Revolutionizing Dialysis Care: From Johns Hopkins to TIME's Best Inventions with David Narrow

F Javier Perez from MedTech Digest and I are joined by David Narrow, Co-founder and CEO of Sonavex, where we explore the journey of building innovative medical devices, navigating regulatory approvals, and transforming dialysis care.

In this episode, we break down:

The Journey from Academia to MedTech Entrepreneurship
→ Spinning technology out of Johns Hopkins University
→ Building the right team and securing early validation
→ Transitioning from biomedical engineering to business leadership

Revolutionizing Dialysis Care with AI-Enabled Ultrasound
→ Understanding the critical need for better vascular access
→ How EchoMark and EchoSure work together to improve outcomes
→ Reducing catheter dependency from 7 months to weeks

Navigating CPT Codes and Reimbursement
→ Starting the process at the right time with clinical trials
→ Building relationships with specialty societies
→ Understanding the non-meritocratic nature of coding approval

Securing $24M in Funding During Tough Market Conditions
→ Working backwards from potential exits
→ Building comprehensive data rooms and economic models
→ Maintaining relationships with investors through milestones

Platform Technology and Future Applications
→ Expanding beyond initial use cases
→ Development of needle guidance technology
→ Leveraging grants for new product development

Best Quotes:

"It's not about how much you know, but how well you can apply, test, and iterate on that knowledge in the real world."

"What blew my mind was that 1% of the entire federal government budget is spent on dialysis care."

"An organized oligopoly is essentially a monopoly."

"First dollars are way harder than last dollars. Getting to the 50-yard line on your fundraising opens up all sorts of opportunities."

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FIND SPENCER JONES ON SOCIAL LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/spencer-jones-... XO Medtech LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/xo-medtech


FIND DAVID NARROW ON SOCIAL LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-narrow Sonavex LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sonavex Sonavex: www.sonavex.com

FIND F. JAVIER PEREZ ON SOCIAL
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/francisco-javier-perez-cfa
MedTech Digest: https://themedtechdigest.com/

Episode Timestamps: 
0:00 - Introduction to F. Javier Perez
3:45 - The Academic to Entrepreneur Journey 
6:00 - Understanding the Dialysis Market 
12:45 - Navigating CPT Codes and Reimbursement 
14:45 - Fundraising Strategy and Market Access 
24:20 - Study Details
31:32 - Future Applications and Pipeline Development

What is The Medtech Innovation Podcast?

Medtech Innovation Podcast: Spencer Jones dives deep into winning medtech startup strategies. Each episode unpacks hot takes and insider tactics from the trenches of medtech innovation. Join physician inventors, founders, engineers, and healthcare market makers as they share actionable insights to navigate the FDA, secure medtech funding, and drive medtech breakthroughs. No-nonsense advice to be a change maker in medtech.