Dr. Alberto Rodriguez-Navarro has an impressive career spanning a decade as the chief of the ambulatory surgical unit at an under-resourced public hospital in Chile. He's not just an expert with the scalpel but also an inventor with multiple patents under his belt. Now at the helm of Levita Magnetics, he's driving the development of innovative technology for robotic surgery.
There's something undeniably fascinating about magnets, especially when you’re a child. It's counterintuitive, almost defying the very laws of physics that shape our understanding of the world — a bit of everyday magic.
You could say that this is where it all started for Dr. Rodriguez-Navarro. As a child, he was captivated by the way magnets could control objects without direct contact. In fact, he used a pair of magnets to clean his turtle tank. While this might seem like child’s play to adults, it sparked something else in Dr. Rodriguez-Navarro. He applied this concept to his area of expertise: surgery.
Levita has developed a technology called dynamic magnetic retraction, which leverages magnets to perform surgical procedures. They also incorporated robotics into their system. The result is the Magnetic Assisted Robotic Surgery (MARS) platform that enhances the capabilities of surgeons while decreasing the physical toll on patients. The platform enables the surgeon to operate inside the cavity without actually having to cut through it, making surgical practices much less invasive.
The benefits of MARS for patients include a swifter recovery, less pain, shorter hospital stays, minimal scarring, and a potential decrease in opioids. The surgeons, on the other hand, gain better control during surgery thanks to the superior visualization tools offered by Levita’s technology. This basically means more effective, successful surgeries overall, performed by fewer specialists in the operating rooms. Levita's technology offers undeniable value to patients, practitioners, and hospitals.
Levita Magnetics not only created this category, but it also trademarked the term “magnetic surgery.” On the brink of a new era, the company recently celebrated a milestone: FDA clearance of the MARS platform. As it prepares for a commercial launch in the U.S., Dr. Rodriguez-Navarro has also hinted at an exciting pipeline of products that is yet to come.
Key Learnings From Dr. Rodriguez-Navarro’s Experience
- Prioritize the scientific method from the beginning. Focus on effectively forming and testing your hypotheses. Begin with an MVP, gather real–world feedback, and then improve it in the most capital–efficient way.
- Transitioning from the clinic to a startup demands adopting a different mindset. Trust your abilities, but be receptive to feedback. Before delegating responsibility, dive into the roles yourself, as Dr. Rodriguez-Navarro did by becoming Levita's first sales rep.
- Think like the FDA. Both the entrepreneur and the FDA share the same goal: creating and validating a safe and effective product. Adopting this mindset will help you recognize the constraints of those on the other side of the regulatory table.
Dr. Rodriguez-Navarro is not only a skilled surgeon but a medtech visionary with multiple patents to his name. Today, he’s the driving force behind Levita Magnetics, a startup aiming to make surgical procedures as minimally invasive as possible with their advanced magnetic technology.
Nail the Basics
Levita Magnetics is an example of how remembering the basics can lead to profound breakthroughs.
Dr. Rodriguez-Navarro reminds us that medtech isn’t about reinventing the wheel. Instead, it's about asking the right questions and finding the best ways to answer them. It comes down to creating a hypothesis and then determining the quickest, least resource-intensive way to test it. Before diving into elaborate plans and broad objectives, remain "laser-focused" on the key questions you need to answer, so that you don’t only conserve resources but also expedite time-to-market.
With almost a decade–long experience in the field, Dr. Rodriguez-Navarro is aware that not all products, even those with stellar results in preclinical studies, translate well in the real world when used on actual patients.
This is especially the case in surgery.
"The idea is to develop a safe product that works, and the only way that you can really test that is in clinical experience," says Dr. Rodriguez-Navarro. That’s why it was important for Levita to conduct human clinical trials as early as possible. "The true measure of a product's efficacy isn't confined to lab environments but comes alive in actual surgical settings."
Once the safety of the product was ensured, Levita strategically leveraged patient trials to further product development. Instead of pouring resources into developing the most advanced system in the lab, Dr. Rodriguez-Navarro promotes starting with a minimum viable product (MVP). By placing this MVP directly in the hands of surgeons, Levita could verify that their innovations were both theoretically sound and practically impactful. As he aptly puts it, "To truly gauge a product's worth, you should aim to offer surgeons a safe, functional MVP and then listen closely to their feedback."
Another fundamental principle for Dr. Rodriguez-Navarro is tapping into your unique strengths and resources. In Levita's case, this was the location. In its quest to speed up research without compromising quality, Levita chose to conduct its studies in Chile. While operating at a faster pace, it still adhered to U.S. standards to ensure the research met the highest quality benchmarks.
"Figure out your advantages, and use them for your company,” Dr. Rodriguez-Navarro advises.
Lastly, a warning from Dr. Rodriguez-Navarro to those who might want to follow a similar path, “If you’re going to conduct studies outside the U.S., always maintain strict ethical standards. Things can be more flexible abroad, but any lapses can come back and bite you. Don’t try to take shortcuts, but instead, do the work.”
Check Your Ego at the Door
Transitioning from clinical practice to entrepreneurship requires a change in mindset. The world of surgery demands precision, confidence, and trust in one's expertise. As a surgeon, you may be used to being the ultimate decision-maker in an operating room. But you need to shed that ego to become a successful entrepreneur, as your new environment introduces its own challenges that require adaptability, an open mind, and above all, a sales mindset.
"You have to trust in yourself, but not be impermeable to new comments or how to improve," Dr. Rodriguez-Navarro advises, underlining the crucial balance between confidence and humility. He embodied his own advice by rolling up his sleeves and becoming Levita's first sales representative. This first-hand experience allowed him to understand user needs, gauge what resonates with buyers, gather real-world feedback, and refine Levita’s offering accordingly.
Such an ego check extends to fundraising, too. "You need to construct your track record to ensure you deliver on what you are promising," Dr. Rodriguez-Navarro emphasizes. While you might assume that a groundbreaking product or an impressive resume would make fundraising a breeze, he offers a reality check, "You will hear a lot of no’s. It's part of the process." But this is where persistence is crucial. You need to accept rejection as a part of the journey and grab every piece of feedback as a golden opportunity to improve.
Moreover, in the tight-knit world of medtech, it's crucial not to burn bridges, as today's 'no' could be tomorrow's introduction to a potential investor.
Lastly, while many entrepreneurs dream of an acquisition, Alberto believes in the power of a long-term vision and building a standalone company. Instead of only focusing on an exit, he has plans B and C to guide Levita to its future. Viewing the company as the endgame itself communicates two things to stakeholders: first, you're committed to innovation; and second, you will offer genuine value, as you truly believe in your project and are committed to seeing it through.
Think Like the FDA
Both the entrepreneur and the FDA share the same goal: creating and validating a safe and effective product.
According to Dr. Rodriguez-Navarro, you need to adopt the mindset of a regulatory official. This will help you recognize the objectives and constraints of those on the other side of the regulatory table. In other words, it will help you be empathetic towards the regulatory representatives who share the same end goal as you.
For starters, even your very first prototype should be developed according to safety considerations. See the product from the FDA’s point of view to identify whether it’s aligned with their requirements from the start. The primary objective should always be the development of a product that is safe and works as intended. If, at any point, a product doesn't align with these criteria, it's imperative to re-evaluate and refine. As Dr. Rodriguez-Navarro advises, "If it's not safe for any reason, well, go back and improve it."
Secondly, building a bridge of trust with regulatory agencies is imperative, and the keystone of that bridge is transparency. Dr. Rodriguez-Navarro’s guidance is crystal-clear, "Don't try to hide anything from regulatory bodies. In the end, it always shows up somehow." A breach of trust can jeopardize the entire venture.
Dr. Alberto Rodriguez-Navarro has an impressive career spanning a decade as the chief of the ambulatory surgical unit at an under-resourced public hospital in Chile. He's not just an expert with the scalpel but also an inventor with multiple patents under his belt. Now at the helm of Levita Magnetics, he's driving the development of innovative technology for robotic surgery.
There's something undeniably fascinating about magnets, especially when you’re a child. It's counterintuitive, almost defying the very laws of physics that shape our understanding of the world — a bit of everyday magic.
You could say that this is where it all started for Dr. Rodriguez-Navarro. As a child, he was captivated by the way magnets could control objects without direct contact. In fact, he used a pair of magnets to clean his turtle tank. While this might seem like child’s play to adults, it sparked something else in Dr. Rodriguez-Navarro. He applied this concept to his area of expertise: surgery.
Levita has developed a technology called dynamic magnetic retraction, which leverages magnets to perform surgical procedures. They also incorporated robotics into their system. The result is the Magnetic Assisted Robotic Surgery (MARS) platform that enhances the capabilities of surgeons while decreasing the physical toll on patients. The platform enables the surgeon to operate inside the cavity without actually having to cut through it, making surgical practices much less invasive.
The benefits of MARS for patients include a swifter recovery, less pain, shorter hospital stays, minimal scarring, and a potential decrease in opioids. The surgeons, on the other hand, gain better control during surgery thanks to the superior visualization tools offered by Levita’s technology. This basically means more effective, successful surgeries overall, performed by fewer specialists in the operating rooms. Levita's technology offers undeniable value to patients, practitioners, and hospitals.
Levita Magnetics not only created this category, but it also trademarked the term “magnetic surgery.” On the brink of a new era, the company recently celebrated a milestone: FDA clearance of the MARS platform. As it prepares for a commercial launch in the U.S., Dr. Rodriguez-Navarro has also hinted at an exciting pipeline of products that is yet to come.
Key Learnings From Dr. Rodriguez-Navarro’s Experience
- Prioritize the scientific method from the beginning. Focus on effectively forming and testing your hypotheses. Begin with an MVP, gather real–world feedback, and then improve it in the most capital–efficient way.
- Transitioning from the clinic to a startup demands adopting a different mindset. Trust your abilities, but be receptive to feedback. Before delegating responsibility, dive into the roles yourself, as Dr. Rodriguez-Navarro did by becoming Levita's first sales rep.
- Think like the FDA. Both the entrepreneur and the FDA share the same goal: creating and validating a safe and effective product. Adopting this mindset will help you recognize the constraints of those on the other side of the regulatory table.
Dr. Rodriguez-Navarro is not only a skilled surgeon but a medtech visionary with multiple patents to his name. Today, he’s the driving force behind Levita Magnetics, a startup aiming to make surgical procedures as minimally invasive as possible with their advanced magnetic technology.
Nail the Basics
Levita Magnetics is an example of how remembering the basics can lead to profound breakthroughs.
Dr. Rodriguez-Navarro reminds us that medtech isn’t about reinventing the wheel. Instead, it's about asking the right questions and finding the best ways to answer them. It comes down to creating a hypothesis and then determining the quickest, least resource-intensive way to test it. Before diving into elaborate plans and broad objectives, remain "laser-focused" on the key questions you need to answer, so that you don’t only conserve resources but also expedite time-to-market.
With almost a decade–long experience in the field, Dr. Rodriguez-Navarro is aware that not all products, even those with stellar results in preclinical studies, translate well in the real world when used on actual patients.
This is especially the case in surgery.
"The idea is to develop a safe product that works, and the only way that you can really test that is in clinical experience," says Dr. Rodriguez-Navarro. That’s why it was important for Levita to conduct human clinical trials as early as possible. "The true measure of a product's efficacy isn't confined to lab environments but comes alive in actual surgical settings."
Once the safety of the product was ensured, Levita strategically leveraged patient trials to further product development. Instead of pouring resources into developing the most advanced system in the lab, Dr. Rodriguez-Navarro promotes starting with a minimum viable product (MVP). By placing this MVP directly in the hands of surgeons, Levita could verify that their innovations were both theoretically sound and practically impactful. As he aptly puts it, "To truly gauge a product's worth, you should aim to offer surgeons a safe, functional MVP and then listen closely to their feedback."
Another fundamental principle for Dr. Rodriguez-Navarro is tapping into your unique strengths and resources. In Levita's case, this was the location. In its quest to speed up research without compromising quality, Levita chose to conduct its studies in Chile. While operating at a faster pace, it still adhered to U.S. standards to ensure the research met the highest quality benchmarks.
"Figure out your advantages, and use them for your company,” Dr. Rodriguez-Navarro advises.
Lastly, a warning from Dr. Rodriguez-Navarro to those who might want to follow a similar path, “If you’re going to conduct studies outside the U.S., always maintain strict ethical standards. Things can be more flexible abroad, but any lapses can come back and bite you. Don’t try to take shortcuts, but instead, do the work.”
Check Your Ego at the Door
Transitioning from clinical practice to entrepreneurship requires a change in mindset. The world of surgery demands precision, confidence, and trust in one's expertise. As a surgeon, you may be used to being the ultimate decision-maker in an operating room. But you need to shed that ego to become a successful entrepreneur, as your new environment introduces its own challenges that require adaptability, an open mind, and above all, a sales mindset.
"You have to trust in yourself, but not be impermeable to new comments or how to improve," Dr. Rodriguez-Navarro advises, underlining the crucial balance between confidence and humility. He embodied his own advice by rolling up his sleeves and becoming Levita's first sales representative. This first-hand experience allowed him to understand user needs, gauge what resonates with buyers, gather real-world feedback, and refine Levita’s offering accordingly.
Such an ego check extends to fundraising, too. "You need to construct your track record to ensure you deliver on what you are promising," Dr. Rodriguez-Navarro emphasizes. While you might assume that a groundbreaking product or an impressive resume would make fundraising a breeze, he offers a reality check, "You will hear a lot of no’s. It's part of the process." But this is where persistence is crucial. You need to accept rejection as a part of the journey and grab every piece of feedback as a golden opportunity to improve.
Moreover, in the tight-knit world of medtech, it's crucial not to burn bridges, as today's 'no' could be tomorrow's introduction to a potential investor.
Lastly, while many entrepreneurs dream of an acquisition, Alberto believes in the power of a long-term vision and building a standalone company. Instead of only focusing on an exit, he has plans B and C to guide Levita to its future. Viewing the company as the endgame itself communicates two things to stakeholders: first, you're committed to innovation; and second, you will offer genuine value, as you truly believe in your project and are committed to seeing it through.
Think Like the FDA
Both the entrepreneur and the FDA share the same goal: creating and validating a safe and effective product.
According to Dr. Rodriguez-Navarro, you need to adopt the mindset of a regulatory official. This will help you recognize the objectives and constraints of those on the other side of the regulatory table. In other words, it will help you be empathetic towards the regulatory representatives who share the same end goal as you.
For starters, even your very first prototype should be developed according to safety considerations. See the product from the FDA’s point of view to identify whether it’s aligned with their requirements from the start. The primary objective should always be the development of a product that is safe and works as intended. If, at any point, a product doesn't align with these criteria, it's imperative to re-evaluate and refine. As Dr. Rodriguez-Navarro advises, "If it's not safe for any reason, well, go back and improve it."
Secondly, building a bridge of trust with regulatory agencies is imperative, and the keystone of that bridge is transparency. Dr. Rodriguez-Navarro’s guidance is crystal-clear, "Don't try to hide anything from regulatory bodies. In the end, it always shows up somehow." A breach of trust can jeopardize the entire venture.
