The Crux of Medtech

Welcome to The Crux of Medtech, where we sit down with special guests from the medtech industry.We tell the stories of this incredible sector by looking inside businesses from across the trade. Our guests are leaders from companies at all levels, from pre-seed startups and scale-ups to global-scale players. We’re uncovering experiences from the whole medtech ecosystem.

The Crux of Medtech is a business podcast hosted by Unknown Host, with 73 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.

Unknown Host hosts The Crux of Medtech, a business show with 73 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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  The Crux of Medtech

  The Bravest Thing a CEO Can Say Is "I Don't Know" with Renee Ryan

  Aug 19, 202650 min

  In this episode of the Crux of Neuro, Renee Ryan, co-founder and CEO of PinPrint and former CEO of Cala Health. Renee traces her path from Wall Street healthcare banker to one of medtech’s most prolific investors and operators. She explains why, in neurotech today, getting reimbursed is often harder than getting cleared and how data became the whole story. Key Topics Renee’s path from healthcare investment banking to leading J&J’s medtech investing (JJDC) Founding Verb Surgical and investing across J&J’s surgical-robotics portfolio (Auris, Verb) Crossing from investor to operator as CEO of Cala Health Winning Medicare coverage for wearable, at-home neuromodulation Launching PinPrint and high-resolution 3D-printed microneedle patches Related Insights Why “if it’s not published, it doesn’t exist” to payers How a connected device turns real-world data into reimbursement evidence The shift in medtech from “get FDA approval” to “prove you can get paid” Pharma and medtech converging around sensors, biomarkers and real-time data Core Challenges Wearable, at-home neuromodulation didn’t fit existing reimbursement codes forcing Cala to build the clinical evidence and the payment pathway from scratch, through repeated appeals. Microneedle/microarray patches have existed for decades without FDA approval; PinPrint argues the real bottleneck has been manufacturing precision, which high-resolution 3D printing now addresses. Tune in now to hear how Renee Ryan turned data into dollars in neuromodulation and where she’s taking the body’s next interface with PinPrint.

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  The Crux of Medtech

  The Tricuspid Valve Was Forgotten for Decades. TRiCares Is Changing That with Ahmed Elmouelhi

  Aug 7, 202655 min

  In this episode, Jordan is joined by Ahmed Elmouelhi, President & CEO of TRiCares, the company behind Topaz, a purpose-built transcatheter tricuspid valve replacement system now in head-to-head pivotal trial against Edwards EVOQUE in the US. Ahmed brings over 20 years of structural heart experience, including nearly a decade building TAVR and LAA therapies at AtriCure and Medtronic, and explains exactly why he crossed to the right side of the heart and what it took to build a valve that doesn't behave like anything the field has seen before. Key Topics: Why the tricuspid valve was "the forgotten valve" for decades and what changed The design philosophy behind Topaz: building a soft, flexible valve purpose-built for the right side of the heart Going head-to-head with Edwards EVOQUE in the TRICURE US IDE pivotal trial What the first 20 patients taught TRiCares the good, the bad, and the ugly Running dual CE mark and US pivotal studies simultaneously, and what that demands from leadership and board The three things TRiCares hires for: hungry, humble, and smart Related Insights: Why more than 25% pacemaker rates in current TTVR systems are clinically and economically untenable How ICE-based (intracardiac echo) guidance is reducing procedural imaging burden and removing the need for general anaesthesia The "smooth is fast, slow is smooth" operating philosophy borrowed from Formula One What physicians should look for when choosing which TTVR pivotal study to join Core Challenges: The tricuspid annulus is highly variable in anatomy and extremely low-pressure, everything that works in aortic and mitral valve replacement has to be unlearned when building for the right side of the heart. The current commercial standard (Edwards EVOQUE) carries a pacemaker implant rate exceeding 25%, often appearing after discharge, a clinical, economic, and patient safety problem that TRiCares is targeting with a reported 0% rate from its soft outer shell design. Running two concurrent pivotal trials across the US and Europe while building out a team, infrastructure, and physician network is a resource and execution challenge that demands an experienced, aligned board. Tune in now to hear why Ahmed believes the tricuspid space has the potential to outgrow TAVR and what it will take to get there.

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  The Crux of Medtech

  Migraines Are Not Just Headaches with Hubert Martens

  Aug 5, 20261h 4m

  In this episode of the Crux of Neuro, Liz Moyles is joined by Hubert Martens, physicist-turned-entrepreneur, co-founder of Sapiens Steering Brain Stimulation (acquired by Medtronic for ~$200M), and now CEO of Salvia BioElectronics. Hubert shares how a career that started with double-layer DVD technology at Philips led him to building a patient-centred neuromodulation implant for treatment-resistant migraine and what 25 years of hard-won startup experience has taught him about doing it right. Key Topics From Philips R&D to Medtronic acquisition: Hubert's path into neuromodulation Why chronic migraine is a neurological disorder, not just a headache The MySalvia system: how a battery-free implant targets treatment-resistant migraine FDA Breakthrough Device Designation: what it means in practice Why reimbursement strategy must start before you design the product Building patient-centricity into company culture from day one The emotional reality of being a medtech founder and who to call when it gets hard Related Insights The clinical case for neuromodulation in migraine: decades of physician-led experimentation Positioning for payers: building economic and clinical evidence in parallel with regulatory approval How patient advocacy drives market adoption for novel implantable therapies The 14–17 year medtech funding gap and why consistent de-risking milestones matter more than ever Core Challenges Treatment-resistant migraine patients, those who have failed CGRP inhibitors and Botox, have no meaningful therapeutic option. The disease progressively worsens, and its invisibility compounds the psychological burden: isolation, shame, and the constant fear of the next attack. Bringing a novel implantable neuromodulation system to market requires simultaneous mastery of regulatory strategy, reimbursement landscape, and clinical evidence design, areas most early-stage founders engage too late, at significant cost. Tune in now to hear how Hubert Martens is building the therapy that treatment-resistant migraine patients have been waiting for and the hard lessons from three decades in neuromodulation that shaped how he's doing it. The Crux of MedTech podcast is brought to you by Cruxx, a specialist surgical robotics recruitment agency. To learn more about Cruxx, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠click here.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ A big thank you to our sponsors on this season of the podcast; ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TTP plc⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ With a 35-year track record, TTP excels in turning innovative ideas into market-ready solutions. Their team of 300+ experts deliver breakthrough solutions in areas ranging from endoluminal robotics and navigation systems to ultrasound imaging. Whether you're a startup or a multinational, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TTP plc⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ can accelerate your development with the latest technologies. Learn more at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TTP.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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  The Crux of Medtech

  Europe's Med Tech Advantage Is Real, But Only If You Build It Right with Tatiana Lobanov-Rostovsky

  Aug 4, 202647 min

  In this episode of the Crux of MedTech, Henry Norton is joined by Tatiana Lobanov-Rostovsky, Investor at Oxford Science Enterprises, the independent, billion-pound investment company built in partnership with the University of Oxford. With a background in neuroscience, Healthcare M&A at Rothschild & Co, and hands-on experience inside a biotech startup, Tatiana brings a rare view across the full lifecycle of medtech company building. From the Europe vs US debate to why most companies fail not in R&D but in commercial and what the best founders do differently from day one, this is a candid conversation about what it actually takes to build something the strategics will want. Key Topics Europe vs US: where medtech startups should build, raise, and scale The Oxford Science Enterprises model, patient capital, EIR programmes, and venture building from university spinouts How to spot the difference between a technology looking for a problem and a genuine clinical pull Building for a strategic acquisition from day one, what the buyers actually want to see Why commercial talent matters more than technical talent at the early stage The EU/UK infrastructure gaps holding back medtech founders Related Insights Why hardware companies will outlast SaaS in a world of AI disruption and what that means for medtech investors The NHS as a data advantage: how UK founders can use patient data to build globally competitive products Structural heart and neurovascular as active investment themes and what's driving OSE's thesis building Caristo Diagnostics and Ultromics as case studies in AI-powered cardiac diagnostics scaling for the US market Core Challenges The majority of medtech companies that reach FDA approval still fail in commercial, making go-to-market strategy as important as clinical validation. European founders face a structural disadvantage in accessing the right commercial talent early enough, with risk aversion and brain drain compounding the problem. Investors are paralysed by AI disruption uncertainty, but hardware-first, highly regulated sectors like medtech remain defensible, if founders and investors are willing to think long-term. Tune in now to hear why the most valuable medtech companies are built from the commercial endpoint backwards and what the strategics are actually looking for when they acquire. The Crux of MedTech podcast is brought to you by Cruxx, a specialist surgical robotics recruitment agency. To learn more about Cruxx, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠click here.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ A big thank you to our sponsors on this season of the podcast; ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TTP plc⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ With a 35-year track record, TTP excels in turning innovative ideas into market-ready solutions. Their team of 300+ experts deliver breakthrough solutions in areas ranging from endoluminal robotics and navigation systems to ultrasound imaging. Whether you're a startup or a multinational, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TTP plc⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ can accelerate your development with the latest technologies. Learn more at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TTP.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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  The Crux of Medtech

  The Hospital Gold Standard Catches Just 5% of Arrhythmias with Vlastimil Hrabal

  Jul 31, 202642 min

  In this episode, your host, Jordan Burgin, is joined by Vlastimil Hrabal, CEO and Co-Founder of Kardi AI, to unpack why a 24-hour Holter monitor the hospital gold standard misses most dangerous arrhythmias, and how long-term, AI-evaluated ECG monitoring is changing detection, prevention, and the economics of cardiac care. Key Topics Why long-term ECG monitoring outperforms the 24-hour Holter standard Building two AI models one to detect arrhythmias, one to strip out noise and artifacts Earning clinician trust through MDR Class IIa certification and university-hospital studies A three-channel commercial model: hospitals, direct-to-consumer, and employee benefits Scaling a regulated device across Central Europe, India, the Gulf and Southeast Asia Raising a Series A in a tougher, more data-hungry healthcare capital market Related Insights Why roughly half of arrhythmia patients are asymptomatic and what that means for screening How AI can act as a “third eye” for cardiologists rather than replacing them What sustained patient “stickiness” (four measurements a week, over years) reveals about real-world value Localising a regulated medical device market by market pricing, partners and presence Core Challenges A 24-hour Holter monitor detects an arrhythmia in only ~3–5% of cases, because dangerous rhythms such as atrial fibrillation appear unpredictably and are easily missed in a single day’s snapshot while patients can wait three to six months for testing and weeks more for results. Kardi AI’s certified, wearable long-term ECG belt lets patients measure anytime, with AI-evaluated reports returned within five minutes to both patient and physician reportedly a 10× higher detection rate, while reducing clinician workload and false positives. Tune in now to hear why the future of cardiac care is continuous, AI-evaluated, and built for prevention not just diagnosis.

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