Medtech Talk

No, Amy Belt Raimundo didn’t blow anything up. But she knew early on in college that her initial career choice of chemistry wasn’t her true path. Instead, she earned an economics degree, and used insights learned to begin a stint in consulting. Those formative years led her to business school and a job at Guidant. In this podcast, Amy Belt Raimundo explains how asking the right questions at Guidant set her internal GPS toward a career in investing for venture firms, corporates, and now the most prominent healthcare system in the country.

Benjamin Tsai says his initial plans – or the plans he’d been given – called on him being a doctor. But he quickly saw a greater opportunity working in the life sciences industry. Tsai made a quick run through consulting firms and business school before finding a place at Invus, an investment firm that has operated mostly out of the limelight. In this podcast, Tsai discusses his career, his outlook on Medtech and why Invus – investor in Auris Health and other high-profile deals – is beginning to get out to tell its own story.

Lisa Wipperman Heine’s career in Medtech was launched when she answered a want ad in a newspaper – remember those?  That path took her to top regulatory and clinical affairs positions at several high-profile Medtechs including Acorn Cardiovascular, ev3, and Covidien. Now, Wipperman Heine sits in the CEO chair of stealthy heart failure start-up PreCardia. 

After leading a long, distinguished and successful career in Medtech Innovation, Stan Rowe chose a familiar, if not unusual, spot to “retire” – he co-founded NXT Biomedical, an incubator backed by Deerfield Capital and Johnson & Johnson. Rowe previously led the unique Advanced Technologies Unit at Edwards Lifesciences Corp., the same company that earlier had acquired his start-up, Percutaneous Valve Technologies. In this podcast, Rowe walks us through a career that started in pharmaceuticals. He also shares his particular philosophy on how corporate R&D units should see the world.

Matt Likens’ two decades-plus at Baxter cultivated in him a desire to deliver “critical therapies for life-threatening conditions.” He found great success as CEO of Ulthera, an aesthetics company using ultrasound energy, but once that company was sold to Merz he sought a way back to developing devices that can help sick people become well. He found such an opportunity at GT Medical Technologies, developer of collagen-based GammaTiles – tiles that deliver postsurgery radiation to prevent the regrowth of tumors in residual cells. In this podcast, Likens details the benefits of GT’s STaRT therapy. This is his second stint as a start-up CEO and Likens shares the successful approaches he’s borrowing from Ulthera including setting a Big Hairy Audacious Goal (BHAG) – “Creating the New Standard of Care for Patients with Brain Tumors.” He also mentions the company’s six operating principles:  Constructive EngagementCollaborationConsistencyComplianceIngenuityValue

Spoiler Alert: I missed a huge part of Merit Medical CEO Fred Lampropoulos’ life story when I did my research. I won’t say what it was, but you’ll hear it at the end. I’d fire my researcher if I had one, but instead I’ll just throw myself at the mercy of the Medtech Talk Podcast community. The good news, however, is that the thing that I missed – which would have removed Fred from Merit – didn’t happen, so he’s been able to build a multibillion-dollar Medtech that’s scooping up smaller players in the space. Fred’s an engaging fellow and we covered a lot of ground, including: What is Merit looking for in an acquisition target? How does Lampropoulos manage a publicly traded Medtech? Why doesn’t Utah have more Medtech start-ups?  And finally, what does Lampropoulous have to say about the spate of bad press Medtech has been getting lately?At the Medtech Conference on May 29–30 hear from CEOs who have led their companies through an IPO and learn what they must do to thrive on the public markets, in the panel – How to Build for an IPO … and Beyond. Panelists include:Joe Army, President & CEO - VapothermTim Herbert, President & CEO - Inspire Medical SystemsGerald R. Mattys, CEO - Tactile Medical

Santé Ventures partner James Eadie, MD, doesn’t recall the good old days of Medtech. He joined the Austin-based Venture Firm after two tours in Iraq with the Air Force where he led an ER and served as part of a “flying ICU,” airlifting wounded soldiers out of combat zones. Upon returning to the states, Eadie recognized his desire to run a company could be satisfied by investing in early-stage medical device firms, and he’s developed an impressive record over that span backing companies including TVA Medical, Claret Medical, and Millipede – three companies that could ultimately secure close to a billion dollars in M&A. In this podcast you’ll hear how Santé views early-stage ideas, including those literally drawn up on napkins. Does Santé bet on the jockey or the horse? We’ll let Eadie answer that one.

Earlier this month, Silicon Valley Bank released its Trends in Healthcare Investments and Exits 2019, the latest of the bank’s annual reports on the state of healthcare investing. In this podcast we talk with Report Guru (and Managing Director) Jonathan Norris about the top takeaways including:What’s the emerging hot spot for Device Start-Ups?What VCs are making Series A deals?Are Angels and Crowdfunding groups making an impact?How busy are Corporates?What’s a Big Exit? And why are they on the rise?You can download the report yourself here.Join us at the Medtech Conference to hear Norris’ update on Medtech Funding

Miromatrix straddles the line between biotech and medtech. The start-up is developing a line of “ghost organs” that can be used in humans. The technology is moving fast, and Ross hopes to have clinical trials up and running by the end of 2020. The future is here. Also, I’ll announce a keynote speaker for the May 30 Medtech Conference. 

Fortune disguised as misfortune led Anne Morrissey to embark on a Medtech career. Since that start, hard work, perseverance and some helpful mentors put her on the CEO track. Today, Morrissey leads an exciting Medtech start-up that’s testing a device to stop postpartum hemorrhaging.