The Crux of Medtech

Raymond Cohen has spent 40+ years in medtech, never at a big company but always building. After taking Axonics from whiteboard to $500M in revenue and a Boston Scientific exit, he's now chairman of multiple high-growth ventures. In this episode, he breaks down what actually makes a company acquirable, why founders need to get over their fear of dilution, and the immigrant work ethic that's...

John Murphy left a corporate COO role to become employee number one at Virtual Incision then spent the next 14 years building MIRA, the world's first miniaturised soft tissue surgical robot. The pitch? A little robot on the inside, instead of a big one reaching in from the outside. The journey included five alpha iterations, a 30,000-page FDA de novo submission, remote surgery experiments from...

In this episode of the Crux of Cardio, host Jordan Bergen sits down with Filip Peters, Co-founder and CEO of Acorai, to unpack how his team is building a non-invasive device that reads the pressures inside the heart, using machine learning inspired by oil and gas diagnostics. Filip shared the full founder journey: from garage prototypes in Sweden through COVID, to a 1,600-patient study across six...

Alan Cohen has built companies, sold companies, started a price war between tech giants and now invests in what he calls "tech med" at DCVC, a $4.5bn deep-tech fund. The distinction matters: tech med starts with data and computational methods, not hardware.  In this conversation, Alan unpacks the investments that excite him, from real-time surgical guidance to AI-powered ultrasound and t...

In this episode of The Crux of MedTech, host Henry Norton sits down with Andrew Glass, CEO of Vivasure Medical, fresh off announcing the company's acquisition by Haemonetics Corporation. Andrew shares the full journey, from his early days in drug-eluting stents at Guidant (later Abbott), to running a $10M sales territory, to making equity investments at Abbott Ventures, and finally taking the leap...

In this episode, Henry Norton sits down with Mark Tapsak, Chief Science Officer at Glucotrack and one of Dexcom's earliest employees. Mark Tapsak left Medtronic for a "crazy startup" called Dexcom after seeing data so compelling he couldn't say no. Two decades later, he's back in the CGM game as Chief Science Officer at Glucotrack, working on a 3-year implantable sensor that...

In this episode of The Crux of Cardio, host Jordan Burgin sits down with Oliver Piepenstock, CEO and co-founder of Berlin-based Noah Labs, to explore how voice biomarkers could transform the way we detect and manage heart failure. Oliver shares the journey from a quant finance career to founding a company that uses AI to hear what the human ear cannot, subtle changes in voice that signal worsening...

In this episode, Henry Norton sits down with Robert Kieval, CEO of Arctx Medical Inc, to talk about a condition that sends 300,000 Americans to the ER every year with no approved treatment options waiting for them. Robert shares how Arctx is developing a deceptively simple solution: a cooling catheter that targets pancreatic inflammation from inside the stomach. He also opens up about the hard les...

In this episode of the Cruxx of MedTech podcast, host Henry Norton sits down with Ananth Ravi, founder of MOLLI Surgical and former medical physicist at the University of Toronto, to unpack the full journey from hospital research lab to acquisition by Stryker. Ananth shared the origin story behind MOLLI, a GPS-guided surgical system that replaced painful wire localisation with a tiny radioactive s...

In this Crux of Medtech crossover with the new Crux of Cardio series, Jordan and Henry sit down with Jack, his wife and caregiver Rocky, and SynCardia CEO Patrick Schnegelsberg to explore what a total artificial heart really means at the bedside and in the boardroom. Key Topics - Jack’s journey from misdiagnosis to ejection fraction of five to ten percent - ICU course, ECMO, cardiac arrest and the...

In this episode of the Crux of Medtech Henry is joined by Thomas Looby, CEO of Conavi Medical. Thomas breaks down why combining IVUS + OCT in a single catheter could change coronary interventions and how the team is pacing toward a Q3 2025 510(k) with a measured “crawl, walk, run” launch plan. Expect candid insight on evidence, pricing, commercialisation, and strategic exit logic Key Topics The un...

This episode of the Crux of Medtech features Sabine Bois, the former CEO of Occlutech. Sabine is a medtech leader whose career spans founding startups, steering a company through bankruptcy, driving IPO prep, and ultimately leading as CEO. Her story is raw, unfiltered, and filled with lessons about resilience, leadership, and navigating the brutal realities of medtech. Key Topics: Sabine’s leap fr...

In this episode, Henry Norton speaks with Adrian Mendes, CEO of Perimeter, a company using AI and optical imaging to tackle one of cancer surgery’s biggest problems: re operations Adrian shares his journey from Silicon Valley tech to medtech, and unpacks how Perimeter is using real-time imaging and machine learning to give surgeons confidence they’ve removed all the cancer the first time. They dis...

Why are so few patients accessing the care they need when the tech is already here? In this episode, Henry Norton sits down with David Pettigrew CEO at my mhealth to unpack the real reasons digital health tools succeed or fail. From overlooked rehabilitation gaps to the power of patient-first design, this conversation spotlights how we can actually get medtech into the hands of the people who need...

In this episode, your host, Henry Norton, is joined by Hannah Claridge, the Head of Neurotechnology at TTP, to talk about the incredible advancements that are being made to treat neurological conditions.  Hannah points out how complex the brain and nervous systems are, with both relying on intricate connections. She also explores the new technologies that are being developed to treat nervous disor...

Raising capital in Medtech is tougher than ever. Investor expectations have shifted. Competition is up. And many founders are still pitching like it’s 2018. In this episode, Henry Norton sits down with Kiko Filipov, Partner at APPARIUS Corporate Finance and Strategic Advisor at Cruxx, to unpack the real mechanics of a successful fundraise in 2025. From first-in-human data to commercial readiness,...

Join host Henry Norton in this episode of The Crux of Medtech as he speaks to Paul Roberts, co-founder of CMR Surgical and current CEO of Lupin Dental. Paul shares the journey from building surgical robots in a former pig shed to co-founding one of the most recognised names in robotic surgery. Now, he’s applying that experience to an entirely new frontier, aesthetic dental robotics. In this episod...

Meet Peter Verrillo, the CEO of Redefine Surgery. He joins your host, Henry Norton, in this episode to discuss the latest developments in orthopaedic AI.  Throughout the conversation, Peter highlights how time-consuming knee surgery can be, and talks about the AI solutions that his company is creating to reduce the time spent in theatre.  Peter also shares his journey as a founder of multiple diff...

Join your host, Henry Norton, and David Caumartin, the CEO of RebrAIn, as they discuss the impact that machine learning and artificial intelligence are having on the clinical outcomes of neurosurgery procedures.  During the episode, David shares his medtech story, from how he entered the field to what drew him to RebrAIn several years ago.  He also talks about his experience of working with neuros...

In this episode, your host, Henry Norton, is joined by Dimitri Sokolov, the CEO at Spiro Robotics, to talk about the limitations of laryngoscopy tools, and what Spiro is doing to remove them.  Dimitri explained the difficulties with current intubation methods, as well as the dangers of unsuccessful procedures.  He went on to discuss the challenges of getting FDA approval for a new piece of medical...

Meet this week’s guest, Olivier Delporte, the CEO of SamanTree Medical. He joined me, your host, Henry Norton, to discuss his company’s game-changing imaging technology, which is set to improve surgical outcomes for cancer patients in the breast and prostate areas.  Oliver also has an extensive background in venture capital, which he says compliments his role as CEO, as it allows him to build the...

This episode of the Crux of Medtech podcast has not one, but two guests, who joined me at TTP’s offices for an exciting conversation about the future of surgical robotics - and that’s the best name for the technology we’re exploring.  I’m delighted to introduce Paul Galluzzo, Head of Surgical Intervention and Imaging at TTP, and Steve Bell, an independent Medtech startup advisor.  They discussed t...

Welcome to the first ever episode of the Crux of MedTech podcast! I’m your host, Henry Norton, and in this series I’ll be introducing you to some of the leading innovators and investors in the surgical robotics space, to share their stories and insights. This week, I’m joined by Manios Dimitrakakis, the CEO of Panda Surgical. He talks about his journey from academia to industry, following his path...

Discover the importance of strong value propositions when developing a new surgical robot with your host, Henry Norton, and Paul Galluzzo, the ??? at The Technology Partnership (TTP). Paul also shared his predictions for upcoming technologies in the surgical robotics industry, including augmented reality and artificial intelligence, as they continue to enhance surgeons’ skills. He also shared his...

Take a look at the inner workings of Distalmotion with CEO Greg Roche and your host, Henry Norton, in this fascinating episode! Greg shared the importance of the company’s value proposition in taking Dexter, their surgical robot, to a global market. They also touched on the evolution of surgical robotics, both in technical terms and its increasing adoption in new generations of surgeons. Tune in t...