In this episode of Medsider Radio, we sat down with Harlee Sorkin, CEO of InterShunt Technologies, a startup developing a minimally invasive catheter designed to treat heart failure. By improving blood flow and lessening the heart's workload via a shunt, the company's technology holds promise for easing heart failure symptoms.

Harlee is a co-founder of Common Place Holdings, a venture studio that has spun out eight medtech startups, including InterShunt. Before Common Place, Harlee led Traco Labs, a health and nutrition ingredient manufacturer, to a successful exit. He also served as the Clinical Assistant Professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where he focused on translating research ideas into commercially viable applications. 

In this interview, Harlee delves into the nuances of leading an early-stage medtech company and covers essential topics such as development prioritization and capital fundraising. He also shares what it’s like to navigate clinical and regulatory challenges as a first-time medtech entrepreneur and how to effectively engage with stakeholders across the healthcare ecosystem.

Before we dive into the discussion, I wanted to mention a few things:

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Lastly, if you'd rather read than listen, here's a link to the full interview with Harlee Sorkin.