Scott Nelson Live

In this episode, we had an insightful discussion with Timothy Boire and Geoffrey Lucks, co-founders of VenoStent. The company is developing SelfWrap, a bioabsorbable wrap to improve the success rate of vascular surgeries, starting with dialysis access creation for chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients.   

Tim holds a Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering from Vanderbilt University. He has experience as a Research Associate at Genzyme and was an Entrepreneurial Lead at NSF I-Corps. Geoffrey is a venture partner at Pioneer Fund and has a BA in Economics, Biology, and Zoology from the University of Wisconsin, a Master's in Bioethics from the University of Pennsylvania, and an MBA in Finance from Vanderbilt University. In this interview, they talk about understanding your end user, working collaboratively with FDA, structuring and executing large clinical trials, and staying resourceful to attract funding while developing your concept.

In this episode, we sat down with Jason Hannon, President and CEO of Mainstay Medical, where he and his team are commercializing ReActiv8, an implantable neurostimulation system for intractable mechanical chronic low back pain. 

Jason holds a J.D. from Stanford University Law School and a B.A. from the University of California, Berkeley. After 12 years at NuVasive, where as COO, he led the company to incredible revenue milestones, he transitioned to his current role at Mainstay. In this interview, Jason shares his experiences on iterative product development, considerations for clinical trial design, the importance of patient education, and why reimbursement is paramount.

In this episode, we had a fascinating chat with Dmitri Leonov, co-founder and CEO of Taopatch USA. The company is commercializing a range of wearable nanotechnology light therapy devices aimed at managing neurological conditions including pain management and sports performance.  Dmitri is also an advisor in a number of transformative technology projects. After seven fruitful years at Overture and later at Yahoo, he dove into the startup world. He went on to found several companies, including Sanebox.com, but was intrigued by frequency medicine and started his current venture by bringing Taopatch to the United States from Italy, where it was first invented.

In this interview, Dmitri shares how the company was able to garner unique publicity and how strategic partnerships with holistic practitioners, authentic user testimonials, and a creative money-back guarantee strategy were instrumental in Taopatch USA's market success.

In this episode, we sat down with medtech veteran Joe DeVivo, President and CEO of Butterfly Network. Butterfly iQ3 is the startup's latest chip-powered, hand-held ultrasound device with superior image quality and ultrafast scan times.  Joe is a proven executive with 35 years of business leadership experience, including 22 years in the medical device industry spanning small start-up companies to multi-billion-dollar organizations. He has acquired and fully integrated eight companies, engineered four business turnarounds, and delivered five company exits. 

In this interview, Joe shares insights on why a lean start in commercialization is better than a high-burn, high-risk approach, the difference between your company being sold and being purchased, and best practices for managing M&A transactions. 

In this episode, we had a fun conversation with Kevin Eisenfrats, CEO of Contraline. Kevin and his team are developing ADAM, a novel, long-lasting, reversible male contraceptive.

Kevin is a first-time entrepreneur and nanomedical engineer from the University of Virginia (UVA) and has been working on contraceptive technologies since his undergrad years. He has amassed over 50 patents in contraceptive drugs, medical devices, and biomaterials. In 2017, he was honored with a place among the Forbes 30 Under 30 in Healthcare.

In this interview, Kevin offers insights on how to move swiftly through clinical trials, community-building in medtech, creative fundraising efforts, and the importance of executing thorough scientific and market research.

In this episode, we had an insightful discussion with Dr. Eric Fain, CEO and President of Procyrion — a startup developing an advanced percutaneous mechanical circulatory support device for patients with chronic heart failure.  

Eric began his career at Ventritex, a startup focused on implantable defibrillators. Over the next 30 years, and through the company’s acquisition by St. Jude Medical, he has held a number of leadership roles overseeing global sales, marketing, R&D, and clinical, eventually becoming the Group President via St. Jude’s exit to Abbott. 

In this interview, Eric shares his expertise in managing startup finances, attracting investors through strategic planning, drawing up clear clinical roadmaps, and engaging with payers to catalyze commercialization. 

In this episode, we had a fun chat with Trent Reutiman, CEO of Mercator MedSystems. Trent and his team have developed microinfusion devices with the unique ability to locally and directly deliver targeted therapeutics during catheter-based interventions where mechanical therapy isn’t sufficient.  Trent has 25 years of leadership experience in medtech including roles in sales, marketing, and business management with a focus on minimally invasive interventional products for companies like IDEV, ROX Medical, RITA Medical Systems, Guidant, and Cordis.

In this interview, Trent talks about the importance of generating data, how to balance commercial efforts with clinical initiatives, and why meticulous management is critical for successful commercialization. 

In this episode, we had an engaging conversation with Marissa Fayer, CEO of DeepLook Medical.

This startup is developing AI-powered diagnostic tools that help radiologists detect cancerous lesions in dense tissue.  

Marissa has over two decades of experience as a medtech executive, entrepreneur, investor, and philanthropist, spanning companies like Hologic and Olympus. She’s the founder of HERhealthEQ, a non-profit focused on advancing global women's health, and an entrepreneur-in-residence at Graybella Capital and Goddess Gaia Ventures. She’s a TEDx Speaker, a UCSC Miller Center Social Entrepreneur Fellow, and winner of the 2022 First in FemTech award. 

In this interview, Marissa talks about the basics of product development, how to build iteratively, tips on identifying ideal regulatory pathways, and how she picks her advisors and board members.

In this episode, we had an enlightening discussion with Dan Rose, former CEO of LimFlow, which recently sold to Inari Medical. The minimally-invasive LimFlow System is designed to bypass blocked arteries in the leg and rush blood back into the foot, potentially avoiding major amputation, resolving pain, and promoting wound healing.

A leader with 25 years of experience in the medical device space, Dan has worked in both multinational corporations and startup ventures throughout his career. He holds a BA and an MA from the University of Virginia, and an MBA from the Darden Business School. Most recently, he led LimFlow’s exit to Inari as the company’s CEO and has held pivotal positions at Direct Flow Medical, Sequana Medical, Medtronic, and other medtech companies. 

In this interview, Dan shares his extensive wisdom on M&A transactions, engaging with investors while maintaining business autonomy, the importance of developing with the ‘average user’ in mind, and the significance of early dialogue with regulatory bodies.

In this episode, we sat down for an engaging chat with Ahmed Zobi, founder and CEO of Syntr Health Technologies, which has developed an automated microfat processing system for use in aesthetics and plastic surgery.

The FDA-cleared SyntrFuge device allows clinicians to harvest patients’ adipose tissue and then reinject it as processed microfat within minutes into the desired area, eliminating the use of fillers. 

Ahmed has a decade of experience in the medical device industry. He advises and mentors many startups, has been recognized as a Forbes Next 1000 Honoree, and is a guest lecturer at the USC Keck School of Medicine. Ahmed also serves as a board member at various organizations, including the Wound Healing Society and the UCI Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship.

In this interview, Ahmed shares his ideas on the risks and rewards of entrepreneurship, how to operate in a lean fashion, why he puts regulatory clearance above all, and how he managed to be the youngest candidate to receive a phase 1 SBIR grant.