Ted Bird

Kestra Medical picks former Axonics exec, Al Ford, as new Chief Commercial Officer Kestra Medical Technologies announced today that it appointed Al Ford as its new Chief Commercial Officer (CCO). As CCO, Ford will be responsible for advancing sales strategy and leading the Kestra commercial team. Kirkland, Washington-based Kestra develops the Assure wearable cardioverter defibrillator (WCD) system. Assure, a modern wearable cardioverter defibrillator (WCD) system, received FDA approval in 2021. Kestra designed Assure to provide autonomous detection and defibrillation for ventricular arrhythmias. It can also detect and record other clinically significant arrhythmias. Brian Webster, president and CEO at Kestra said, “With significant experience managing sales and commercial operations, Al brings valuable knowledge, perspective, and leadership to our organization. Al also has deep experience in the underlying defibrillation technologies that are central to the Assure system. We are confident that he will be an impactful addition as we continue to drive adoption of our lifesaving system.” Ford has 20 years of experience in MedTech, most recently serving as CCO at Axonics, Inc. There, he led the worldwide commercialization team before Boston Scientific acquired the company for $3.7 billion in November. Prior to Axonics, he served as CCO at Cardiac Science Corporation. “I am honored to join Kestra in a commercial leadership role that aligns seamlessly with my experience,” said Mr. Ford.

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If you’re waiting to start M&A conversations until you're ready to sell, we’ve got intel from 5 medtech CEOs with a track record of medtech exits who may tell you otherwise. They’d probably also tell you that companies that get acquired for the best valuations *start* building relationships with strategics at least 2-3 years before they even consider an exit. For an article I wrote for MassDevice, 5 CEOs who've successfully navigated M&A transactions told me this: The best exits are planned from day one. ➡️ Jennifer Fried (Flow Medical) says that before she even joined her current company, she was already calling potential acquirers. Not to pitch — to listen. "What do you really think about the pulmonary embolism space? What are the big inflection points?" Early conversations helped her understand market dynamics and have shaped the strategy at Flow. ➡️ Joe DeVivo’s (Butterfly Network, Inc.) approach is people-oriented. Joe has delivered 5 exits (!) and he knows M&A is about building relationships, not deal flow. "Simply befriend them. At trade shows, be very open. Keep the dialog going." The onus is on you to help potential buyers understand your business and why it’s worth acquiring. ➡️ James Reinstein (Conformal Medical) emphasizes market selection and timing: "Find a market that's growing fast, has few competitors, and is one that investors want to be in." The idea is to position yourself as part of a growing pie and then show acquirers you’re continually hitting key milestones. ➡️ Cary Vance (previously PhotoniCare, Inc.) says it’s important to cultivate relationships with multiple strategics, but is quick to point out that deals are never guaranteed. "Run your company as if you're going to make a go of it alone — don't count on an acquisition as your rescue plan." ➡️ Nitin Salunke (Supira Medical) says identifying an end goal as early as possible will put you at an advantage:  "Don't go fishing for deals. Make incremental progress on strategics' watch lists, rising from bottom to top." Let value guide your company’s trajectory and align your milestones with that to make the business acquisition-worthy. Simply put: You want your business to get bought, not sold. Strategics are rarely lining up to buy companies that are desperate to be acquired. But startups focused on building great businesses while cultivating the right relationships? They get bought. In short, this is what separates the successful exits from the failed attempts: - They educate potential acquirers without being pushy  - They understand that timing matters as much as value - They pick fast-growing markets with limited competition - They build companies strong enough to survive independently  - They align major conversations with their strongest milestones Check out the full article through the link in the comments. And last, big thanks to Chris Newmarker for your publishing support!

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What would you do if you were 32 years old and handed $150M in responsibility? That’s exactly the position Gary Thomas, the SVP of Manufacturing/Product Development at Onkos Surgical found himself in... leading multiple business units across MedTech with barely a decade of experience under his belt. No manual. No roadmap. Just grit, great people, and an insane amount of determination to not let it fall apart. In our recent episode of 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐌𝐞𝐝-𝐓𝐞𝐜𝐡 𝐓𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐋𝐚𝐛 podcast, Gary shared how those early high-pressure years shaped the leader he is today and how the lessons from that time still serve him when product launches go sideways or when team members say, “this can’t be done.” Support. Vigilance. Determination. That’s how you lead when the stakes are high and the clock is ticking. Leadership isn’t about having all the answers. It's about having the backbone when others doubt, and the humility to lean on the people around you. If you're a MedTech leader navigating complex product launches and looking for real talk on what it actually takes to lead under pressure… this is an episode you won't want to miss! Thanks for being a valued guest on the show Gary! -MR 𝐏𝐒 Link to full episode and all the others in the comments. #podcast #medtechtalentlab #leadership #hiring #recruiting

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The future of Medtech is converging in Dana Point in just 30 days. And the capital is showing up. Partnering is now open for LSI USA ‘25, and calendars are already filling up. It’s not too late to jump in. Some key numbers: Innovators: - 360+ Presenting Companies – those that have disclosed financials have already raised $7.97B and are collectively raising another $4.96B right now. Breakdown by stage: - Later Stage: 39 companies, raising an average of $50M - Series C: 30 companies, raising an average of $29M - Series B: 76 companies, raising an average of $21M - Series A: 129 companies, raising an average of $12M - Seed/Pre-Seed: 66 companies, raising an average of $3.6M Geographic breakdown: - United States: 64% of startups | 84% of investors/strategics - Europe: 19% of startups | 10% of investors - Canada/APAC/Israel: 17% of startups (Canada: 20 | APAC: 28 | Israel: 16) But here’s the most important signal: We're on track for a 1-to-1 Investor/Strategic to Startup Ratio. This is good momentum for our industry. See you in Dana Point. Join us: https://lnkd.in/e9SaGB2h

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MedTech Innovation at TCT 2025 🚀 Honored to join the opening session of the MedTech Innovation Forum at TCT 2025, alongside visionary leaders Andrew Cleeland Jan Garfinkle Josh Makower Todd Brinton, MD Amr Salahieh. The session — “So, You Want to Be an Innovator: Master the Process, Channel the Genius” — offered timely reflections on how MedTech innovation must evolve to stay relevant and sustainable. 💡 Key takeaways: 1️⃣ MedTech funding is shifting. The cost of innovation is rising — driven by inflation, higher expectations, and reimbursement delays — making exits slower and returns smaller. Venture capital has shifted toward later-stage, de-risked ideas, creating new challenges for early innovators. 2️⃣ Innovation is a disciplined process, not a stroke of genius. The idea is only a small piece of the puzzle; history is written by those who show up. Unmet clinical needs are abundant, but the most promising ones are often latent—unseen yet impactful. Uncovering them is what leads to truly disruptive innovation. 3️⃣ Innovation thrives on meaning. For physicians, purpose (vs financial gain) is the most powerful motivator. However, deeper understanding and skillful navigation of the complex innovation ecosystem are needed to turn that purpose into lasting impact. In the end, meaningful innovation requires a convergence of insight, discipline, and purpose. #TCT2025 #MedTech #Innovation #MedicalDevices #Biodesign Mayo Clinic Fogarty Innovation Cardiovascular Research Foundation Juan Granada Shai Ran Sapir Lisa Carmel Charanjit (Chet) Rihal Stanford Mussallem Center for Biodesign

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Andrew Savarese, from PA Consulting and I discuss the endoluminal market in surgical robotics. We dig into the emerging technical challenges but also how the economics of a D&T Hybrid (diagnose & therapeutic) robotic platform will have a compelling cost benefit basis that may well drive higher adoption rates in centers of care as well as better outcomes for patients. This category is rolling very rapidly. I believe that new technologies will emerge that will represent an inflection point in surgical robotics and a revolution in end effector technologies.

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TechMed vs. MedTech: Why the Merger Still Hasn’t Happened TechMed versus MedTech—a debate that continues to rage as the Venn diagrams inch towards overlap - the long-awaited melding has been slower and bumpier than predicted. Tech hasn’t dominated Medtech, and Medtech hasn’t dominated Techmed. Announcements like the recent Google-Verily move to cease medical-device manufacturing and refocus on AI remind us that repellent forces still predominate over forces of attraction. Few things were launched with the fanfare of Verily; when we were raising VC capital, Canary was told not to bother building a healthcare data business because with Google’s backing, resistance was futile. Didn’t happen. Microsoft, Amazon and others had the same experience. Logic says it will be inevitable. Big Tech has an insatiable need for growth. Healthcare is enormous. The tech majors dwarf all other companies in scope and size – they are the only private enterprises large enough to tackle big healthcare problems. Similarly, it isn’t like medtech executives have been asleep for the last 20 years and have never used the internet or tried LLMs. The easy answer - “different skill sets” - is an oversimplification. Tech companies hired very smart, experienced healthcare people; many of the best and brightest jumped ship to chase a huge opportunity. Medtech companies attracted talented data scientists obsessed with mining vast, untapped health data. Capital, people, knowledge are not the blockers. I think it’s culture. On the Tech side: bold proclamations → spend a fortune for a few years → encounter setback → quietly exit. Nothing prepares you for a Class 3 medical device program or a pivotal drug trial. Dominance cannot be achieved through brute force - you still must invent a piece of biology with highly impactful clinical results. Their odds (currently) are no better than anyone else’s. The house doesn’t always win in healthcare. On the MedTech side: culturally we won’t tolerate the financial and commercial commitment required to shift toward tech. You can’t inch into tech markets - especially those with a consumer (patient) angle. It requires big, upfront spending – even worse, big dollars before you know you have a product. “Move fast and break things” isn’t (and shouldn’t be) our DNA. It is also true that “Network Effects” are not created by budget-conscious, staged market-entry strategies. Tech is not a gross margin story. Bottom line: until senior leadership (and their boards, and shareholders) rewire - regulatory patience/risk for Tech; scale/spend conviction for MedTech - the center won’t hold. The perfect opportunity for outsider disruption.

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Big news in the Medtech world. A recent ruling has made waves, and it comes with a hefty price tag. Last month, a jury found Johnson & Johnson subsidiary, Biosense Webster, guilty of violating antitrust rules by withholding support from hospitals that bought reprocessed catheters. And just this Thursday, District Judge James Selna tripled the damages to a staggering $442 million, as allowed under antitrust law. Here's the backdrop: Innovative Health filed the lawsuit back in 2019, asserting that J&J had monopolized the heart-mapping catheter market and tied support for its Carto 3 mapping system to purchases of mapping and ultrasound catheters. The jury found J&J in violation of both the Sherman Act and California's Cartwright Act. Daniel Vukelich, CEO of the Association of Medical Device Reprocessors, hailed the ruling as "a seismic result" and a clear signal to device manufacturers against employing anti-competitive tactics. According to Vukelich, this judgment underscores the commitment to cost savings, sustainability, and patient care. Meanwhile, J&J plans to appeal the decision but will comply with the ruling and any court-ordered relief in the interim. A spokesperson from the company stated, "We strongly disagree with the jury's verdict and believe it will not withstand appellate review." The implications of this ruling are massive. It could reshape competitive practices and compliance standards within the medical device industry. It also serves as a crucial reminder that ethical business practices are not just a regulatory requirement—they're central to the mission of improving patient outcomes and sustaining healthcare systems. Let's hear your thoughts! How do you think this ruling will impact the future of Medtech, especially in the realm of reprocessed devices? #Medtech #HealthcareInnovation #AntitrustLaw

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#MedTech VC in Q2 held steady around $3 billion, following a massive Q1 ($4.1B raised across 216 deals in Q1 alone, the strongest quarter since early 2022) While fewer nine-figure rounds dropped, the pipeline remains solid with applications in diagnostics, robotics, longevity and neuromodulation. Elon Musk’s Neuralink banked a $650M raise this quarter signaling deep pocketed confidence in brain machine interface technology. Meanwhile, traditional #MedTech deals kept rolling: -INSIGHTEC raised $150M -BillionToOne closed $130M, -Karius, Kardium Inc., DELFI Diagnostics all cracked the $100M mark M&A took a back seat, no blockbuster VC exits in Q2, while regulatory and tariff headwinds still play themselves out. With M&A and IPOs still slow, this is the critical window to build strong foundations and sharpen your edge. Don’t wait for perfect timing, make your move now. See you at the top. https://lnkd.in/eV5Xfc2K

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