In this episode, we sat down withTracy MacNeal, President and CEO of Materna Medical. Materna is developing two devices addressing different aspects of pelvic health: Ellora, aimed at preventing childbirth injuries during delivery, and Milli, designed to treat vaginismus, a pelvic floor condition that makes intercourse painful or impossible.

Tracy is a healthcare executive and engineer with over 25 years of experience in medical devices, digital health, and women’s health, including six successful transactions. In addition to heading Materna, Tracy serves on the AdvaMed Board and leads its Women’s Health Equity Initiative, and was previously President of Diagnostics and Digital Health at Ximedica.

In this interview, Tracy shares how clinical data enabled Materna to bridge B2B and B2C channels, and why clarity of focus is essential when commercialization paths diverge. Tracy also outlines what it takes to build in undefined markets, from aligning KOLs to publishing foundational definitions, and offers a candid perspective on what investors really want: clear financial returns, backed by a founder they trust to deliver when things go sideways.

In this episode, we sat down with Joanna Nathan, CEO and co-founder of Prana Surgical — a startup developing image-guided surgical platforms for precision oncology. 

Joanna's career spans translational research at Texas Heart Institute, product development at Saranas, and portfolio management at Mercury Fund and Johnson & Johnson's Center for Device Innovation. She mentors founders through her not-for-profit organization Enventure and teaches entrepreneurship at Rice University's Jones School of Business.

In this interview, Joanna shares her framework for evaluating which medtech ideas merit pursuit, revealing three critical signals every founder should look for: clinical urgency that requires no convincing, favorable asymmetry between value and technical risk, and optimal market timing. Joanna also demonstrates how systematic grant applications and strategic resource allocation can extend runway while building investor credibility, and addresses the unique psychological challenges of building life-critical devices.

In this episode, we sat down with Greg Lipschitz, CEO of Firefly Neuroscience. Firefly’s FDA-510(k) cleared Brain Network Analytics (BNA™) technology objectively measures brain function through EEG analysis. With a proprietary database spanning twelve cognitive disorders, the company serves both clinical practitioners and pharmaceutical partners.

Greg brings extensive experience in private equity, investment banking, capital markets, and finance to his leadership role. As Managing Director of Old Stone Advisors and former Vice President of Lazer Capital, Greg has advised on over $1 billion in transactions. He is a Chartered Financial Analyst.

In this interview, Greg shares insights on strategic fundraising approaches, platform prioritization decisions, and building commercial momentum in healthcare through direct sales and customer feedback loops.

In this episode, we sat down with Maulik Nanavaty, CEO of Anumana. Anumana, an AI-driven health technology company focused on cardiovascular care, is taking a pragmatic approach to scaling AI in medicine.

Maulik is a seasoned healthcare executive with over 30 years of global experience in the medical device industry. He spent 18 years at Boston Scientific, where he led its $1B+ Neuromodulation division and served as President of Boston Scientific Japan. Prior to that, he held leadership positions at Baxter. Known for driving innovation in implantable and artificial intelligence (AI)-powered technologies, Maulik also serves on the board of Rani Therapeutics.

In this interview, Maulik shares why building a strong risk-benefit case and designing around real-world clinician needs are key to adoption. With data from over 20 million patients and a focus on transparency, Anumana is reshaping how AI reaches the point of care.

In this episode, we had a fascinating chat with Mary Lou Jepsen, founder and Chairman of Openwater, a medtech company developing breakthrough diagnostic and therapeutic wearables for cancer, stroke, mental illness, and beyond. Openwater is rethinking how medical devices are built — not as single-purpose machines, but as flexible platforms that function more like smartphones.

A physicist and prolific inventor, Mary Lou holds nearly 300 patents and has launched over 50 products across VR, AR, holography, and consumer electronics. Previously, she led engineering at Intel, Facebook, and Google, taught at MIT, and now serves on the boards of Lear Corporation and Luminar Technologies. She has been named to Time magazine’s list of the 100 most influential people. 

In this interview, Mary Lou explains why the traditional “one disease, one device” model falls short, and how her team is applying consumer electronics and open-source principles to develop scalable, software-driven tools. Backed by renowned investors including Khosla Ventures, Vitalik Buterin, and Esther Dyson, Openwater is aiming to make advanced care more accessible worldwide.

In this episode, we sat down with Anthony Fernando, President and CEO of Asensus Surgical.

Asensus is expanding the role of robotics in the OR with its performance-guided surgery platform — a digital-first, AI-enabled system designed to enhance precision and real-time decision-making. 

A mechanical engineer by training, Anthony has more than two decades of experience spanning medtech, robotics, and global operations. He joined Asensus in 2015 and previously served as Chief Operating Officer and Chief Technology Officer. Earlier in his career, Anthony held leadership roles at Stryker, Becton Dickinson, PerkinElmer, and Varian, where he focused on advancing automation and medical device innovation across international markets.

In this interview, Anthony shares how the Durham, NC–based Asensus navigated uncharted regulatory territory for a first-of-its-kind technology and proactively made the case for acquisition — well before KARL STORZ came to the table.

If you'd rather read than listen, here's a link to the full interview with Anthony Fernando.

In this episode, we had a really engaging conversation with James (Jim) Corbett, CEO of AVITA Medical.

AVITA Medical’s RECELL system uses Spray-On Skin Cell technology to accelerate healing for patients with severe burns and wounds. 

Jim brings nearly 40 years of medical device leadership experience to AVITA Medical. His career spans global commercial and operational roles, including President of Boston Scientific and General Manager of Scimed Life Systems. Jim has served as CEO of six companies, including three publicly traded entities — Microtherapeutics, ev3, and Alphatec Spine — as well as CathWorks, Home Diagnostics, and Vertos Medical.

In this interview, Jim shares lessons from a career spanning global medtech leadership positions — including the importance of hands-on fundraising, adapting sales strategies as products mature, and how generating clinical evidence beyond FDA requirements serves commercial adoption.

In this episode, we sat down with Todd Usen, CEO of Adagio Medical.

Adagio specializes in catheter-based ablation technologies for the treatment of cardiac arrhythmias, with a focus on ventricular tachycardia (VT).  

Todd has over three decades of leadership experience in the medical technology industry, with particular expertise in commercial strategy, operational performance, and business transformation. Before joining Adagio, Todd served as CEO of Minerva Surgical, a women's health company, and as CEO of Activ Surgical, a digital surgery startup. Todd has also served in executive positions at Olympus, United States Orthopedics, Smith and Nephew, and Boston Scientific.

In this interview, Todd shares insights on making usability central to commercialization strategy, leveraging breakthrough designation beyond regulatory validation, and assembling effective boards by carefully selecting both investor and independent members who bring operational expertise.

In this episode, we sat down with Stuart Long, CEO of InfoBionic. 

InfoBionic's virtual cardiac telemetry platform, MoMe ARC®, brings together a tiered hospital-grade monitoring capability powered by advanced AI-enabled analysis for cardiac interventions.

Stuart has over two decades of experience in the medical device and healthcare technology sectors, with a focus on driving rapid commercial growth. His leadership spans roles including CEO of Monarch Medical Systems, global chief marketing and sales officer at CapsuleTech, and executive positions at Philips Healthcare, Agfa HealthCare, AMICAS, and FUJIFILM USA. At CapsuleTech, he developed strategic initiatives that led to the company’s acquisition by Qualcomm Life. 

In this interview, Stuart shares insights on combining debt and equity financing, hybrid commercial approaches, and positioning startups for acquisitions through adjacent market development — all while maintaining the persistence needed to survive the long game.

In this episode, we sat down with Shreya Mehta, co-founder and CEO of Zenflow.

Zenflow is a medical device company focused on treating benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH).

A biomedical engineer, Shreya brings over 15 years of experience in medtech, including serving as a lead reviewer at the FDA, where she specialized in cardiovascular devices. Shreya co-founded Zenflow in 2014 out of the Stanford Biodesign Innovation Fellowship. The company was one of the first medical device startups backed by Y Combinator and also received early support from StartX and the UCSF Rosenman Institute at QB3.

Shreya's experience at Zenflow reveals strategies for grounding innovation in patient needs, building productive FDA relationships, and leveraging accelerator programs to transform academic concepts into viable businesses.