The Crux of Medtech

In this episode of the Crux of Cardio, host Jordan Burgin is joined by Martin Herman, co-founder and CEO of Powerful Medical the AI-powered cardiac diagnostics company behind PM Cardio.Martin shares how a software engineering background, a medical student brother, and a search for a truly pioneering problem led him to build an AI platform that can now diagnose 46 cardiovascular conditions from a single 12-lead ECG with over 120,000 doctors already using it in clinical practice.They cover the journey from early scepticism to clinical proof, the brutal reality of MedTech fundraising, and what FDA breakthrough designation means for Powerful Medical's imminent US commercial launch.Key Topics:How Powerful Medical identified the ECG as cardiology's biggest unsolved problemBuilding AI that outperforms experienced cardiologists on the hardest casesThe clinical and commercial case for PM Cardio in US heart attack centresFDA breakthrough designation and the road to US approval this summerRaising €46M in non-dilutive EU grant funding and what comes nextWinning MedTech Innovator and what it means for partnerships and validationRelated Insights:Why starting with the biggest clinical sceptics is actually a growth strategyHow 64 American physician-investors validated the product with $3.5M in fundingThe difference between pre- and post-ChatGPT AI fundraising environmentsWhy young founders have a structural advantage in MedTech and how to use itCore Challenges:Beyond the cardiologist, almost no clinician can reliably read an ECG creating a critical diagnostic gap at the first point of patient contact that PM Cardio is designed to close.US hospitals chasing heart attack accreditation KPIs are generating false positive rates as high as 70–80%, costing up to $15,000 per unnecessary cath lab activation. PM Cardio reduces false positives by ~90% while maintaining diagnostic sensitivity.Regulatory fragmentation across 27 EU healthcare markets and the complexity of US FDA approval has been the single biggest bottleneck to commercial scale, despite overwhelming clinical evidence.Tune in now to hear how Martin Herman turned a software engineering background and a medical student brother into a platform already saving thousands of lives and why the biggest breakthrough may still be ahead.

Alzheimer's treatments finally exist but patients are waiting months for the brain scans they need to access them. In this episode, Jannis Fischer, CEO and co-founder of Positrigo, explains how his team built an ultra-compact brain PET scanner that fits inside a neurologist's office and cuts diagnostic timelines from months to days. From losing an investor the day before signing to FDA clearance and triple-digit patient volumes within weeks of launch, this is a founder story with real clinical stakes.Key TopicsWhy new Alzheimer's drugs have created a brain PET bottleneckHow Positrigo's NeuroLF scanner delivers diagnostic-quality imaging in a seated, 10–20 minute scanThe "land and expand" go-to-market strategy across US neurology officesNavigating FDA clearance and CE mark on ~€15M in fundingTransitioning from R&D organisation to customer-centric commercial operationFundraising a $25–35M growth round to scale from proof of concept to exit-readinessRelated InsightsRoche, Eli Lilly and Biogen are running trials on preventive Alzheimer's intervention blood tests could pre-screen patients before symptoms appearThe reimbursement landscape for brain PET is already settled existing codes apply, making the economics a "no-brainer" for neurology practicesDecentralising imaging from hospital centres to specialist offices mirrors the broader US trend in point-of-care diagnosticsStrategic acquirers (Siemens, GE Healthcare) and radiopharmaceutical synergies make trade sale the most likely exit pathCore ChallengesWhole-body PET systems are overloaded with oncology and cardiology scans, leaving neurology patients waiting months for brain imaging a bottleneck that worsens as Alzheimer's drug adoption accelerates.Positrigo's NeuroLF system addresses this by enabling in-office brain PET scans at the point of care, but scaling requires the right sales team, operational partners, and growth capital to move from 3 installations to a nationwide footprint.🎧 Tune in now to hear how a particle physicist turned CEO is putting brain scanners where they belong next to the patients who need them most.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

In this episode, host Henry Norton sits down with Bruno Dheedene, CEO and Founder of Rods&Cones, a surgical streaming platform that's solving one of the most overlooked problems in the OR - nobody can actually see what the surgeon is doing.Bruno shares how he bootstrapped the company from a 2018 incubation project to a profitable business serving customers worldwide, all without VC funding. He explains why the pandemic became their biggest accelerator, how they're democratizing surgical knowledge with POV streaming technology, and their audacious goal to enable 1 million patients to be treated with remote surgical assistance.Key Topics:The visibility crisis in modern operating roomsBuilding a capital-efficient medtech company without VC fundingHow smart glasses and streaming tech evolved from 2013 prototypes to surgical-grade solutionsCustomer-funded growth and the pandemic acceleration storyProduct suite evolution driven by surgeon feedbackRelated Insights:Why surgical knowledge remains trapped inside operating roomsThe power of bootstrapping to maintain autonomy and decision-making controlHow remote surgical assistance can address global surgeon shortagesReal-world use cases from military dermatology to African surgical trainingBuilding a "follow the sun" customer experience team with 2-minute SLACore Challenges:Even in the OR, industry reps and assistants can't see what surgeons are doing during open procedures. Surgeons work in small cavities from their own point of view, leaving everyone else in the outer circle with limited visibility.Rods&Cones captures the surgeon's exact POV using smart glasses and streams high-quality surgical footage to remote experts, enabling real-time case support, medical education, and remote assistance - turning a level 100 surgeon into a level 122 surgeon.🎧 Tune in now to hear how one founder is making surgery visible and accessible to millions who need it most.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

Jordan is joined by Andreu Climent, CEO of Corify Care, a cardiac mapping company using non-invasive, whole-heart technology to guide EP procedures in real time. Andreu brings a telecoms engineering background to a problem most cardiologists have accepted as unsolvable: that half of all AF ablations fail, because clinicians are operating without seeing the full picture.They cover how Corify's cardiac global mapping system works, how it has more than doubled ablation efficacy in pilot studies, and what a partnership with Mayo Clinic means for the future of predictive cardiac care. Andreu also gets into the realities of taking a seven-year research project to commercial launch and what it really takes to change clinical behaviour.Key TopicsHow Corify's whole-heart mapping system worksThe limitations of current EP ablation standards of careDoubling AF ablation efficacy with guided, personalised treatmentThe Mayo Clinic partnership and the AI for AF projectScaling from academic research to commercial launch and US market entryRelated InsightsWhy coming from outside cardiology helped Andreu challenge assumptions baked into the standard of careThe case for personalised, data-guided ablation over empirical, one-size-fits-all approachesHow predictive mapping could identify arrhythmia risk years before symptoms appearWhat it takes to shift VC interest as clinical and regulatory risk dropsCore ChallengesCurrent AF ablation is largely empirical, with success rates of 50-60%. Half of patients return after a failed procedure, and clinicians have no reliable way to know in advance whether a treatment will work for a given patient.Changing established clinical behaviour is slow, even when the data clearly supports a better approach. Getting buy-in requires more than proof — it requires presence in the cath lab and time.🎧 Tune in now to find out how Andreu Climent and Corify Care are replacing guesswork in the EP lab with real-time, whole-heart mapping.

In this episode, your host Henry Norton is joined by Esther Reynal de St Michel Richardot, Founding Partner at THENA Capital, to discuss why so many medtech founders are building technologies without understanding their real market challenges and how early-stage thinking about value propositions and stakeholder needs can make or break a healthcare startup.Esther shares her journey from market research and management consulting to launching THENA Capital, and explains why healthcare innovation lags so far behind sectors like fintech, despite having the same opportunity for disruption.Key Topics:Why founders often misdiagnose their biggest challengesThe gap between building technology and understanding market needsHow healthcare innovation compares to fintech disruptionTHENA Capital's investment thesis and founder selection processThe role of community building in early-stage healthcare VCSupporting founders beyond capital with strategic expertiseRelated Insights:Most technologies are built for the sake of the technology, not the problem they solveHealthcare has more stakeholders than any other sector—and founders need value propositions for all of themMarket understanding often reveals the real challenges companies face, not the ones they think they're facingVCs have a responsibility to support founders at all stages, not just those who fit their thesisBuilding a community fills knowledge gaps and creates unexpected collaboration opportunitiesCore Challenges:Medtech founders often focus on building innovative technology without early enough thinking about go-to-market strategy, stakeholder value propositions, and commercial viability.Healthcare remains one of the most traditional sectors to disrupt, lagging significantly behind fintech despite similar opportunities for innovation.THENA Capital addresses this by combining capital with strategic expertise from consumer insights, market research, and go-to-market planning helping founders identify and solve their real challenges before they waste time and resources. Tune in now to learn how to identify the challenges your medtech startup is actually facing and how to build for market success, not just technological innovation.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