{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Transistor","provider_url":"https://transistor.fm","author_name":"The Medtech Innovation Podcast","title":"Surviving Near Death Experiences In Medtech","html":"","width":"100%","height":180,"duration":2858,"description":"I'm joined by Dan Mazzucco, CEO & Founder of ZSX Medical and Principal at Third Eye Associates, as we explore how he's survived two decades of pivots, FDA battles, and near-death startup experiences building a better way to close surgical wounds - plus an unfiltered look at why women's health innovation is decades behind the rest of medtech.From ACL Tear to Medical Device Entrepreneur→ Dan's entire career trajectory changed after tearing his ACL playing ultimate frisbee in college - the idea that you could put a screw in someone's body became the spark for a two-decade medtech career→ Despite earning a doctorate in biomedical engineering, Dan doesn't draw energy from pure research - he's driven by getting things done and seeing real-world impact on manufacturing costs and patient care→ Working as a consultant at Exponent, he realized that knocking 3% off manufacturing costs excited him more than novel photon therapy researchFounding ZSX Medical During the Economic Meltdown→ Dan started ZSX Medical in late 2008 when his previous startup laid everyone off due to the financial crisis, giving him six months notice to figure out what's next→ He partnered with Eric Ruggart after meeting at networking events, recognizing they had a good team and a good problem even before having a viable technology→ The company has survived multiple near-death experiences that would have killed most startups - Dan will be sharing those lessons at a conference later this yearThe FDA Pivot That Changed Everything→ FDA told ZSX they'd need to follow 300 women through subsequent pregnancies to validate their C-section closure device - a clinical study costing tens of millions of dollars→ Rather than building half a bridge, they pivoted to hysterectomy closure after gynecologists consistently said it was a bigger unmet need→ Their product is an absorbable clothespin-like clip that approximates tissue without piercing it - letting the body heal naturally instead of causing suture-related...","thumbnail_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/SKJTlzh1Dih_UjWAMpaf9asEOJluhYL_CM3FATuVvVc/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:400/h:400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS8yM2U1/NjA3NjAzY2M1NDA0/ZDZkYTRiY2Y3Mjky/MTRmNi5wbmc.webp","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300}