Interviews

Mainstay Medical has developed the first restorative neurostimulation treatment that alleviates chronic mechanical back pain. In this interview, Jason Hannon, the CEO and President of the company, shares his experiences on iterative product development, considerations for clinical trial design, the importance of patient education, and why reimbursement is paramount.

Dmitri Leonov’s latest venture Taopatch USA is commercializing a range of wearable nanotechnology light therapy devices aimed at managing neurological conditions including pain management and sports performance. These days, you can see this low-level laser therapy patch on the wrists of celebrities like Robert Downey Jr. and world-renowned tennis player Novak Djokovic. Dmitri shares how the company was able to garner unique publicity and how strategic partnerships with holistic practitioners, authentic user testimonials, and a creative money-back guarantee strategy were instrumental in Taopatch's market success.

Joe DeVivo, President and CEO of Butterfly Network, is a medtech veteran with extensive leadership experience at both startups and industry giants. Butterfly is developing hand-held ultrasound devices that make medical imaging easier, cheaper, and more widely accessible. In this interview, Joe shares insights on why a lean start in commercialization is better than a high-burn, high-risk approach, the difference between your company being sold and being purchased, and best practices for managing M&A transactions.

At Contraline, Kevin Eisenfrats and his team are working on a novel long-lasting, reversible male contraceptive. In this interview, Kevin offers insights on how to move swiftly through clinical trials, community-building in medtech, creative fundraising efforts, and the importance of executing thorough scientific and market research.

After graduating from medical school, Dr. Eric Fain intended to take year before his internship to work at a startup company. But then, he discovered his passion for medtech. Eric has since held key roles throughout the industry, spanning clinical, regulatory, R&D, sales, and marketing for both startups and major players like St. Jude Medical and Abbott. Today, as CEO and President of Procyrion, he's leading the development of an advanced percutaneous mechanical circulatory support device. In this interview, Eric shares his expertise in managing startup finances, attracting investors through strategic planning, drawing up clear clinical roadmaps, and engaging with payers to catalyze commercialization.

Trent Reutiman has 25 years of leadership experience in medtech with a particular focus on minimally invasive interventional therapies. As the CEO of Mercator, Trent and his team have developed microinfusion devices with the unique ability to locally and directly deliver targeted therapeutics during catheter-based interventions where mechanical therapy isn’t sufficient. In this interview, Trent talks about the importance of generating data, how to balance commercial efforts with clinical initiatives, and why meticulous management is critical for successful commercialization.

Marissa Fayer, with over two decades of experience in the medtech sector, is the CEO of DeepLook Medical, developers of AI-powered diagnostic tools that help radiologists detect cancerous lesions in dense tissue. In this interview, Marissa talks about the basics of product development, how to build iteratively, tips on identifying ideal regulatory pathways, and how she picks her advisors and board members.

Dan Rose’s career in medtech features pivotal roles at Direct Flow, Sequana Medical, and Medtronic, culminating in his position as CEO of LimFlow, which recently exited to Inari Medical. In this interview, Dan shares his extensive wisdom on M&A transactions, engaging with investors while maintaining business autonomy, the importance of developing with the ‘average user’ in mind, and the significance of early dialogue with regulatory bodies.