Interviews

We sat down with Tess Cosad, a femtech enthusiast and CEO of Béa Fertility. Founded in 2020, Béa offers innovative, hormone-free, accessible, at-home fertility treatments and ovulation tracking as an alternative to traditional clinic-based offerings. Their flagship product simplifies the fertility journey thanks to its user-friendly design. In this interview, Tess delves into the challenges and triumphs of launching a consumer-facing product, the importance of a solid design team, how to be comfortable making decisions with imperfect information, and the lessons she learned about being a CEO while raising funds.

In this episode, we sit down with Carla Spina, the pioneering force behind Noa Therapeutics. Carla and her team are developing treatments for inflammatory skin diseases with their innovative multimodal small-molecule therapies. Carla shares her invaluable experiences on the importance of engaging actively with the startup ecosystem and staying connected with those who are shaping the field. We talk about how building a company is a collaborative venture that requires a strong network of entrepreneurs, investors, and industry experts, and the significance of authentic interaction when reaching out to a variety of potential stakeholders.

Daniel Powel is the CEO of Spark Biomedical, developers of the Sparrow Ascent, a drug-free wearable device to combat opioid withdrawal symptoms. In this interview, Daniel shares key insights from his journey: the importance of testing ideas and creating a MVP, diversifying funding sources, and how to make informed regulatory decisions.

Ken Mariash is a leading figure in the neuromodulation space and the CEO of Sinaptica Therapeutics, where his team is developing groundbreaking treatments for Alzheimer's disease. Their device delivers non-invasive neuromodulation therapy to key networks of the brain, and has shown unprecedented improvement in treating this debilitating disease. In our interview, Ken shares his time-tested wisdom, covering a range of topics from kick-starting a venture and how to approach M&A transactions, to mastering commercialization and best practices for engaging with investors.

Dave Rosa, President and CEO of NeuroOne, is a seasoned leader in the medical device industry with over thirty years of experience. NeuroOne is developing high-definition, minimally invasive neurology devices utilizing its unique thin-film electrode technology. In this interview, Dave discusses critical strategies to secure initial capital even before early development and regulatory milestones are achieved, how to leverage networks to connect with potential investors; and the importance of assembling a supportive and experienced team, including board members.

John Bertrand is the CEO of Digital Diagnostics, a company that is pioneering AI healthcare systems. Its flagship product, LumineticsCore, is an algorithm that autonomously diagnoses patients with diabetic retinopathy. In our interview, John shares his insights on aligning products with real-world needs, the importance of stakeholder engagement for adoption and long-term success, and strategies for navigating the extended sales cycles in healthcare technology.

In this interview Nick Delmonico, the CEO of Strados Labs, a company developing a wearable stethoscope to remotely capture lung sounds, discusses how Strados validated its technology through others' research and how starting with a clear understanding of the problem, rather than jumping straight to offering solutions, created significant opportunities for his company. Nick also emphasizes why interpersonal skills and active listening are crucial to success in medtech, and shares strategies for non-dilutive funding as a way to alleviate initial capital constraints while building credibility at the same time.

Greg Bullington, co-founder and CEO of Magnolia Medical, offers firsthand insights on establishing a new standard of care with Steripath, a device designed to enhance sepsis testing accuracy by reducing blood culture contamination. In this interview, he talks about the pivotal role of robust clinical data, why Magnolia is still running studies even after proving their device’s efficacy, and how to use the results to successfully convince different entities such as FDA and other government bodies in public health.