What does it take to build a medtech startup that actually survives? Paul Grand, CEO and Founder of MedTech Innovator, has seen more than 14,000 companies apply to his program and helped over 800 raise billions in capital.

In this episode, Paul joins Omar Khateeb to break down the top mistakes founders make, how investors really assess risk, why commercialization is the true valley of death, and what trends are shaping the next generation of medtech innovation.

Episode Breakdown:

00:00 – Introduction: Challenges of the MedTech space

01:19 – Guest introduction: Paul Grand, CEO & Founder of MedTech Innovator

02:18 – Paul Grand’s background and early career in tech & medtech

03:38 – Transition into venture capital and working with innovators

05:08 – Early interest in Brain-Computer Interfaces & AI in medtech

07:11 – Personal journey with type 1 diabetes and connection to diabetes tech

09:01 – Exciting developments in diabetes innovation (Aqua Medical, CGMs, etc.)

12:26 – Founding story of MedTech Innovator and early competitions

15:13 – Lessons learned from failures and avoidable startup mistakes

19:09 – Common mistakes founders make (wrong CEO, echo chamber, stealth mode)

27:58 – How large medtech companies actually innovate (acquisitions vs. internal R&D)

31:02 – The Valley of Death in medtech startups (regulatory vs. commercialization)

35:26 – Biggest challenges after approval: evidence, reimbursement, sales traction

36:56 – 2024–2025 medtech trends: AI, cardiovascular, neurovascular, robotics, BCI

40:49 – What investors really look for: breakthrough vs. incremental innovation

44:02 – Founder-investor alignment: understanding timelines and expectations

46:59 – The ecosystem MedTech Innovator is building for startups

52:01 – Impact of MedTech Innovator: 800+ companies, $10B+ raised

54:01 – Upcoming events and competitions (San Diego, October & November)

55:36 – Application process for MedTech Innovator: how startups get evaluated

Are you a medtech CEO in need of some marketing help attracting investors, growing sales pipeline, and more? Go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠GrowMyMedtech.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to book time for a free analysis.

Subscribe to our Youtube Channel

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGpL_rGt1LQJwinMq_K7gfg⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Subscribe to our LinkedIn Newsletter

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.stateofmedtechpodcast.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Follow The State of MedTech on

LinkedIn ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/company/thestateofmedtech⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Instagram ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/stateofmedtech/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

TikTok ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@stateofmedtech⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

X ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://twitter.com/StateofMedTech⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Facebook ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/stateofmedtech/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Follow Omar M. Khateeb on

LinkedIn ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/okhateeb/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Instagram ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/omar.m.khateeb/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

TikTok ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@omarkhateebofficial⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

X ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://twitter.com/OmarMKhateeb⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Facebook ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/OmarMKhateeb/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

#Medtech #AFib #HealthcareInnovation #Cardiology #AIinHealthcare #StateofMedTech #MedicalDevices