acquisition by Inari Medical; From beginning to end, this tale will truly leave you informed and inspired.

Research suggests that women are more likely to experience joint pain, aching, and stiffness caused by arthritis or arthritic conditions. In fact, evidence suggests that women aged 50 to 60 years may be 3.5 times (350%) more likely to develop CMC osteoarthritis than men in the same age group. CEO and co-founder of Grace & Able, Sarah Dillingham, is one such arthritis sufferer. Following a life-changing moment, she decided to tackle the lack of suitable relief products for women. Through building an entire support community, Sarah has connected directly with those experiencing arthritis to offer a customized solution for women. The main symptoms of arthritis are joint pain, inflammation, and stiffness, which typically worsen with age. The most common types of arthritis are osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. Osteoarthritis causes cartilage — the hard, slippery tissue that covers the ends of bones where they form a joint — to break down. Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease in which the immune system attacks the joints, beginning with the lining of joints. The main goals of arthritis treatments are to reduce symptoms and improve quality of life. In this episode you will learn what it takes to turn from patient to advocate to brand and product leader. Brand authenticity is something many companies aspire to, Sarah’s genuine and respectful approach with customers to truly understand their needs is something that any entrepreneur could learn from. With this universal design approach, she has been able to create value driven relationships to help grow the business. This is definitely a discussion that will leave you informed and inspired.

What are metamaterials and how can they help improve the performance of MRI?? Step forward Ryan Mcnaughton, CEO and co-founder of Primetaz to reveal how their technology is set to dramatically enhance both the quality of imaging but more importantly, offer game-changing time-saving to a process that is seeing significant growing demand. MRI has become one of the most important tools for doctors to see inside the body to understand what is happening in disease. MRI shows soft tissues like the brain, the heart, and other muscles and organs. It provides several ways to view the status of the tissue, such as looking at the shape, changes to the structure, blood flow, and inflammation. Being able to see inside the body quickly and clearly has led to advanced treatments and longer, healthier lives. Given the every increasing demand for MRI as a flexible imaging technique, many physicians, scientists, and engineers like Ryan continue to develop new ways to see disease earlier, enabling more effective treatments. While sharing the mission & motivation behind Primetaz, Ryan reveals insights that many entrepreneurs will readily relate to as well as detailing a vision that will excite both investors, patients, and physicians alike. Turning from engineer or any technical profession to entrepreneur is always a journey, and Ryan’s dedicated approach is sure to leave you inspired and informed.

Thirona’s CEO and Founder, Eva van Rikxoort, joins this episode to share how their FDA-approved device is now integrating into the clinical workflow to both enhance physician performance and patient outcomes. LungQ is built on more than 10 years of clinical trials and 200+ publications to utilize AI allowing automatic segmentation of pulmonary segments and subsegments found in the internal anatomy of the lung. This clearer understanding of lung anatomy helps enable broader adoption of minimally invasive treatments for lung diseases such as COPD and lung cancer, helping save more healthy lung tissue and lung function capacity. Acting as a map for lung anatomy, LungQ helps guide bronchoscopic navigation, leveraging AI to significantly enhance the precision, accuracy, and efficiency of bronchoscopic and surgical lung interventions. With such emerging AI applications comes a wonderful story of a mission-driven team that is connecting across continents to bring new levels of precision and accuracy to patients. As a scientist turned entrepreneur, Eva demonstrates all the characteristics of a great leader who is building a collaborative model for success. If you’re looking to learn how AI-powered software should be leveraged, then tune in to be informed and inspired.

Breaking bones is unfortunately a common part of life; in fact doctors treat about 6.8 million fractures each year in the United States alone, and the average person can expect to sustain two fractures over their lifetime. In this episode, we are joined by Brian Hess, CEO and Founder of RevBio, who is helping to transform bone repair with their innovative adhesive. Not only is this solution boosting how bones can rapidly fuse back together through its biomimicry properties, this is a product that stimulates bone growth and leaves no artifact in the body. From raising nearly $20 million in non-dilutive funding, it’s clear that this technology has huge potential with multiple indications available to be applied to. Brian lays out a clear strategic path to market that includes the opportunity to leverage early animal studies with veterinarians also seeing significant value from this exciting technology in the near term. Throughout this discussion, Brian displays all the attributes of a great leader, with a top co-founder coupled alongside in Grayson Allen, they have developed a winning culture, and a team that thrives on the opportunities they are given to both develop personally and help take this product to market. As a UMass M2D2 resident, RevBio is able to access a number of resources and an incredible pipeline of young talented interns who have grown with the company and stepped up into more senior roles. This is a startup story that is packed full of the hallmarks for building a successful innovative medical solution, and one that is sure to leave you informed and inspired.

Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), also known as enlarged prostate, has been in the headlines recently with Britain's King Charles revealing plans earlier this year to have a corrective procedure to alleviate the associated symptoms. In this episode, Tushar Sharma, Vivifi Medical’s CEO and Founder, joins us to guide listeners through an amazing anatomical insight of the condition and their novel treatment. An enlarged prostate is a fact of life for the majority of men as they age. Due to the prostate’s close proximity to the urethra which carries urine from the bladder, pressure can build on this vessel as the prostate expands, leading to a range of associated urinary issues. Depending upon the severity of the patient's symptoms, different surgical techniques may be needed to alleviate these, with doctors often considering invasive surgery the best long-term option for relief of more bothersome effects. Under the leadership of Tushar, their exciting solution holds significant promise and despite its early development stage, has already received excellent feedback from surgeons. With such an innovative technology, comes a complex set of product development, clinical, regulatory, and reimbursement challenges. Tushar’s passion for bringing their product to market shines throughout this discussion, and his meticulous manner in solving these challenges is sure to leave you informed and inspired!

Studies show that over 65% of patients with chronic pain, Parkinson's Disease, post-acute stroke, and pelvic floor disorders do not fully recover with current treatments - resulting in hospital readmissions and ER visits. In this episode, we are joined by Siva Nadarajah, co-founder and President of JOGO Health, to share how more than a decade’s worth of research and testing has been undertaken to address this problem through their digital rehabilitation solution. Promising early results have shown how several chronic residual disabilities can be treated via telemedicine using their platform. JOGO helps healthy brain cell networks rewire themselves to work with muscles that have become inactive due to stroke and other neuromuscular conditions. JOGO also helps break the pain-anxiety muscle tension cycle to reduce chronic and cancer pain. The power of neural plasticity is fully leveraged through their novel prescription digital therapeutic product composed of wearable wireless s/EMG sensors. A patent-protected mobile app uses AI and VR to provide treatment protocols and games that can be adapted for muscle relaxation, movement coordination, and neuromuscular re-education. Siva also shares the origin story of the company, including the name “JOGO”, derived from Joe and Gordon - Dr. Joe Brudny and Dr. Gordon Silverman of New York University’s Rusk Rehabilitation Center and Rockefeller University, respectively. Beyond the more recent research, Joe and Gordon established the underlying science more than 50 years ago, and the JOGO platform is now finally rewarding Joe and Gordon's legacy to offer new hope for patients across multiple disease domains. Tune in so you can learn how this pioneering work is drawing together entrepreneurs, product design specialists, technology enthusiasts, physical therapy professionals, physiatrists, data scientists, and game designers, to deliver an effective solution for patients. From democratizing healthcare, to international collaborations for Go-to-Market strategy, this discussion is packed with knowledge to keep you informed and inspired.

The process of trying to conceive can prove to be an emotional rollercoaster – surprise, confusion, anger, worry, rage, sadness… Plus, the burden of having to monitor your body for signs of fertility that previously you'd never paid attention to can also add to the feelings of anxiety and guilt. As many as 8 million women in the US face difficulty when trying to become pregnant. Uros Kuzmanovic, CEO and co-founder of BioSens8, is on a mission to alleviate some of this burden by making tracking hormonal cycles a far easier process with their novel at-home diagnostic tool. Ovulatory dysfunctions are faced by 40% of women, the ability to test hormonal cycles at home will allow far greater control and help avoid the stress and challenges of visiting clinics to provide blood samples to access this data. This enhanced ability to track from the comfort of home, also aims significantly reduce the number of visits during IVF treatment. BioSens8 is a true platform innovation, with multiple opportunities to improve patient experience. Beyond their finger-prick test, there is also exciting technology being developed to allow continuous hormonal monitoring with a wearable device. Naturally, this is attracting the eyes of both patients and IVF clinics who are eager to improve outcomes. Throughout this discussion, Uros details the strength in being scrappy when it comes to building a startup and bringing game-changing innovation to market. From leveraging pitching contests, accelerator programs, and non-dilutive funding, this conversation covers it all. If you’re ready to be inspired and informed then tune in to enjoy this story.

Abdominal cavity examinations can be complex and expensive. This means they are often highly inaccessible for many people. OUI Medical was founded by Dr. Adarsh Patil in 2023 with a singular vision: to revolutionize the way abdominal examinations are conducted. Driven by a passion for innovation and a dedication to excellence, his team has set out to develop a solution that addresses the challenges of traditional diagnostic methods. The current standard involves laparoscopy, a minimally invasive surgical procedure, sometimes referred to as keyhole surgery, as it uses a small incision to gain access to the body. There are currently estimated to be more than 14 million laparoscopic procedures performed annually worldwide, with this number anticipated to grow significantly in the years ahead. Despite this projected growth, the need for general anesthesia in current abdominal procedures makes this a resource intensive operation, placing a burden on healthcare systems. Pressures on Medicare spending, and a lack of access to surgical facilities in many countries, mean there is a strong need for innovation in this space. OUI Medical is pushing the boundaries of medical technology to create products that are not only effective but also accessible and user-friendly. Their initial product, the P-Scope, can be used with a local anesthetic administered, making abdominal diagnostic procedures more efficient, less invasive, and more affordable. From his home base of Bangalore, India, Adarsh has networked to build an engaged team, including a fantastic group of advisors, and truly leverage the ecosystem to help bring the product to market. He is proving that distance should not be a barrier to bringing great innovation to market. If you want to learn more about how this game changing technology could localize access for billions of people, tune in so you can be inspired and informed.

The healthcare landscape is primed and ready for consumers to have better control of their own health. With patients regularly facing significant out of pocket costs for diagnostic testing, combined with a poor user experience in trying to access the healthcare system, Nathalya Mamane, CEO and Founder of RT MicroDx, is stepping forward to leverage technology and provide an improved standard of care. In this episode, we discover how her startup is tackling testing issues head on. The company’s beachhead product is targeting Strep Throat, a common bacterial infection that affects millions of people every year. Despite its frequency, K Health reported that the cost of a strep test in the US averages $270 at a doctor’s office without insurance. RT MicroDx is looking to provide molecular testing from the comfort of your home, to make the test quicker and more efficient, meaning it will be more accessible for patients, leading to a more equitable system for all. As a non-technical founder, Nathalya’s journey is one that can be a shining light for other entrepreneurs looking to make an impact in the medtech space. She is demonstrating that by tapping into the startup ecosystem, and implementing a robust Go-to-Market strategy, it is possible to bring innovative solutions to patients without prior technical experience. Nathalya’s passion for solving a problem faced by millions of people shines through in this discussion. To overcome a challenging fundraising climate, she has preserved and continued to build value through strategic thinking, iterative development, and creating a strong network. This is truly a wonderful conversation with a great founder, so tune in so you can be equally informed and inspired!

Fundraising is a challenging process which is often confusing, drawn out, and ultimately leaves many founders frustrated. Statistics show that for certain founders, there appears to be an additional imbalance which is causing concern across the innovation ecosystem. Despite extensive data showing the benefits of a diverse founding team, underrepresented and underserved founders are still regularly being overlooked when it comes to dollars being distributed to startups. Allison Byers, CEO and Founder of Scroobious, steps forward to share her personal experience from medtech leader, to inspirational diversity fundraising champion. Her mission is to remove unfair, and often unseen bias in the pitching process through a combination of community and data science. Scroobious is leveraging the modern business plan, aka, your pitch deck, to help level the playing field for all founders when it comes to fundraising. Their value-driven platform teaches the top tips when it comes to building your story and conveying the best message to showcase your innovation, all while forging connections with funders too. If you want to learn more about how you can wow with your next investor presentation, or how a 19th Century poem is helping to celebrate and reap the benefits of diversity, then be sure to tune in so you can be equally inspired and informed.

Starting a medical device company is hard. Successfully building a medical device company is even harder. Medtech entrepreneurs are therefore constantly searching for guidance and support on their journey. If you ever wanted a podcast episode to act as a roadmap to accelerate your journey from idea to market, then this is the one for you! Tune in to hear how FastWave Medical is truly making waves when it comes to Intravascular Lithotripsy (IVL). Not only are they bringing exciting new treatments to address an over $10B market in artery calcification, they are doing it in a hyper methodical and rapid manner. Incorporated 3 years ago, the startup went on to raise a $12M Series A round just six months later. The power of a great innovative product, combined with a leading team, shines through in this discussion with CEO and co-founder, Scott Nelson. And speed is a common theme during this episode, as Scott effortlessly translates the complex approach being undertaken with insightful knowledge bombs dropped apace from the get-go! If you want to follow in the footsteps of Scott and his fast-moving team, then be sure to have your pen and paper ready. FastWave is paving the way for other founders, so get ready to be inspired and informed.

Some of the best technologies developed take their inspiration from the natural environment, and Limax Biosciences is following in this vein, with their novel hydrogel glue seeking to transform how we treat injuries inside and outside the body. Co-founder Ben Freedman steps into this episode’s guest seat to share his mission of putting an end to disruptive and excessive bleeding that creates substantial costs for the healthcare system. With multiple applications for their innovation, significant progress has already been made towards closing the gap on hard to address vascular bleeds. The Limax hydrogel has been shown to be capable of adhering to a bloody and beating pig heart, highlighting the unprecedented strong and flexible adhesion capabilities. Add to this, its biocompatible and antimicrobial features, and you can see why this technology is backed as one to watch by those in the industry. If you want to learn more about the Latin foundation of their solution and expand your knowledge of medtech mimicry then this episode is sure to tick all those boxes and more!

The inspiration behind Samay Health was founder Maria Artunduaga’s abuela, Sylvia. Maria witnessed her grandmother’s struggles to understand when her COPD was exacerbating. After she died, Maria decided to switch careers, so that no one else dies because of misdiagnosis. Maria Artunduaga is a Colombian-born physician-scientist and inventor with 50+ prizes and publications. Her pragmatic approach to building a novel solution is based on both a passionate foundation and recognition that the current standard of care still sees half of discharged COPD patients die within 5 years. During this episode we unpack more of the eye-watering statistics around Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and how Samay is on a mission to move away from subjective survey assessments to an intelligent data-driven respiratory monitoring platform. If you want to know what it takes to tackle one of the world’s leading causes of death, then be sure to tune in to learn more about Maria’s journey so you can be equally inspired and informed.

During this episode we learn how two Georgia Tech graduates came together to form Augment Health and settled on creating a smart bladder monitor for neurological conditions. There are 7 million people who have lost feeling and function of their bladder due to a chronic neurological condition. As two young entrepreneurs, Stephen Kalinsky shares how he and his fellow co-founder took on a number of challenges, pivoted into their innovation, and kept a steadfast mindset to understand the clinician and patient needs they are addressing. It is this patient experience driven approach that has seen Augment making great strides to develop a solution that truly makes a difference for the patient and their care team. Stephen discusses how by immersing in the medtech ecosystem and joining a number of leading programs, they have been able to leverage the full support of the innovation community towards their goals. Recorded in mid-March 2023, this episode is a reminder that the principles of being great founders are timeless and can be applied at any age. Tune in so you can be informed and inspired!

Gitte Pedersen is a Danish scientist and company builder using mRNA to design next generation cures for cancer. Together with her brother, she co-founded Genomic Expression where the familial tale extends into the startup’s origin story. In this episode, co-host @kyle kruse and I discover what led Gitte to tackle the significant issue faced by many cancer sufferers in the world. The lack of specificity that recognized therapeutics provide for cancer, or sometimes, the lack of any available treatment option at all. Genomic’s OneRNA platform enables repurposing existing drugs even on an individual patient basis and the development of novel RNA therapeutics. We learn how the platform is targeting both ends of the spectrum with their first indication, Breast cancer, the most common type of cancer, as well as building studies for rare types where 40,000 or less patients are affected. It's worth highlighting that these rare types account for a quarter of all cancers in the US! As recent applications of mRNA vaccines and AI-driven healthcare solutions have shown, there is finally a possibility for the rapid development of personalized and more effective treatments. This paradigm shift in medicine makes the work of Genomic Expression well worth a listen to learn more about!

We all know how easy it can be to hit your head against something, whether this be a light knock or a more serious collision. However, when it comes to recognizing the difference between the impact of these knocks, it’s not quite as easy! As a nurse practitioner, Debbie Kantor, has witnessed firsthand the issues this can cause. This inspired her to found Hero Medical Technologies and utilize a data-driven approach to improve how we diagnose and monitor TBIs. Hero Medical is developing a more effective bandage to alleviate any associated bleeding, combined with embedded sensor technology that can help identify those key signals that might be missed or delayed in being identified. Added to this innovative medical device, Hero Medical has also created a pain monitoring app that can offer a whole extra layer of patient monitoring from home to further enhance head injury insights. Through this episode Debbie describes the divergent regulatory journeys being embarked upon as they look to make early leverage of TBI data through machine learning while navigating a challenging fundraising landscape. Whether for military applications or monitoring at home, Hero Medical is truly triaging TBI patients with their data science approach. If you want to be equally inspired and informed then be sure to check out the episode!