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.

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

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  The Crux of Medtech

  Your Brain Has Been Tired for Hours, You Just Don't Know It Yet with Dr. Ramses Alcaide

  Sep 29, 202642 min

  In this episode of the Crux of Neuro, Liz Moyles is joined by Dr. Ramses Alcaide neuroscientist, inventor, and CEO of Neurable, to explore what happens when brain-computer interface technology leaves the lab and enters the headphones in your ears. From tracking cognitive fatigue in real time to detecting neurodegeneration before symptoms appear, Ramses sets out a vision of brain health that goes far beyond anything current wearables can offer and explains why 14 years of R&D was the only way to get there. Key Topics What brain-computer interfaces actually are and why the comparison to an Apple Watch matters How Neurable's EEG headphones track focus, cognitive fatigue, and brain age in real time The military, clinical, and consumer applications of scalable BCI technology Why Neurable licenses its technology rather than building its own headphone brand The concept of brain span and why it may be shorter than your lifespan Related Insights Why most people are 10 years into cognitive decline before they know it How Merck's venture arm is investing in brain data to transform pharmaceutical precision The neuroethics infrastructure being built to protect brain data before the market scales What a world with longitudinal brain data at scale means for AI development Core Challenges The brain is perceived as more sacred than any other data source education and demonstrated ethics will be essential to adoption. 14 years of R&D were required to get medical-grade EEG data out of a consumer headphone. Most companies cannot clear that bar. Fewer than 1% of consumers know that brain-sensing headphones exist. Distribution and awareness are the next frontier after product-market fit. Tune in now to hear why Dr. Ramses Alcaide believes your brain has been the most under-tracked organ in your body and what Neurable is doing to change that.

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  The Crux of Medtech

  Don't Use The D Word With Christian Howell

  Sep 24, 20261h 2m

  In this episode of the Crux of Neuro, Liz Moyles is joined by Christian Howell, CEO of Cognito Therapeutics, to explore what happens when neuroscience, light, sound, and clinical research come together to tackle one of the biggest challenges in brain health: Alzheimer’s disease. From MIT research on 40Hz gamma activity to a home-based therapy using light and sound, Christian explains the science behind Cognito’s approach and what it takes to translate breakthrough neuroscience into something patients can actually use. Key Topics How MIT research into 40Hz gamma activity led to a new approach to Alzheimer’s treatment How light and sound stimulation can induce and sustain 40Hz brain activity What researchers are learning about synapses, myelin, mitochondria, blood flow, and neuroinflammation What Cognito’s 673-person clinical study is designed to reveal How personalised, home-based brain stimulation could make neurological therapy more accessible Related Insights Why Alzheimer’s is a challenge affecting entire families and caregivers How EEG, proteomics, MRI, and cognitive testing can help measure the impact of a therapy Why partnerships with institutions such as Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute and Ochsner Health matter How the platform could eventually be explored across conditions including Parkinson’s, stroke, MS, and traumatic brain injury Core Challenges Turning breakthrough neuroscience into a real therapy requires more than promising science, it requires clinical evidence, regulatory progress, patient trust, and accessibility. Making innovative neurological technology available to the people who need it most remains a major challenge. Cognito’s approach is grounded in balancing scientific rigor with the responsibility to take patients’ hopes seriously. Tune in now to hear how Christian believes 40Hz sensory stimulation could change the future of brain health, and what it takes to move breakthrough neuroscience from the lab into people’s homes.

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  The Crux of Medtech

  Your Brain Is the Softest Thing in Your Body, that's Why All Implants Are Wrong with Dr. Nicolas Vachicouras

  Sep 16, 202656 min

  In this episode of the Crux of Neuro, Liz Moyles sits down with Dr. Nicolas Vachicouras, PhD, CEO and Co-Founder of Neurosoft Bioelectronics, a Geneva and New York-based neurotechnology company spun out of EPFL, developing the world's softest, stretchable brain interfaces. Nicolas takes us through his journey from studying the bionic eye, to building brain interfaces for epilepsy, tetraplegics, and severe tinnitus and why the key to all of it starts with matching the mechanical properties of the brain itself. KEY TOPICS How soft, stretchable electrode materials unlock access to the brain's hidden 50% The minimally invasive deployment method that replaces large craniotomies Why Neurosoft chose epilepsy as its beachhead indication and what comes next Tinnitus as a neurological condition: 120 million severe cases, and no cure Building an objective biomarker for tinnitus and why pharma should be paying attention European vs. US investor mindset and why Nicolas is relocating to New York The Science Corporation partnership and the Max Hodak mentorship What it really means to de-risk a neurotechnology platform before going into humans RELATED INSIGHTS Why ECoG data collected in epilepsy patients can be used to decode motor intent for tetraplegic BCIs The regulatory and reimbursement divergence and why you have to design for both from day one Why US investors back vision and team, while European investors demand proof first How partnering with Science Corp accelerated Neurosoft's ASIC and wireless back-end without diluting their core IP The case for building your neurotechnology company in the US even if your tech and talent is European CORE CHALLENGES The brain and spinal cord are extraordinarily soft and constantly in motion yet for decades, we have interfaced with them using rigid, static devices. The resulting mechanical mismatch causes foreign body reaction, device degradation, and limits long-term viability. More than 50% of the brain's cortex sits hidden within its sulci (folds). Existing surface electrode arrays miss most of it and reaching those areas historically requires invasive large-scale craniotomies. Severe tinnitus affects 120 million people worldwide, has no cure, and is almost completely misunderstood by the investor community. Objective biomarkers do not yet exist making it hard to measure, treat, or run efficient clinical trials. Neurotech is capital-intensive and long-cycle. Specialist venture capital with genuine risk tolerance for decade-long timelines is plentiful in the US but rare in Europe, forcing companies to move or fail. Tune in now to hear how Nicolas Vachicouras is rethinking the fundamental materials of brain surgery and why soft electrodes could be the unlock that takes BCIs from the lab to 120 million patients.

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  The Crux of Medtech

  The Brain Knows How to Heal, Medicine Just Hasn't Caught Up with Dr. Leo Petrossian

  Sep 2, 20261h 2m

  In this episode of Crux of Neuro, host Liz Moyles is joined by Dr. Leo Petrossian, CEO of Kandu, Inc. the company formed from the merger of Neurolutions and Kandu Health. Leo has spent over 20 years at the intersection of neurotech and clinical care, and under his leadership, Neurolutions secured FDA breakthrough clearance for the IpsiHand®: the first non-invasive, at-home brain-computer interface for stroke rehabilitation. He also navigated the first BCI-specific CMS billing code and led a randomised controlled trial that was stopped early for efficacy. In this conversation, Leo and Liz cover the systemic failures in post-stroke care, the science behind the IpsiHand®, the brutal realities of getting novel devices covered by insurance, and what it will take to give 8 million stroke survivors in the US a real shot at recovery. Key Topics The "level 10 to zero" problem: why stroke survivors are abandoned at discharge How the IpsiHand® uses non-invasive EEG and ipsilateral brain signals to restore arm function The real cost of neurological disease and why most people underestimate it Navigating FDA breakthrough designation, de novo clearance, and the first BCI billing code Why the RCT was stopped early and what an NNT of 2.2 actually means Building Kandu: why combining a clinical device with a virtual care platform changes outcomes The barriers to adoption: awareness, insurance coverage, and clinician education Related Insights Why neurological disease spend is already approaching cardiovascular and still climbing The indirect cost of stroke: pulling caregivers out of the workforce and what that costs the system Why "neurons that fire together, wire together" is more than a mantra, it's the therapeutic mechanism How CMS's "reasonable and necessary" standard creates a maze that FDA's "safe and effective" never prepared you for The case for collaboration over competition in neurotech and what Kandu is actively building toward Core Challenges Post-stroke care is structurally broken: patients go from 24/7 hospital monitoring to zero follow-up overnight, with no systematised path back to function. The IpsiHand® has FDA clearance and a CMS billing code, but formal coverage policy remains the "final frontier," leaving most patients navigating reimbursement case by case. Novel device makers face a gap that drug companies don't: FDA has a clear pathway for innovation, but reimbursement bodies haven't built the equivalent and two attempts (MCIT and TCET) were both cancelled. Tune in now to hear why one in four people will suffer a neurological disease and how the IpsiHand® is giving stroke survivors a genuine shot at recovery, years after they were told rehab had run its course. 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 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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