The Importance of Medical Device Sales Experience, the Rocket Ship that was Acclarent, and How to Achieve Personal Growth as a Medtech Leader

Bill Facteau joined Earlens Corporation as Chairman, President, and CEO in November of 2013. Most recently, he was the Vice Chairman of ExploraMed, a medical device incubator based on the West Coast and an Entrepreneur in Residence at New Enterprise Associates. Previously, Bill was at Johnson & Johnson from early 2010 through early 2012 as Worldwide President of their ENT Division. Facteau joined Johnson & Johnson via the $800M dollar acquisition of Acclarent where he served as President, CEO, and a member of the Board of Directors since the company’s formation in 2004.

Under Bill’s leadership, the Acclarent went from concept to acquisition in 5 ½ years, raised over $100M, created jobs for approximately 400 employees, grew revenues to $100M and became profitable. Prior to joining Acclarent, Bill was the General Manager of the Endovascular Division at Abbott Vascular where he served as a member of the executive team and created the entry strategy for Abbott to participate in the peripheral vascular space.

He joined Abbott Laboratories via the $683 million acquisition of Perclose, a vessel closure company, where he was Sales Director. From July 1993 to April 1998, Bill worked in a number of sales and sales management positions at United States Surgical Corporation, or otherwise known as US Surgical.

Interview Highlights with Bill Facteau

• How Bill and his team celebrated after Acclarent was acquired by Johnson & Johnson.

• Bill’s current role at Earlens, the technology they’ve developed, and how they intend to commercialize it.

• What brought Bill into the medical device space with U.S. Surgical back in the early 1990’s.

• How Bill’s medtech sales experience has impacted the rest of his career.

• What medtech entrepreneurs can learn from Bill’s experience helping to build Acclarent from the ground floor.

• Why Bill didn’t want to stay in venture capital after spending time at ExploraMed and NEA after J&J’s acquisition of Acclarent.

• Mindshare and comfort zones: Bill’s advice on how to experience personal growth as a leader in medtech.

• People, product, opportunity: what they mean to Bill as a medtech executive.

• Bill’s thoughts on the regulatory and reimbursement environments and why he loves the direct-to-patient approach they are taking at Earlens.

• Bill’s favorite business book, the CEO he admires most, and what he would tell his 25-year old self.