Ray Cohen on How to Successfully Build and Exit a MedTech; Talking Revolution with Sarah Matt, MD

In this episode of DeviceTalks Weekly, Host Tom Salemi gets the dos and don’t’s of entrepreneurship with serially successful MedTech leader Ray Cohen. In this keynote address from DeviceTalks West, Cohen delivers a master class on how to build a successful MedTech, using Boston Scientific’s $3.7 billion acquisition as a case study. DeviceTalks Managing Editor Kayleen Brown explores the future of connected health with Dr. Sarah Matt, author of the new book, The Borderless Healthcare Revolution. Go to DrSarahMatt.com to order the book. Thank you to Lighteum Medical for sponsoring this episode of DeviceTalks Weekly. Go to http://lighteum.com/ for more information. Want to meet with Lighteum Medical in person at MD&M West? Book time with them here: https://calendly.com/lighteum-medical/mdmwest  MassDevice’s Chris Newmarker kicks us off with his Newmarker’s Newsmakers – SS Innovations, Boston Scientific, Teleflex, Resmed, Telefex Medical. *** Enjoy the show? Follow us on YouTube.com/@DeviceTalks to ensure you never miss an episode. Want access to the complete DeviceTalks Podcast Network (DTPN)? Follow us today at https://devicetalks.castos.com/subscribe Chapters (00:05:29) - Newmarker's Newsmakers(00:18:51) - Part 1 of interview with Jose Maeso, CTO of Lighteum Medical(00:22:35) - FOMO Interview with Dr. Sarah Matt(00:33:28) - Insights from Ray Cohen on MedTech Success(00:44:18) - Key Elements for Starting a Company(00:48:12) - Part 2 of the interview with Lighteum Medical(00:50:50) - The Role of Clinical Support and Physician Champions(01:00:32) - Navigating the IPO Process and Market Dynamics(01:09:27) - The Acquisition by Boston Scientific and Lessons Learned(01:14:31) - Key Takeaways for Aspiring Entrepreneurs

In this episode of Ortho Innovation Talks, host Tom Salemi sits with Suneethi Gudapati, VP of Research & Development, Enovis™ Bracing & Supports, to discuss how her team is advancing the engineering behind braces and supports across the orthopedic continuum of care. Gudapati shares how Enovis evaluates materials, designs, and patient feedback to improve comfort, usability, and clinical performance across its extensive bracing portfolio, which spans postoperative and preventive use cases. She also discusses how her R&D teams partner across the company to explore future opportunities, from new composite materials to potential AI and connected-health applications, while maintaining a strong focus on unmet needs and the aging, increasingly active patient population. Missed a DeviceTalks Tuesdays webinar? Catch up, on-demand, at: https://gateway.on24.com/wcc/experience/elitewtwhmedia/2927718/4415884/devicetalks-tuesdays for everything you missed in 2025. *** Enjoy this podcast? Follow Ortho Innovation Talks on all major podcast players: https://ortho-innovation-talks.castos.com/subscribe + Follow us on YouTube.com/@DeviceTalks to ensure you never miss an episode. Want access to the complete DeviceTalks Podcast Network (DTPN)? Follow us today at https://devicetalks.castos.com/subscribe

In this episode, MassDevice Editor Chris Newmarker talks with Alan Cheng, MD, chief medical officer at Medtronic’s cardiac rhythm management business about the future of medical-grade cardiac monitors like Medtronic LINQ monitors. These tiny devices, placed just under the skin, can collect heart rhythm data and transmit it directly to doctors, like Cheng, who is a practicing electrophysiologist. The LINQ II has a battery life of more than four years. How does its functionality compare to consumer monitors, and can LINQ someday find a role as a health tracking tool sold over the counter? Thank you to Resonetics for sponsoring this podcast episode. To learn more about how Resonetics supports medical device companies, visit: https://shorturl.at/E1wO8 In our FOMO interview, Jim Hammerand, managing editor of medical design and outsourcing, talks with Ken Charhut, CEO of Foldax about that start-ups innovative heart valve polymer and manufacturing process. But we kick things off with this week’s Newmarker’s Newsmakers discussion with Host Tom Salemi and Chris Newmarker. *** Enjoy the show? Follow us on YouTube.com/@DeviceTalks to ensure you never miss an episode. Want access to the complete DeviceTalks Podcast Network (DTPN)? Follow us today at https://devicetalks.castos.com/subscribe Chapters (00:04:30) - #5 - Surgical robotics market will double over the rest of the decade(00:07:23) - #4 - CMS adds reimbursement for cardiac ablation in ASCs(00:09:14) - #3 - Former Stryker robotics leader named CEO at Olympus' Swan EndoSurgical robotics play and Stryker promotes Spencer Stiles to president, COO(00:13:49) - #2 - Medtronic gets FDA nod for Hugo surgical robot in urologic procedures(00:16:35) - #1 - Johnson & Johnson MedTech to shift to business unit-led structure in 2026(00:20:18) - Interview with Eric Veit, Vice President, Nitinol Business Development, Resonetics(00:23:15) - FOMO – Ken Charhut, CEO, Foldax(00:33:48) - Keynote interview Alan Cheng, MD, chief medical officer, CRM, Medtronic(00:46:25) - Conclusion - Interview with Eric Veit, Vice President, Nitinol Business Development, Resonetics

In this week’s DeviceTalks Podcast, we’re spotlighting two very different leaders shaping the future of surgical robotics. Huge thanks to our sponsor, Murata. First up in our FOMO interview, Tom Salemi speaks with Iman Jeddi, senior vice president and general manager of da Vinci platforms and product operations at Intuitive. Jeddi—who closed out our joint keynotes at DeviceTalks West and RoboBusiness—shares deep insight into Intuitive’s long-term vision and what’s next for the surgical robotics front-runner. Then in our keynote interview, Salemi talked with Anne Osdoit, CEO of Moon Surgical. Osdoit breaks down how the company’s Maestro system—designed to move and stabilize laparoscopic tools—is gaining traction in hospitals and ASCs and carving out a new category in robotic surgery. To learn more about the work Murata is doing in medical devices you can download Murata's Medical Applications Brochure HERE or go to their website murata.com. *** Enjoy the show? Follow us on YouTube.com/@DeviceTalks to ensure you never miss an episode. Want access to the complete DeviceTalks Podcast Network (DTPN)? Follow us today at https://devicetalks.castos.com/subscribe

In this episode of DeviceTalks Weekly, we hear from two of MedTech’s most powerful leaders, each representing different ends of the innovation timeline. Tim Schmid, executive vice president and worldwide chairman of Johnson & Johnson MedTech, lays out the global leaders plan to lead in cardiovascular, surgery, vision, surgical robotics and other high growth businesses. Schmid opened our DeviceTalks West conference last month where he was interviewed by Host Tom Salemi. Thank you to Vantedge Medical for sponsoring this episode. For more information on how Vantedge works with medical device companies, visit: https://vantedgemedical.com/ Then, Josh Makower, the Yock Family Professor and professor of bioengineering at the Stanford Mussallem Center for Biodesign sits down in a FOMO interview with Managing Editor Kayleen Brown. Makower, a battle-tested advocate for MedTech innovators, writes a prescription for helping start-ups, calling on OEMs to provide more support. Makower also keynoted the event. MassDevice editor Chris Newmarker kicks things off with this week’s Newmarker’s Newsmakers – Stryker, Boston Scientific, Siemens Healthineers, Medtronic, Solventum, Abbott and Exact Sciences. *** Enjoy the show? Follow us on YouTube.com/@DeviceTalks to ensure you never miss an episode. Want access to the complete DeviceTalks Podcast Network (DTPN)? Follow us today at https://devicetalks.castos.com/subscribe Chapters (00:04:35) - Stryker VP, GM for Robotics and Enabling Technologies is departing(00:06:16) - Boston Scientific, Siemens Healthineers ink 4D ICE catheter development deal(00:08:23) - Do we have bubbles in MedTech?(00:11:26) - Medtronic has a strong Q2 beat on PFA strength(00:16:01) - Solventum to acquire soft tissue repair company Acera Surgical, repurchase $1B in shares(00:18:20) - Abbott confirms plans to acquire Exact Sciences for $21B(00:26:26) - Vantedge Medical – How to Recruit and Retain Talent(00:28:29) - FOMO with Josh Makower - Stanford Mussallem Center for Biodesign(00:37:08) - Vantedge Medical – The importance of metals(00:42:27) - Interview with Tim Schmid, Johnson & Johnson MedTech(00:51:31) - Vantedge Medical – Supply chain concerns

In this episode of Ortho Innovation Talks, host Tom Salemi sits with Brad Batte, President of Enovis™ Regeneration, to discuss how the division is transforming post-operative recovery through bone growth stimulation. He also discusses at-home device compliance, clinical outcomes, and how Enovis is expanding its innovation pipeline to support patients across the full continuum of care. This episode is brought to you by DeviceTalks Tuesdays. Join us for a free week-long webinar series: DeviceTalks "Materials & Manufacturing." *** Enjoy this podcast? Follow Ortho Innovation Talks on all major podcast players: https://ortho-innovation-talks.castos.com/subscribe + Follow us on YouTube.com/@DeviceTalks to ensure you never miss an episode. Want access to the complete DeviceTalks Podcast Network (DTPN)? Follow us today at https://devicetalks.castos.com/subscribe

In this episode of the DeviceTalks Weekly podcast, Jian Zheng, founder and CEO of Noah Medical, has found entrepreneurial success in robotics, medical devices and a companies that combine both including Intuitive and Auris. Now, Zheng leads Noah Medical, a robotic bronchoscopy company that’s trying to develop a superior way of diagnosing and treating lung cancer. How does Noah see itself beating Johnson & Johnson MedTech and Intuitive in this competitive space? What areas could Noah focus on next? And where how did the company get the Noah name? Host Tom Salemi asks these questions and more. In this week’s FOMO, Sonia Valdes, vice president of life sciences claims at Medmarc, reveals some of the unseen risks and unintended benefits facing the medical device industry coping with new tariffs on medical device imports. Finally, Chris Newmaker of MassDevice delivers this week’s Newsmakers – Synchron, InBrain, Inspire Medical, Zimmer Biomet, and Olympus. This episode comes to you courtesy of Medmarc. To learn more, visit: https://medmarc.com/ *** Enjoy the show? Follow us on YouTube.com/@DeviceTalks to ensure you never miss an episode. Want access to the complete DeviceTalks Podcast Network (DTPN)? Follow us today at https://devicetalks.castos.com/subscribe Chapters (00:05:43) - Synchron raises $200M Series D to support BCI commercialization, next-gen tech(00:08:30) - InBrain, Microsoft team up on AI for neurology, BCI tech(00:11:40) - Inspire Medical faces investor class action over Inspire V launch allegations(00:13:28) - Deloitte accuses Zimmer Biomet of filing ‘through the looking glass’ suit(00:16:18) - Olympus to cut 2,000 jobs as it unveils new corporate strategy, executive additions(00:23:45) - FOMO – Sonia Valdes, vice president, life sciences claims, Medmarc(00:35:15) - Keynote Interview – Jian Zhang, CEO, Noah Medical

Artificial Intelligence is transforming healthcare—and Olympus is at the forefront. In this episode, Chief Digital Officer Slawek Kierner and Director of Marketing, GI Digital Solutions Neviana Terzieva share their journeys into medtech and discuss how Olympus is integrating AI into endoscopy, clinical decision-making, and workflow optimization.  Chapter 1: Meet the Guests  Slawek Kierner and Neviana Terzieva discuss their backgrounds in software, healthcare, and digital innovation, and what drew them to Olympus.  Chapter 2: Defining AI in MedTech  What does “AI” really mean for medical devices?  How AI supports the quintuple aim: better outcomes, lower costs, improved experiences, increased access, and reduced burnout.  Chapter 3: Blended Intelligence & Burnout  The concept of “blended intelligence”-- AI as a complement to human expertise.  Chapter 4: Olympus® Technologies in Action  Spotlight on EDOF™ scopes, CADDIE™ polyp detection software, and the OLYSENSE™ platform.  Real-world examples of AI enhancing clarity, precision, and detection rates in GI procedures.  Chapter 5: Clinical Impact & Physician Reception  How AI augments, not replaces, clinical decision-making.  Physician perspectives on adopting new technology and maintaining high standards of care.  Chapter 6: The Future of AI at Olympus  Vision for saving lives, supporting detection rates, and empowering healthcare teams.   For more episodes by OlympusTalks, please visit olympusamerica.com/podcasts.  This podcast has been paid for by Olympus Corporation of the Americas.    ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:  Meet OLYSENSE™ -- Olympus’ intelligent endoscopy platform powered by AI: https://medical.olympusamerica.com/olysense

In this episode of DeviceTalks Weekly, Host Tom Salem welcomes back Rob Kowal, MD, VP and general manager, cardiac pacing at Medtronic. You’ll hear how Dr. Kowal grew into the new role as business leader and gain a stronger appreciation for Medtronic’s flagship cardiac pacing business. Smaller devices and new innovation are helping to find new ways to deploy cardiac pacing. How else can cardiac pacing devices save lives? Dr. Kowal previously appeared on MedtronicTalks when he was vice president, medical affairs and CMO of cardiac rhythm and heart failure. Find the MedtronicTalks Podcast here - https://www.devicetalks.com/learn-how-medtronic-is-moving-to-mark-arctic-front-a-first-line-treatment-for-atrial-fibrillation/ Thank you to Confluent Medical Technologies for sponsoring this episode of DeviceTalks Weekly. To learn how their material science technologies and high performance manufacturing help bring your medical device designs to life go to ConfluentMedical.com or nitinol.com. MedTech Analyst Chrystal Larsen joins MassDevice Editor Chris Newmarker and Salemi on this week’s newsmakers. Before diving into the week’s top MedTech Stories, Larsen discusses the debut of MassDevice’s MedTech Market Reports on Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGM) Market. You can find more information about the report here: https://www.massdevice.com/product/continuous-glucose-monitoring-cgm-market/  Top newsmakers of the week are Aqua Medical, Coherence Neuro, Medtronic, Smith & Nephew, and Zimmer Biomet. Thanks for listening to DeviceTalks Weekly. *** Enjoy the show? Follow us on YouTube.com/@DeviceTalks to ensure you never miss an episode. Want access to the complete DeviceTalks Podcast Network (DTPN)? Follow us today at https://devicetalks.castos.com/subscribe Chapters (00:00:00) - New DeviceTalks Podcast!(00:09:10) - New MassDevice Report(00:20:21) - MassDevice’s Newmarker’s Newsmakers(00:35:14) - Confluent Medical’s Impact on MedTech(00:37:47) - Keynote conversation with Rob Kowal, MD, VP and general manager, cardiac pacing, Medtronic

Empathy is more than a leadership trait—it’s a business advantage. In this season opener of Women in MedTech, host Kayleen Brown talks and Medtronic’s Nina Goodheart, SVP & President of Structural Heart & Aortic talk about Medtronic's focus on women's heart health and makes the business case for empathy in MedTech. Kayleen also welcomes Beth Harrison Meyer, SVP of Global Marketing at Aptyx, to unpack what empathy looks like inside companies and why it’s critical to innovation and culture. Thank you to Aptyx for your support. Visit ➡ https://www.aptyx.com Referenced in this episode: – Medtronic’s Letter to My Mother campaign: https://www.medtronic.com/en-us/c/patients-caregivers/pan-cardiovascular/letter-to-my-mother.html – Kayleen’s article in Medical Design & Outsourcing: https://www.medicaldesignandoutsourcing.com/medtronic-nina-goodheart-cardiovascular-deaths-women-rwe-smart-trial/ Enjoy this episode? Follow Women in MedTech → https://women-in-medtech.castos.com/subscribe and subscribe on YouTube → https://YouTube.com/@DeviceTalks to catch every conversation. #PurpleSuit Access the full DeviceTalks Podcast Network → https://devicetalks.castos.com/subscribe Chapters (00:00:00) - Empathy to Self, Empathy to Ecosystem(00:02:45) - The Power of Mentorship and Sponsorship(00:05:30) - Building the Aptyx Culture of Collaboration(00:10:15) - Insights into the Keynote Interview with Nina Goodheartt(00:17:00) - What Empathy Looks Like in Product Development(00:22:15) - Designing for Equity: Who Are We Not Treating Yet?(00:27:10) - The Business Case for Empathy in MedTech(00:28:17) - Start of Interview with Medtronic's Nina Goodheart(00:36:30) - Using AI to Advance Health Equity (The ALERT Study)(00:49:30) - Medtronic's Letter to My Mother: Women’s Heart Health Awareness(00:55:15) - Redefining Leadership — Empathy as Smart Business