Scott Nelson Live

In this episode, we had an insightful chat with Brian Fahey, CEO of Adona Medical, which is a Shifamed-portfolio company. The Adona Interatrial Shunt is a smart implant designed to enable individualized management of heart failure. 

Before Adona, Brian founded a critical care company, Niveus Medical. He also spent time at J&J Innovation, specializing in drug-device products for oncology, and contributed to the leadership team at Arrinex, a neuromodulation company in the ENT space. An alumnus of the Stanford Biodesign Innovation Program, Brian holds a Ph.D. from Duke University.

In this interview, Brian talks about the importance of identifying and mitigating medtech’s three major risk factors, how to assess ideas strategically, and how to approach investors and potential M&A transactions. 

In this episode, we sat down with Konrad Morzkowski, co-founder and CEO of WearLinq. The startup is commercializing eWave, an FDA-cleared EKG monitor for continuous cardiac monitoring. 

Konrad is an engineer from Sweden and a member of Forbes’ 30 under 30 list. After obtaining an MS at Stanford – where he met his co-founders and raised his first round – Konrad dove right into entrepreneurship with WearLinq, a company commercializing consumer-facing digital healthcare solutions with an initial focus on EKG monitoring. 

In this interview, Konrad shares how he optimizes fundraising efforts by aligning them with important milestones, his unconventional methods to gather voice of customer research, and how his startup moved rapidly through product design iterations. 

In this episode, we had a fun chat with Bryan Lord, President and CEO of Pristine Surgical. Pristine's flagship product, Summit, is a 4K, single-use digital arthroscope that streamlines arthroscopic procedures. Bryan started his career as a “deal guy” – originally a tech lawyer in Boston, and always involved in startups. He has a wealth of experience across various technology sectors including semiconductors, enterprise software, and medtech, and spanning roles in corporate finance, technology licensing, and M&A. Before Pristine, Bryan also founded three venture organizations: New Venture Advisors, Orthopedic Venture Partners, and Innovation Alliance.

In this interview, Bryan shares the story of how he evolved his career to become a medtech entrepreneur and the lessons he learned along the way—about how to protect your competitive advantage, how to achieve market pull vs. market push, and the importance of collaborating with experienced mentors.

In this episode, we had an insightful chat with Amarpreet Sawhney, inventor, serial entrepreneur, and CEO of a few startups, including Instylla, which is developing polymerizing liquid embolics that can be used to shut down blood supply to hypervascular tumors and control bleeding.

Amar is also the CEO of Rejoni, Sealonix, and Pramand. His FDA-approved inventions include ReSure Sealant and Dextenza for ophthalmology, DuraSeal for neurosurgery, FocalSeal for lung surgery, Mynx for femoral puncture sealing, and SpaceOAR for prostate cancer radiotherapy. Together, they have impacted over 8 million patients globally.

In this episode, Amar shares his frameworks on risk assessment for medtech startups, tips on clinical study design, and how to prioritize indications when working on platform technologies.

In this episode, we had an engaging chat with Reinhard Krickl, CEO of Phagenesis, a startup commercializing a neurostimulation system designed to treat dysphagia, a condition that impairs a patient's ability to swallow.

An Austrian engineer with over 25 years of experience in medtech, Reinhard specializes in neurology-based medical devices. After beginning his career in academia, he got his industry start with Medtronic in 2000, where he would eventually lead the company’s efforts with deep brain stimulation (DBS) therapy across Europe. He is also an INSEAD-certified director and serves on several boards, chairing two of them.

In this interview, Reinhard shares insights on the importance of simplicity in design, what thorough market understanding truly means, and how he engages with stakeholders effectively. He also reveals the “market access checklist” he uses before entering the commercialization stage.

In this episode, we had an interesting chat with Sumit Nagpal, founder and CEO of Cherish Health, a company developing radar-based health and safety monitoring devices.

Over the past three decades, serial entrepreneur and digital health veteran Sumit has co-founded and grown five companies that have tackled some of the boldest challenges faced by the healthcare economy. He also serves on the board of HIMSS and chairs the Nominating Committee.

In this interview, Sumit shares his take on the importance of being stage-appropriate—both mentally and business-wise—and how to recognize patterns in the market by simply listening. Oh - and constantly learn from others because, as Steve Jobs paraphrasing Picasso put it, “great artists steal.”

In this episode, we had an insightful chat with Dan Nardi, CEO of Reimagine Care, a startup that integrates clinical oncology experts and robust capabilities to deliver individualized cancer treatment and recovery experience from home.

Dan has over two decades of experience in healthcare IT and digital health. Before Reimagine Care, he served as COO at Carrum Health, where he focused on value-based care and oversaw operations, including care delivery and growth. He also played a key role in scaling Livongo from 13 employees to its IPO as Vice President of Operations.

In this interview, Dan shares how he forms strategic partnerships that prioritize long-term value over short-term gains, how to leverage early adopters, and how he’s positioned his company in the emerging fee-for-value healthcare model.

In this episode, we had a fun chat with Conor Cullinane, co-founder and CEO of Pirouette Medical. The company, founded by three rocket scientists, is developing a low-profile, disc-shaped injector designed to deliver medicines as easily as pushing a button.  

Conor studied Aeronautical Engineering at Clarkson University and graduated with minors in Biomedical Engineering and Mathematics, followed by his PhD in Medical Engineering & Medical Physics at MIT and Harvard Medical School. He is also a mentor for Field X at Harvard Business School and a NASA Space Technology Research Fellow.

In this interview, Conor shares learnings from launching a community fundraising round, insights on selective innovation, identifying different value propositions for diverse stakeholders, and building strong investor relationships.

In this episode, we had an insightful chat with  Dr. Bill Hunter, CEO of Canary Medical. The company is developing smart, implantable medical devices that report on function, patient activity, and more.  

Bill is a former practicing physician with 30+ years of healthcare entrepreneurial experience and over 200 patents and patent applications to his name. He’s been intimately involved in the development of renowned devices like the TAXUS DES and paclitaxel-eluting balloons and spearheaded the success of companies like Angiotech and Correvio. As the CEO of Canary Medical, he’s now leading a new, smart, digital approach to patient monitoring and post-surgical care.

In this interview, Bill talks about his perspective on innovation in medtech, discusses what it takes for a device to be commercially viable, how Canary is alleviating the workload of healthcare professionals, and offers advice to physicians contemplating the transition to industry. 

In this episode, we had a compelling chat with Beth Rogozinski, CEO of Oncoustics. The company uses advanced AI to analyze ultrasound data to offer a cost-effective alternative to traditional diagnostic methods. 

Beth has held a variety of leadership roles in the field of digital health, including the development of the first FDA-cleared prescription digital therapeutic. She advises numerous startups and accelerators and has consulted with organizations like Stanford, UnitedHealth, and the National Mental Health Innovation Center. She is a guest lecturer at UCSF Health Hub and Columbia’s HIT Lab and serves on BIO’s Digital Health committee. 

In this interview, Beth shares her insights on the importance of persistence and resilience in fundraising, the value of engaging with a diverse range of investors, and the need for a strong narrative about your technology, particularly when it involves AI capabilities.