Medsider: Learn from Medtech and Healthtech Founders and CEOs

In this episode of Medsider Radio, we sat down with Stephen Belcher, co-founder and CEO of Secure Closure.Secure Closure is developing Quattro-Close, a device designed for large-bore femoral access sites.Trained as a veterinarian, Stephen has spent more than 25 years in the medical device industry, with deep experience in vascular access and closure technologies. He previously held commercial and marketing roles at Abbott Vascular, Edwards Lifesciences, and Teleflex, where he was involved in launching key closure devices, including ProGlide, StarClose, SAPIEN 3, and MANTA.In this interview, Stephen discusses what actually drives physician adoption in high-stakes procedural fields, how real-world clinical and patient challenges should shape device design decisions, and what early-stage fundraising looks like when traditional medtech VCs are increasingly committing capital at later stages.Before we dive into the discussion, I wanted to mention a few things:First, if you’re into learning from medical device founders and CEOs and want to know when new interviews are live, head over to Medsider.com and sign up for our free newsletter.And if you’re ready to level up your medtech game, you should check out Medsider Courses — 8-week masterclasses covering topics like fundraising, M&A and exit planning, design and development, clinical and regulatory strategy, and commercialization.These courses, featuring hard-earned lessons from elite medtech CEOs, can be purchased individually or come free with our All-Access Pass.If you'd rather read than listen, here's a link to the full interview with Stephen Belcher.KEY MOMENTS FROM THE INTERVIEW(02:52) - An overview of Stephen Belcher’s background and the journey that led him to founding Secure Closure (08:04) - How Quattro-Close works, using a purse-string suture and extravascular clip for reliable closure and artery preservation (13:53) - Stephen's lessons learned from large strategics and how he simplifies them for a startup (19:22) - How Stephen spent nearly a decade iterating on the device through failures, funding gaps, and small incremental progress (23:36) - Why physician adoption depends on consistent outcomes, not early excitement or new features (28:10) - How Quattro-Close is designed around the real unmet need, reducing complications while preserving the artery for future procedures (34:14) - His approach to first-in-human, site selection, and generating data that can stand up to FDA scrutiny (40:31) - How Stephen navigates early fundraising

In this episode of Medsider Radio, we sat down with Daniel Estay, founder and CEO of SonoVascular.SonoVascular has developed a novel mechanical-pharmaco ultrasound facilitated thrombectomy system, SonoThrombectomy, that utilizes microbubble-mediated cavitation as a core enabling mechanism to remove blood clots more effectively.Dan has over 35 years of global medtech experience, including business development roles at Johnson & Johnson, where he worked on deals that helped create the world's first drug-eluting stent, and six years leading Abbott's cardiovascular device business across Asia-Pacific and Japan. He also serves as a Mentor-in-Residence at Duke University's New Ventures group.In this interview, Dan discusses how to evaluate whether a medtech opportunity is commercially viable beyond technical feasibility, how trust and long-standing relationships matter more than geography when selecting first-in-human sites, and why cap table strategy requires deliberate thinking from the earliest stages — including when to transition from convertible notes to priced rounds.Before we dive into the discussion, I wanted to mention a few things:First, if you’re into learning from medical device founders and CEOs and want to know when new interviews are live, head over to Medsider.com and sign up for our free newsletter.And if you’re ready to level up your medtech game, you should check out Medsider Courses — 8-week masterclasses covering topics like fundraising, M&A and exit planning, design and development, clinical and regulatory strategy, and commercialization.These courses, featuring hard-earned lessons from elite medtech CEOs, can be purchased individually or come free with our All-Access Pass.If you'd rather read than listen, here's a link to the full interview with Daniel Estay.KEY MOMENTS FROM THE INTERVIEW(02:52) - An overview of Dan Estay’s background and the journey that led him to SonoVascular (08:04) - The core idea behind SonoVascular — combining mechanical and pharmacological therapy to treat thrombosis (13:33) - Why differentiation alone isn’t enough, and how Dan evaluates market size and viability before building (18:38) - The four risks every medtech founder should assess: technical, clinical, regulatory, and market (21:55) - Why Dan chose Chile for SonoVascular's FIH study and what he looks for in a clinical trial site (29:05) - Why Dan would rethink his use of convertible notes and approach the cap table more strategically (38:28) - Why grants should supplement your funding strategy, not lead it (42:46) - What Dan looks for when hiring for startups

In this episode of Medsider Radio, we sat down with Matthias Hofmann, CEO of Eyebot.Eyebot is commercializing retail kiosks that deliver quick, efficient vision testing.Before Eyebot, Matthias led product development at Formlabs and served as an R&D lead at EyeNetra, where he helped bring the first smartphone-based vision test to market. He holds a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering with graduate work in vision science and optics. In this interview, Matthias discusses how early missteps informed Eyebot's strategy, how he proved demand before raising capital, and how iterative clinical studies established commercial credibility — along with his unconventional advice on fundraising.Before we dive into the discussion, I wanted to mention a few things:First, if you’re into learning from medical device founders and CEOs and want to know when new interviews are live, head over to Medsider.com and sign up for our free newsletter.And if you’re ready to level up your medtech game, you should check out Medsider Courses — 8-week masterclasses covering topics like fundraising, M&A and exit planning, design and development, clinical and regulatory strategy, and commercialization.These courses, featuring hard-earned lessons from elite medtech CEOs, can be purchased individually or come free with our All-Access Pass.If you'd rather read than listen, here's a link to the full interview with Matthias Hofmann.KEY MOMENTS FROM THE INTERVIEW(02:53) - Overview of Matthias’s background and the journey that led him into vision care startups (05:58) - Lessons from solving the right problem the wrong way at EyeNetra (08:44) - Why Eyebot chose a kiosk interface instead of smartphone vision testing (11:08) - How Eyebot designed its system to deliver accurate prescriptions in about 90 seconds (18:17) - How Eyebot proved demand with a rough prototype and a “Free Vision Test” sign in a Boston mall (29:01) - How clinical studies and iteration built the evidence retailers needed to trust the technology (33:17) - What commercialization revealed about consumer behavior in eyewear retail (37:07) - Matthias’s fundraising advice: run your raise over Zoom and don’t lead with your pitch deck

In this episode of Medsider Radio, we sat down with Massimiliano (Max) Colella, CEO of CMR Surgical.CMR Surgical is developing Versius, a surgical robot designed to make minimally invasive procedures more accessible across specialties.Max brings more than three decades of healthcare leadership experience spanning medtech and hospital systems. He previously held leadership roles at Johnson & Johnson and Smith & Nephew across Europe, Asia Pacific, and the Middle East, and later served as CEO of Evercare Group, a TPG portfolio company.In this interview, Max discusses how to prioritize capital allocation between platform development and product line expansion, when internal processes need restructuring, the importance of having the right culture, and why undertaking market research ahead of launching into a new market is crucial. He also shares his approach to hiring — and on maintaining clear board governance boundaries.Before we dive into the discussion, I wanted to mention a few things:First, if you’re into learning from medical device founders and CEOs and want to know when new interviews are live, head over to Medsider.com and sign up for our free newsletter.And if you’re ready to level up your medtech game, you should check out Medsider Courses — 8-week masterclasses covering topics like fundraising, M&A and exit planning, design and development, clinical and regulatory strategy, and commercialization.These courses, featuring hard-earned lessons from elite medtech CEOs, can be purchased individually or come free with our All-Access Pass.If you'd rather read than listen, here's a link to the full interview with Max Colella. KEY MOMENTS FROM THE INTERVIEW(03:08) - An overview of Max's background and the journey that led him to CMR Surgical (06:53) - Why Max chose surgical robotics — and how Versius is designed to differentiate from existing systems (16:18) - How Max restructured internal processes at CMR to eliminate large-company bureaucracy (21:09) - How market research reshaped CMR’s U.S. strategy beyond ambulatory surgery centers (28:48) - Max’s capital allocation philosophy: prioritize system performance and stability before expanding capabilities (32:19) - Max's take on Techmed and the future of robotics (36:36) - Why clearly defined roles between board and management are critical for governance (41:10) - Max’s philosophy around hiring for mindset over skill

In this episode of Medsider Radio, we sat down with Rick Bente, co-founder and CEO of Indomo.Indomo’s flagship device, ClearPen, is an investigational at-home corticosteroid injection designed to treat inflammatory acne.Rick has over 20 years of experience as an engineer and operator across medtech and pharma, with leadership roles at Medtronic, Insulet, and YourBio, focused on drug delivery and combination products. He is an inventor on more than 50 patents and has generated over $150 million in investments.In this conversation, Rick discusses how Indomo translated an in-office dermatology procedure into at-home care, why usability had to be engineered rather than trained, how the company decided when to exit stealth mode, and how proof-based milestones shaped its fundraising.Before we dive into the discussion, I wanted to mention a few things:First, if you’re into learning from medical device founders and CEOs, and want to know when new interviews are live, head over to Medsider.com and sign up for our free newsletter.And if you’re ready to level up your medtech game, you should check out Medsider Courses — 8-week masterclasses covering topics like fundraising, M&A and exit planning, design and development, clinical and regulatory strategy, and commercialization.These courses, featuring hard-earned lessons from elite medtech CEOs, can be purchased individually or come free with our All-Access Pass.If you'd rather read than listen, here's a link to the full interview with Rick Bente.KEY MOMENTS FROM THE INTERVIEW(03:39) - An overview of Rick’s background and the mission behind Indomo (08:24) - The core idea behind Indomo’s ClearPen — bringing dermatologist treatments into patients’ homes (13:32) - Why early-stage startups should fail fast on the hardest technical problems (16:41) - How to design medical devices that are easy to use and difficult to misuse (21:17) - How usability studies with patients and physicians shape better device design (23:59) - When should a startup stay in stealth — and when is it time to tell the story? (28:52) - Rick's fundraising playbook: mapping capital to milestones and real value creation (37:22) - Rick's hiring lesson: why curiosity matters more than pedigree when building an early-stage startup team

In this episode of Medsider Radio, we sat down with Shaun Bagai, CEO of RenovoRx. The company is developing targeted oncology therapies and is currently commercializing RenovoCath, which is focused on pancreatic cancer. Before joining RenovoRx in 2014, Shaun spent over a decade in the cardiovascular space, including leading global market development at HeartFlow and helping establish the European renal denervation market at Ardian, which Medtronic acquired for approximately $1 billion. He began his career in clinical research and device sales at TransVascular and Medtronic. In this interview, Shaun discusses how testing markets with minimal infrastructure reveals what leads to commercial success, why clinical trial enrollment benefits from sales discipline, and what founders should understand about going public when traditional capital isn't available.Before we dive into the discussion, I wanted to mention a few things:First, if you’re into learning from medical device founders and CEOs, and want to know when new interviews are live, head over to Medsider.com and sign up for our free newsletter.And if you’re ready to level up your medtech game, you should check out Medsider Courses — 8-week masterclasses covering topics like fundraising, M&A and exit planning, design and development, clinical and regulatory strategy, and commercialization.These courses, featuring hard-earned lessons from elite medtech CEOs, can be purchased individually or come free with our All-Access Pass.If you'd rather read than listen, here's a link to the full interview with Shaun Bagai.

In this episode of Medsider Radio, we sat down with Justin Zenanko, co-founder & CEO of SynerFuse.SynerFuse is developing the e-TLIF procedure, which combines spinal fusion with neuromodulation by placing leads directly at exposed nerves during surgery.A certified public accountant and serial entrepreneur, Justin previously served as CFO and senior vice president of corporate development at Recombinetics, where he led fundraising efforts totaling $68 million.In this interview, Justin discusses approaching FDA interactions as negotiations, validating procedures with off-the-shelf components before investing in custom devices, and structuring private raises through investment banks to preserve control while delaying institutional venture capital.Before we dive into the discussion, I wanted to mention a few things:First, if you’re into learning from medical device founders and CEOs, and want to know when new interviews are live, head over to Medsider.com and sign up for our free newsletter.And if you’re ready to level up your medtech game, you should check out Medsider Courses — 8-week masterclasses covering topics like fundraising, M&A and exit planning, design and development, clinical and regulatory strategy, and commercialization.These courses, featuring hard-earned lessons from elite medtech CEOs, can be purchased individually or come free with our All-Access Pass.If you'd rather read than listen, here's a link to the full interview with Justin Zenanko.

In this episode of Medsider Radio, we sat down with Marina Pavlovic Rivas, co-founder & CEO of Eli Health.The company is focused on making hormone data accessible in real time through its saliva-based testing system that delivers results through a mobile app. A data scientist by training, Marina previously founded Gradiant AI, a machine learning company that was acquired in 2019. In this interview, Marina discusses how to evaluate form factor options without locking into a design too early, what beta testing reveals that years of lab work can't, and how existing consumer spending patterns influence positioning and pricing strategies. She also shares how regulatory considerations shaped product decisions from the outset and why building in-house proved more efficient than outsourcing when external partners said the company’s goals were impossible.Before we dive into the discussion, I wanted to mention a few things:First, if you’re into learning from medical device founders and CEOs, and want to know when new interviews are live, head over to Medsider.com and sign up for our free newsletter.And if you’re ready to level up your medtech game, you should check out Medsider Courses — 8-week masterclasses covering topics like fundraising, M&A and exit planning, design and development, clinical and regulatory strategy, and commercialization.These courses, featuring hard-earned lessons from elite medtech CEOs, can be purchased individually or come free with our All-Access Pass.If you'd rather read than listen, here's a link to the full interview with Marina Pavlovic Rivas.

In this episode of Medsider Radio, we sat down with Greg Walters, co-founder & CEO of Excision Medical. Excision is developing a leaflet modification system to enable lifetime management of aortic stenosis.Greg has almost 40 years of experience in cardiovascular devices, holding leadership roles at Kensey Nash Corporation where he led the development of Angio-Seal and several endovascular programs. He later co-founded Essential Medical, which was acquired by Teleflex in 2018, and is an inventor on more than 75 U.S. and European patents.In this interview, Greg discusses why early-stage teams should build to learn rather than to impress, using functional prototypes to generate real feedback and fundraising momentum. He outlines how disciplined safety work — not perfection — defines first-in-human readiness, and what makes a pre-revenue company attractive to strategic acquirers. Before we dive into the discussion, I wanted to mention a few things:First, if you’re into learning from medical device founders and CEOs, and want to know when new interviews are live, head over to Medsider.com and sign up for our free newsletter.And if you’re ready to level up your medtech game, you should check out Medsider Courses — 8-week masterclasses covering topics like fundraising, M&A and exit planning, design and development, clinical and regulatory strategy, and commercialization.These courses, featuring hard-earned lessons from elite medtech CEOs, can be purchased individually or come free with our All-Access Pass.If you'd rather read than listen, here's a link to the full interview with Greg Walters.

In this episode of Medsider Radio, we sat down with Jaeson Bang, Founder & CEO of Future Cardia. Future Cardia is developing a subcutaneous heart-failure monitoring platform designed to capture both electrical and mechanical cardiac signals through a simple office-based procedure.Jaeson brings more than two decades of experience building implantable cardiac technologies across Medtronic, CVRx, EBR Systems, and Abiomed. Drawing on that background, he questioned industry assumptions around miniaturization and invasive workflows — and built a device that prioritizes performance, durability, and clinical practicality instead.In this interview, Jaeson shares how challenging a core constraint unlocked a faster development path, why deep domain expertise matters more than thrift in regulated markets, and how raising capital outside traditional VC can preserve leverage and buy time.If you'd rather read than listen, here's a link to the full interview with Jaeson Bang.

In this episode of Medsider Radio, we sat down Dr. Adam Kadlec, practicing urologist and co-founder of Rivermark Medical.Rivermark is a clinical-stage company developing FloStent, a first-line, reversible device therapy for benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH).Before launching Rivermark, Adam built a thriving urological practice in Milwaukee and consulted for several device companies — experiences that ultimately revealed how early true device development begins and why physicians rarely get the chance to influence innovation upstream. Partnering with medtech operator Andy Doraiswamy, Adam transitioned from clinician to CEO and is now leading Rivermark through its pivotal trial.In this interview, Adam shares why workflow integration is one of the most overlooked drivers of adoption, how physician-innovators can build the right decision-making infrastructure, and why understanding who actually enrolls patients at clinical sites can make or break a trial. He also touches on the mindset required to stay resilient through the ups and downs of building a medtech startup.Before we dive into the discussion, I wanted to mention a few things:First, if you’re into learning from medical device and health technology founders and CEOs, and want to know when new interviews are live, head over to Medsider.com and sign up for our free newsletter.Second, if you want to peek behind the curtain of the world's most successful startups, you should consider a Medsider premium membership. You’ll learn the strategies and tactics that founders and CEOs use to build and grow companies like Silk Road Medical, AliveCor, Shockwave Medical, and hundreds more!We recently introduced some fantastic additions exclusively for Medsider premium members, including playbooks, which are curated collections of our top Medsider interviews on key topics like capital fundraising and risk mitigation, and 3 packages that will help you make use of our database of 750+ life science investors more efficiently for your fundraise and help you discover your next medical device or health technology investor!In addition to the entire back catalog of Medsider interviews over the past decade, premium members also get a copy of every volume of Medsider Mentors at no additional cost, including the latest Medsider Mentors Volume VII. If you’re interested, go to medsider.com/subscribe to learn more.Lastly, if you'd rather read than listen, here's a link to the full interview with Adam Kadlec.

In this episode of Medsider Radio, we sat down with Andrew Holman, MD, CEO of Inmedix. Inmedix is commercializing CloudHRV, an FDA-cleared diagnostic that quantifies biological stress with clinical precision to guide treatment decisions in autoimmune disease and beyond.Andrew is a practicing rheumatologist in Seattle with 25 years of clinical and research experience. His discoveries linking autonomic dysfunction to autoimmune disease outcomes led to a $10 million patent sale to Boehringer Ingelheim. After a decade in retirement, he returned to found Inmedix and pioneer the field of immuno-autonomics — preparing the market for his technology years before launch.In this interview, Andrew shares how to build a category before commercializing a product, why clinical evidence creates competitive moats that money can't replicate, and how to raise capital from angel investors by understanding what they actually care about.Before we dive into the discussion, I wanted to mention a few things:First, if you’re into learning from medical device and health technology founders and CEOs, and want to know when new interviews are live, head over to Medsider.com and sign up for our free newsletter.Second, if you want to peek behind the curtain of the world's most successful startups, you should consider a Medsider premium membership. You’ll learn the strategies and tactics that founders and CEOs use to build and grow companies like Silk Road Medical, AliveCor, Shockwave Medical, and hundreds more!We recently introduced some fantastic additions exclusively for Medsider premium members, including playbooks, which are curated collections of our top Medsider interviews on key topics like capital fundraising and risk mitigation, and 3 packages that will help you make use of our database of 750+ life science investors more efficiently for your fundraise and help you discover your next medical device or health technology investor!In addition to the entire back catalog of Medsider interviews over the past decade, premium members also get a copy of every volume of Medsider Mentors at no additional cost, including the latest Medsider Mentors Volume VII. If you’re interested, go to medsider.com/subscribe to learn more.Lastly, if you'd rather read than listen, here's a link to the full interview with Andrew Holman.