What does it take to build a successful surgical robotics company? It is not enough to identify an unmet need in the operating/procedure room that a surgical robot could satisfy. For example, can you stand out if you have chosen to develop for one of the overpopulated surgical robotics subspecialties? Do you have a defensible patent position with a long strategy to strengthen it? Or do you know for certain how you will make money in the regulated world of surgical/procedural medicine? So many questions and so many more that are unknown or unspoken.
Business schools and incubators provide startup guidance. But given the sector specific medical, regulatory and financial factors that can impede the development and commercialization of surgical robotics systems, there is often not much prior experience that can be relied on. That is one reason why there has been only been a handful of market and financial surgical robotics successes to date, even though there are more than 250 commercial efforts spanning nearly all aspects of surgery and procedural medicine. In this engaging session, based on experience with five commercial surgical robotics startups, Dwight Meglan, Founder and CTO of HeartLander Surgical, will discuss various critical factors and strategies key to building a successful surgical robotics company.
Speaker:
- Dwight Meglan, Co-founder and CTO, HeartLander Surgical
