Project Medtech

In this episode, Maxwell and I discuss the Da Vinci Academy, starting a business as a resident, networking in the field of medicine, using entrepreneurship to share and develop ideas, and more.   Maxwell Cooper Bio: Dr. Cooper earned B.A. and M.S. degrees from Case Western Reserve University and his M.D. from the University of Toledo College of Medicine, and currently is a Radiology resident at Emory University. He also co-founded and runs a medical education company called DaVinci Academy that he started during medical school DaVinci Academy provides online video courses and outline format textbooks for medical students. In addition, Dr. Cooper recently started and hosts a podcast called The DaVinci Hour, presented by DaVinci Academy.   Maxwell Cooper, M.D. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maxwellcoopermd Twitter: https://twitter.com/mcoopermd DaVinci Academy Website: https://www.dviacademy.com/ Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/davinci-academy---dviacademy.com The DaVinci Hour Podcast Website: https://www.dviacademy.com/the-davinci-hour

In this episode, Bob, Greg and I discuss AiM Medical Robotics, advice for start-up companies, where the robotic industry is going, and more.  Bob Cathcart: Bob is an experienced Medical Device executive, with over 30 years in the industry.   He has extensive General Management experience, having led both large and small companies.  Most recently, Bob was CEO of Clear Guide Medical, a start-up company focused on novel approaches to Image Guided Surgery.  Of note, Bob was Senior Vice President of World Wide Sales for Hansen Medical, the leader in Surgical Robotics for the Cardiovascular space.  He was part of the senior executive team that led the sale of Hansen Medical to Auris Robotics, which was eventually purchased by JNJ in 2019.  Greg Fischer: Greg is the William Smith Dean's Professor and a faculty member in Robotics Engineering with  appointments in Mechanical Engineering and Biomedical Engineering at WPI. He received his PhD in Mechanical Engineering in 2008 from Johns Hopkins University, where he was part of the NSF Engineering Research Center for Computer Integrated Surgery. At WPI he has been an integral part of developing the Robotics Engineering program and teaches primarily junior-level and graduate courses in Robotics. He is the founding director of the Automation and Interventional Medicine (AIM) Robotics Research Laboratory. He is also the Director of the MassTech-supported PracticePoint R&D Center for translational research in healthcare cyber-physical systems.  AiM Medical Robotics PracticePoint R&D Center

In this episode, Neil and I discuss seed to series A financing, advice for start-up companies, the medtech scene in Cleveland, the importance of cap tables, and more. 

In this episode, Zeke and I discuss SMMG MedTech, his history in selling medical devices, advice and pitfalls of selling a medical device product and more.   Bio: Zeke Zielinski is the Founder and President of SMMG MedTech. Zeke is a MedTech Sales Executive with over 25 years of experience in start-up, mid-size, and large-cap medical device companies including CR Bard, ACS (Eli Lily), Heart Technology, and Boston Scientific. He has also led sales organizations in early-stage startups such as CoAxia, Interrad Medical, Angiotech, LifeWatch AngioScore, and Spectranetics. He is currently the Sales Director with Abbott Vascular. He resides in Mound, Minnesota and is a graduate of Purdue University.

In   this episode, Tim and I discuss fractionalizing your team as a start-up, how   to do it, a companies first full time hire and more.

In this episode, Zed, Clark and I discuss TrackableMed, selling medical technology, advice to building your commercial team, pitfals and more. 

In this episode, Dvir, Jan and I discuss Memic, robotic surgery, how to evaluate an unmet clinical need, how they chose their first market, fundraising tips and more.  Bio: Dvir Cohen has served as Chief Executive Officer at Memic since October 2013. Mr. Cohen has been a leader in the Company from its inception and also serves as a president of our U.S. subsidiary, Memic Innovative Surgery Inc. Mr. Cohen brings more than 15 years of experience in innovative robotic systems. Prior to joining the Company, Mr. Cohen served in various positions in the Israeli Ministry of Defense as an awarded officer specializing in robotic systems for various applications. From 2011 to 2013, Mr. Cohen held the positions of research and development manager and robotic project specialist in an elite technology unit of the Israel Intelligence Force. From 2007 to 2011, Mr. Cohen led several opto-mechanical disruptive solutions in the Ministry of Defense, one of which won the Israel Defense Award. Mr. Cohen has experience at all stages of product development, from the early conceptual stage through prototyping to production line implementation and final market. Mr. Cohen earned an M.B.A in 2013 from the Recanati Business School at Tel Aviv University with a major in Business Strategy and Entrepreneurship. He also earned B.Sc. and M.Sc. degrees in Mechanical Engineering from the Technion as part of the “Brakim” excellence program in 2007.   Prof. Dr. Jan Baekelandt is currently a consultant for the Department of Gynaecological Oncology and Endoscopy at Imelda Hospital in Bonheiden, Belgium. He is guest professor at the University of Leuven, department of development and regeneration in urogenital abdominal and plastic surgery. He specializes in gynecological oncology, and robotic and endoscopic surgery. Dr. Baekelandt qualified as a Medical Doctor (1999) and specialist in Gynecology and Obstetrics (2004) at the Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium. He subspecialized as a gynecological oncologist (2004-2006) in Pretoria, South Africa and Köln, Germany. He is a pioneer in the emerging field of Natural Orifice Surgery and has written his PhD on transvaginal Natural Orifice Transluminal Endoscopic Surgery (vNOTES), of which he has performed over 1500 cases. He introduced vNOTES in Europe, developed the technique of total vaginal NOTES hysterectomy and of vaginal retroperitoneal sentinel node dissection. He also introduced transvaginal robotic surgery as part of his PhD research.

In this episode, Mike and I discuss his new blog post about the 10 risks life science companies will face in 2021.   Mike Cremeans Bio: He leads the Life Sciences Practice for Hylant, whose mission is to strengthen the businesses, employees and communities of our client family by embracing them as our own. He is a client facing risk strategist and recognized subject matter expert for Life Sciences related products and services and partner with his customers to identify, simplify and translate complicated risks/situations into understandable concepts and practical solutions.

In this episode, Craig and I discuss the importance of designing a product that can be manufactured, how to choose a contract manufacturer, advice for start-up companies and more.  Craig's Bio: As the Head of Project Lifecycle Management  at NAGLREITER™, Craig manages the resourcing , performance, and overall customer satisfaction for all client programs including client company management and fundraising, client product specification development, client contract manufacturing, and general client consulting services With over 28 years in the medical device field, Craig’s experience ranges from engineering, manufacturing, and clinical surgical expertise to acquisition analysis, financial management, and proven success with startups. Prior to joining NAGLREITER™, Craig was the COO at InNeuroCo where his responsibility for the overall operations included strategic planning, realigning departments to enhance efficiency, and implementing principles to meet customer expectations. Leading up to his role with InNeuroCo, Craig was a founder and General Manager of Interplex Medical responsible for all strategic initiatives including acquisitions, additionally serving as the Vice President of Research & Development heading all engineering services (product design, early stage conceptual activities, process validation testing, leading product development teams, and more). Prior to Interplex, Craig held managing partner and senior engineering roles for IDx Medical and General Dynamics where he was responsible for early stage product assessments, market trend analysis, and improving production efficiencies.

In this episode, Amy and I discuss Pain Care Labs, her apperance on shark tank, why the adoption of new medical technology takes so long, hurdles when taking a product to market, and more.   Dr. Amy Baxter Bio: As Founder and CEO of Pain Care Labs Pain Relief, Dr. Amy Baxter’s mission is to eliminate unnecessary pain. She invented and patented VibraCool® Vibrating Cryotherapy to treat tendinitis and decrease opioid use, and her Buzzy® device has been used to control needle pain for over 32 million needle procedures. She has been named a Healthcare GameChanger, Healthcare Transformer, Wall Street Journal “Idea Person”, Most Innovative CEO of the Year by GA Bio, a Top 10 Disruptors in Medical Tech, and “Top Women in Tech to Watch” by Inc. She is currently developing a wearable VibraCool Low Back pain reliever to accompany VibraCool Knee Pain and VibraCool Elbow Tendinitis Relief, and exploring regenerative implications of thermal and vibratory energy. After graduating from Yale University and Emory School of Medicine, she completed pediatrics residency and child abuse and emergency pediatrics fellowships. Prior to becoming a full-time CEO, double-boarded pediatric emergency physician Dr. Baxter founded and directed PEMA Emergency Research, Scottish Rite, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. Federally funded for her work in needle pain management, she has published multiple first author papers and textbook chapters and lectures nationally and internationally on sedation, procedural pain management, and the incidence, cause and consequences of needle phobia. To develop her neuromodulation pain reduction platform, Dr. Baxter was awarded a 1.1MM Fast-Track SBIR by the NIH. She wrote the patents for cooling and vibration utilization to decrease pain, and prepared and filed the FDA 510K submission for medical devices, securing the FDA expansion of the utilization to include muscle pain and cosmetic injection pain control. A founding Board Member of the Society for Pediatric Sedation, additional experience includes the Standish board for hospital pain relief, Trustee of the Robert A. Heinlein Butler Library, Editorial Boards of Medscape and Elsevier Pediatrics, and Board Member of the International Women’s Forum Georgia Chapter. She has been named a Fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American College of Emergency Physicians. Dr. Baxter reviews for multiple scholarly journals, conferences, and national and international grant boards. Speaking venues include Exponential Medicine, Bloomberg, Converge, AARP Life at 50+, TEDx and TEDMED. Dr. Baxter is known for creating and validating the BARF nausea scale for children with cancer. She is also known for turning down Mark Cuban, Robert, and Mr. Wonderful on Shark Tank.