Entrepreneur Rx

What does it take to build something that matters?Hosted by John Shufeldt, Entrepreneur Rx features conversations with founders, investors, executives, and innovators who are building the future. From entrepreneurship and venture capital to technology, healthcare, defense, and leadership, each episode explores the stories, challenges, and lessons behind creating impactful companies and driving meaningful change.Learn more at www.XcellerantVentures.com

Entrepreneur Rx is a business podcast hosted by John Shufeldt, with 93 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.

John Shufeldt hosts Entrepreneur Rx, a business show with 93 episodes published.

Our AI reads these to draft pitches. Use them as grounding for a pitch that cites a real guest and a specific topic.

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  Episode #11

  Josh Hanson: Detecting Peripheral Artery Disease Earlier with ImageAiD

  Aug 18, 202630 minS2

  What if vascular disease could be detected years earlier, before patients face the most serious consequences? In this episode of Entrepreneur Rx, host John Shufeldt sits down with Josh Hanson, founder and CEO of ImageAiD, a Jetstream Venture Fund portfolio company, to discuss his path from biomedical engineering student to healthcare entrepreneur. Josh shares how growing up in Rochester, Minnesota, surrounded by Mayo Clinic and a culture of healthcare innovation, shaped his desire to build technology that could help save lives. The conversation explores the problem ImageAiD is working to solve: diagnosing peripheral artery disease, or PAD, earlier and at scale. Josh explains how ImageAiD combines handheld Doppler ultrasound, cloud-based software, and AI to help clinicians capture and analyze blood flow waveforms in minutes, reduce diagnostic variability, and identify vascular disease risk earlier. John and Josh also discuss Mayo Clinic mentors, ASU’s Biodesign training, building for all healthcare stakeholders, and turning peer-reviewed research into a platform that can reach patients. Beyond the technology, the episode covers entrepreneurship at a young age, imposter syndrome, humility, mentorship, and the courage to simply start. About Josh Hanson: Josh Hanson is a biomedical engineer, entrepreneur, and founder focused on advancing cardiovascular diagnostics through medical technology and AI. As founder and CEO of ImageAiD, he is leading the development of an AI ultrasound platform designed to improve early detection of peripheral artery disease and broader cardiovascular risk. His work has been shaped by experience at Mayo Clinic’s Gonda Vascular Center, ASU’s biomedical engineering program, and the Mayo Clinic and ASU Alliance for Health Care’s IMPACT Program, where he trained in the Biodesign process. About ImageAiD: ImageAiD is a medical technology company developing a handheld Doppler ultrasound platform that combines portable hardware, cloud-based software, and AI to make vascular disease easier to detect before it causes life-altering complications. The platform is designed to capture and analyze blood flow waveforms in minutes, helping clinicians identify signs of peripheral artery disease and better understand a patient’s risk of serious cardiovascular events, including heart attacks, strokes, and amputations. Initially focused on PAD, ImageAiD aims to make vascular diagnostics faster, more consistent, and more accessible in settings where traditional vascular testing may not be available. About Xcellerant Ventures: Xcellerant Ventures is a venture capital firm that invests in innovative companies across healthcare, technology, defense, and other emerging industries. Through multiple funds and investment vehicles, including the Jetstream Venture Fund, Xcellerant partners with visionary founders, provides strategic guidance, and helps connect investors with opportunities in the private markets. About Jetstream Venture Fund: Jetstream Venture Fund is an interval fund managed by Xcellerant Ventures, that seeks to provide investors access to early-stage, high-growth companies with flexible terms, lower minimums ($5,000 minimum), and no carried interest. Jetstream is one of the first funds of its kind, bringing venture-style investing opportunities to a wider professional audience. Disclosure for Jetstream: Investors should carefully consider the investment objectives, risks, charges, and expenses of the Fund before investing. The prospectus contains this and other information about the Fund and can be obtained by emailing jetstream@sweaterfunds.com or by visiting www.jvf.vc . Please read the prospectus carefully before investing.

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  Episode #10

  Louise Liu: Accelerating Clinical Trials with Hill Research

  Aug 11, 202623 minS2

  What if AI could help bring the right drug to the right patient faster? In this episode of Entrepreneur Rx, host John Shufeldt sits down with Dr. Louise Liu, CEO of Hill Research, to discuss her journey from biostatistics and AI to building technology that can help accelerate the clinical trial process. Louise shares how her PhD work, postdoctoral research at Yale, and experience building her first AI startup shaped the foundation for Hill Research. The conversation explores the long, expensive, and highly regulated path of drug development, where clinical trials can take years and cost billions of dollars. Louise explains how Hill Research is using AI to automate data processing and biostatistical workflows that have traditionally required large teams and months of manual work. With its TriClick™ platform, Hill Research helps pharmaceutical and biotech companies move faster while supporting human validation, quality control, and regulatory readiness. John and Louise also discuss Hill Research’s traction with major pharmaceutical companies, the company’s goal to expand from big pharma into mid-sized and smaller biotech companies, and the broader opportunity to reduce clinical trial timelines. As a Jetstream Venture Fund portfolio company, Hill Research represents the kind of AI-driven healthcare innovation Xcellerant looks to support. Beyond the technology, the episode covers entrepreneurship, resilience, immigration, being a woman founder in a heavily regulated industry, and the importance of focusing on the work rather than the noise. Louise shares advice for founders: do not build imagined barriers in front of yourself, stay focused on creating something valuable, and keep improving based on real customer feedback. About Dr. Louise Liu: Dr. Louise Liu is CEO of Hill Research, creator of TriClick™, an AI platform transforming clinical trials, and author of 30+ AI publications. She serves as Treasurer of UCACF and has been recognized as a Serica Rising Star Entrepreneur, Boston Business Journal 40 Under 40 honoree, and New Jersey Innovate100 honoree. About Hill Research: Hill Research is a healthcare AI company developing agentic AI solutions to accelerate clinical development. Its flagship platform, TriClick™, automates clinical trial workflows from protocol design and data management to statistical programming, quality control, and regulatory submissions. Trusted by leading pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, Hill Research helps teams deliver faster, more efficient, and audit-ready clinical research. About Xcellerant Ventures: Xcellerant Ventures is a venture capital firm that invests in innovative companies across healthcare, technology, defense, and other emerging industries. Through multiple funds and investment vehicles, including the Jetstream Venture Fund, Xcellerant partners with visionary founders, provides strategic guidance, and helps connect investors with opportunities in the private markets. About Jetstream Venture Fund: Jetstream Venture Fund is an interval fund managed by Xcellerant Ventures, that seeks to provide investors access to early-stage, high-growth companies with flexible terms, lower minimums ($5,000 minimum), and no carried interest. Jetstream is one of the first funds of its kind, bringing venture-style investing opportunities to a wider professional audience. Disclosure for Jetstream: Investors should carefully consider the investment objectives, risks, charges, and expenses of the Fund before investing. The prospectus contains this and other information about the Fund and can be obtained by emailing jetstream@sweaterfunds.com or by visiting www.jvf.vc . Please read the prospectus carefully before investing.

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  Episode #9

  Nina Sharp: Creating Neuro-Optimized Light with Allevalux

  Aug 4, 202626 minS2

  What if the light around us could be redesigned to support the nervous system instead of working against it? In this episode of Entrepreneur Rx, host John Shufeldt sits down with Nina Sharp, PhD, founder of Allevalux, to discuss her journey as a lighting scientist, professor, migraine patient, and entrepreneur. Nina shares how her background in architecture, engineering, human-building interaction, and light-health research led her to study the impact of lighting on sleep, mood, cognitive performance, and neurological comfort. The conversation explores the problem Allevalux is working to solve: photophobia, or painful light sensitivity, which affects many people with migraine, dry eye, concussion, and neurodivergent conditions. Nina explains why common workarounds, such as sunglasses or colored lamps, do not fully solve the issue, and why she believes the better answer is to fix the light itself. John and Nina also discuss Allevalux’s clinically validated, patent-pending lighting technology, which transforms everyday white light into a neuro-optimized environment designed to reduce visual discomfort, ease migraine symptoms, and support clearer, calmer experiences within minutes. Allevalux is designed to integrate into healthcare, workplace, and educational settings, creating environments that work in harmony with the nervous system. Beyond the technology, the episode covers what it takes to create a new category, educate the market, build trust through clinical data, and move from scientific research to real-world commercialization. Nina also shares advice for founders, especially female founders, on understanding customers, staying flexible, learning from failure, and building technology that can make people healthier, happier, and better supported in everyday life. About Nina Sharp, PhD: Leading Allevalux with visionary passion, Dr. Nina Sharp is dedicated to pushing the boundaries of lighting innovation. As a scientist and entrepreneur, she merges cutting-edge research with real-world applications, turning complex scientific discoveries into transformative solutions. With a deep commitment to human-centric design, she is redefining the role of lighting in health and well-being. At Allevalux, Nina drives innovation, strategy, and impact, ensuring that technology not only advances but also improves lives. Her leadership is fueled by a relentless pursuit of breakthrough solutions, making Allevalux a pioneer in the future of intelligent lighting. About Allevalux: Allevalux is pioneering a new category of neuro-optimized environments, transforming everyday light into an active layer of neurological comfort. Its clinically validated, patent-pending lighting technology is engineered to reduce photophobia, ease migraine symptoms, and support clearer, calmer human experiences within minutes. Designed to integrate seamlessly into healthcare, workplace, and educational settings, Allevalux brings together neuroscience and precision engineering to create environments that work in harmony with the nervous system, not against it. About Xcellerant Ventures: Xcellerant Ventures is a venture capital firm that invests in innovative companies across healthcare, technology, defense, and other emerging industries. Through multiple funds and investment vehicles, including the Jetstream Venture Fund, Xcellerant partners with visionary founders, provides strategic guidance, and helps connect investors with opportunities in the private markets.

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  Episode #8

  Robin Smith: Building Wonderlab Bio and the Future of Regenerative Medicine

  Jul 28, 202624 minS2

  What does it take to build companies across chemistry, software, diagnostics, and cell therapy, then bring those lessons into regenerative medicine? In this episode of Entrepreneur Rx, host John Shufeldt sits down with Robin Smith, CEO of Wonderlab Bio, a Jetstream Venture Fund portfolio company, to discuss his journey as a multi-exit entrepreneur, scientist, and biotech leader. Robin shares how he began as a chemist, how one unexpected customer order became his first bootstrap chemical business, and how that early work led to innovations in electronic lab notebooks, big data, and applied science. The conversation explores Robin’s path through Synthematix, ArtusLabs, and PerkinElmer, where he helped scale an informatics business and learned how to operate at a much larger level. Robin also reflects on the people, teams, and relationships that shaped his career, and why grit, optimism, and curiosity have been essential throughout his entrepreneurial journey. Robin and John also discuss the origins of Wonderlab Bio and its work in regenerative medicine, cell therapy, and CRISPR-enabled cell engineering. Wonderlab Bio is developing tools that help biotech and pharmaceutical companies use engineered human cell types, including cardiac cells, neurons, and liver cells, for drug screening, efficacy testing, and future personalized medicine applications. Beyond the science, the episode covers building through uncertainty, recovering valuable assets, playing the long game, hiring mistakes, founder resilience, and the difference between startup lifestyle and the hard work of building something that matters. Robin also shares advice for younger entrepreneurs: slow down enough to think, seek outside perspectives, build strong teams, and balance action with patience. About Robin Smith: Robin is a multi-exit entrepreneur with more than 25 years of experience building life science and technology companies. His career spans chemistry, biotechnology, software, diagnostics, informatics, fundraising, M&A, corporate development, and company formation. Robin founded Synthematix, which helped pioneer the electronic laboratory notebook market, and ArtusLabs, which was acquired by PerkinElmer and became part of the foundation for its informatics division. He has led global R&D teams and holds more than 20 foundational patents across life science and technology. About Wonderlab Bio: Wonderlab Bio is a regenerative medicine company focused on allogeneic induced pluripotent stem cells, or iPSCs, and differentiated cell therapies. The company is the custodian of a large allogeneic iPSC cell bank derived from more than 85,000 collected blood samples, with cells consented for commercial use. Wonderlab’s platform supports scalable, off-the-shelf cell therapy applications across cardiac repair, neurological disease, osteoarthritis, longevity, disease modeling, tissue engineering, drug screening, and gene therapy delivery. About Xcellerant Ventures: Xcellerant is a venture capital firm that invests in innovative companies across healthcare, technology, defense, and other emerging industries. Through multiple funds and investment vehicles, the firm partners with visionary founders, provides strategic guidance, and helps connect investors with opportunities in the private markets. About Jetstream Venture Fund: Jetstream is an interval fund managed by Xcellerant Ventures, that seeks to provide investors access to early-stage, high-growth companies with flexible terms, lower minimums ($5,000 minimum), and no carried interest. Disclosure for Jetstream: Investors should carefully consider the investment objectives, risks, charges, and expenses of the Fund before investing. The prospectus contains this and other information about the Fund and can be obtained by emailing jetstream@sweaterfunds.com or by visiting www.jvf.vc . Please read the prospectus carefully before investing.

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  Episode #7

  Stacey Stevens: Building Precision Medicine for Breast Cancer Treatment

  Jul 21, 202638 minS2

  What if AI could help clinicians move beyond detection and make breast cancer treatment more precise and personalized? In this episode of Entrepreneur Rx, host John Shufeldt sits down with Stacey Stevens, CEO of SimBioSys, to discuss her career in medical technology, healthcare AI, women’s health, and precision oncology. Stacey shares how her experience at Philips Healthcare, iCAD, and her own women’s health advisory company shaped her path to leading SimBioSys. The conversation explores Stacey’s early work helping bring some of the first AI tools in breast imaging to market, the long road to healthcare adoption, and why clinical evidence, trust, reimbursement, and enterprise-grade security all matter when selling AI into healthcare. Stacey also explains how SimBioSys is taking AI beyond breast cancer detection and applying it to treatment planning. The company’s platform uses breast MRI data to create interactive 3D visual models of the breast and tumor, helping surgical oncologists better understand tumor location, volume, and whether a patient may be eligible for breast-conserving surgery. John and Stacey also discuss SimBioSys’ next frontier: using image-based AI to help assess a patient’s risk of breast cancer recurrence and support more personalized treatment decisions. Beyond the technology, the episode covers startup leadership, fundraising, the realities of building in regulated healthcare, and why trust, transparency, and patient impact must come first. About Stacey Stevens: Stacey Stevens is the CEO of SimBioSys and a healthcare technology executive with deep experience in medical imaging, AI, women’s health, commercialization, fundraising, and strategic growth. Before joining SimBioSys, she held leadership roles at Philips Healthcare and iCAD, where she helped introduce early AI technologies in breast imaging. She also founded Ellevate, a women’s health strategic advisory company focused on accelerating the adoption of meaningful scientific breakthroughs in women’s health. About SimBioSys: SimBioSys is developing a precision medicine platform initially focused on breast cancer, with technology designed to support clinicians and patients across the cancer care journey. Its platform uses AI and spatial biophysics to turn breast MRI data into interactive 3D visual models that can support surgical planning, treatment decisions, and more personalized cancer care. About Xcellerant Ventures: Xcellerant Ventures is a venture capital firm that invests in innovative companies across healthcare, technology, defense, and other emerging industries. Through multiple funds and investment vehicles, including the Jetstream Venture Fund ($5,000 minimum interval fund), the firm partners with visionary founders, provides strategic guidance, and helps connect investors with opportunities in the private markets. Its portfolio includes companies developing solutions that have the potential to transform industries and improve lives.

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