Medsider: Learn from Medtech and Healthtech Founders and CEOs

In this episode of Medsider Radio, we sat down with Eric Kau, co-founder and CEO of Climatic.Climatic is commercializing L Max, a daily inhaled system that proactively supports lung function.Before Climatic, Eric served as COO of Seed Health and was part of the foundational team at Chewy. Earlier in his career, Eric held growth and operational leadership roles across consumer, wellness, and e-commerce businesses, including Amazon, BoxyCharm, Target, and Best Buy. In this interview, Eric discusses what it takes to build a consumer category that doesn’t yet exist, how Climatic approached clinical validation and consumer education simultaneously, and how early user behavior helped identify the company’s strongest initial customer cohorts.Before we dive into the discussion, I wanted to mention a few things:First, if you’re into learning from medical device founders and CEOs and want to know when new interviews are live, head over to Medsider.com and sign up for our free newsletter.And if you’re ready to level up your medtech game, you should check out Medsider Courses — 8-week masterclasses covering topics like fundraising, M&A and exit planning, design and development, clinical and regulatory strategy, and commercialization.These courses, featuring hard-earned lessons from elite medtech CEOs, can be purchased individually or come free with our All-Access Pass.If you'd rather read than listen, here's a link to the full interview with Eric Kau, which includes a link to ScottBot — an AI version of host Scott Nelson trained on every Medsider interview and playbook. Feel free to ask ScottBot any questions you'd like!KEY MOMENTS FROM THE INTERVIEW(02:49) - Eric’s path through Amazon, Chewy, Seed, and the consumer health experiences that led to Climatic (05:49) - Why Climatic is treating lung health like hydration, sleep, or nutrition (11:47) - How Climatic rapidly iterated on formulas, delivery systems, and prototypes to launch a product for a new category in under 2 years (14:56) - Climatic’s approach to product design, which is built around gym bags, vanities, and existing wellness routines (19:59) - How early users shaped both Climatic’s clinical strategy and its go-to-market focus on endurance athletes and biohackers (23:56) - Why Climatic spent more time teaching consumers about lung health than selling the product itself (34:07) - What investors needed to believe before funding a category that didn’t yet exist (40:27) - How Climatic built a 15,000-person waitlist through Strava run clubs instead of paid ads

In this episode of Medsider Radio, we sat down Dr. Adam Kadlec, practicing urologist and co-founder of Rivermark Medical.Rivermark is a clinical-stage company developing FloStent, a first-line, reversible device therapy for benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH).Before launching Rivermark, Adam built a thriving urological practice in Milwaukee and consulted for several device companies — experiences that ultimately revealed how early true device development begins and why physicians rarely get the chance to influence innovation upstream. Partnering with medtech operator Andy Doraiswamy, Adam transitioned from clinician to CEO and is now leading Rivermark through its pivotal trial.In this interview, Adam shares why workflow integration is one of the most overlooked drivers of adoption, how physician-innovators can build the right decision-making infrastructure, and why understanding who actually enrolls patients at clinical sites can make or break a trial. He also touches on the mindset required to stay resilient through the ups and downs of building a medtech startup.Before we dive into the discussion, I wanted to mention a few things:First, if you’re into learning from medical device and health technology founders and CEOs, and want to know when new interviews are live, head over to Medsider.com and sign up for our free newsletter.Second, if you want to peek behind the curtain of the world's most successful startups, you should consider a Medsider premium membership. You’ll learn the strategies and tactics that founders and CEOs use to build and grow companies like Silk Road Medical, AliveCor, Shockwave Medical, and hundreds more!We recently introduced some fantastic additions exclusively for Medsider premium members, including playbooks, which are curated collections of our top Medsider interviews on key topics like capital fundraising and risk mitigation, and 3 packages that will help you make use of our database of 750+ life science investors more efficiently for your fundraise and help you discover your next medical device or health technology investor!In addition to the entire back catalog of Medsider interviews over the past decade, premium members also get a copy of every volume of Medsider Mentors at no additional cost, including the latest Medsider Mentors Volume VII. If you’re interested, go to medsider.com/subscribe to learn more.Lastly, if you'd rather read than listen, here's a link to the full interview with Adam Kadlec.

In this episode of Medsider Radio, we sat down with Colby Holtshouse, President and CEO of May Health.May Health is developing a minimally invasive ovarian ablation therapy designed to restore ovulation in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and PCOS-related infertility.Before May Health, Colby served as Global Medtech Commercial Lead at Organon, overseeing the worldwide launch of the Jada System following Organon’s acquisition of Alydia Health, where she held roles including COO, Interim CEO, and VP of Marketing. She has also held leadership positions at Pelvalon, AccessClosure, Medtronic, and Guidant.In this discussion, Colby shares why early clinical evidence should be built in focused layers rather than oversized, all-at-once trials. She explains how a small, deliberate early launch can reveal the workflow nuances and real-world expectations no study ever captures. And she outlines why founders should define the raise first — and how clarity, preparation, and a deep understanding of strategic partners can dramatically accelerate the fundraising process.Before we dive into the discussion, I wanted to mention a few things:First, if you’re into learning from medical device and health technology founders and CEOs, and want to know when new interviews are live, head over to Medsider.com and sign up for our free newsletter.Second, if you want to peek behind the curtain of the world's most successful startups, you should consider a Medsider premium membership. You’ll learn the strategies and tactics that founders and CEOs use to build and grow companies like Silk Road Medical, AliveCor, Shockwave Medical, and hundreds more!We recently introduced some fantastic additions exclusively for Medsider premium members, including playbooks, which are curated collections of our top Medsider interviews on key topics like capital fundraising and risk mitigation, and 3 packages that will help you make use of our database of 750+ life science investors more efficiently for your fundraise and help you discover your next medical device or health technology investor!In addition to the entire back catalog of Medsider interviews over the past decade, premium members also get a copy of every volume of Medsider Mentors at no additional cost, including the latest Medsider Mentors Volume VII. If you’re interested, go to medsider.com/subscribe to learn more.Lastly, if you'd rather read than listen, here's a link to the full interview with Colby Holtshouse.

In this episode of Medsider Radio, we sat down with Somer Baburek, CEO and co-founder of Hera Biotech. Hera is developing AI-driven tissue diagnostics for conditions that disproportionately affect women, including endometriosis and cervical cancer.Before launching Hera, Somer spent nearly a decade in venture capital, where she evaluated early-stage medtech startups and learned what separates the survivors from the rest.In this conversation, Somer explains how Hera designed global clinical pathways that balance cost and credibility, why boutique CROs can outperform big names, and how a pre-commercial startup completed three strategic acquisitions using equity and brand trust rather than cash.Before we dive into the discussion, I wanted to mention a few things:First, if you’re into learning from medical device and health technology founders and CEOs, and want to know when new interviews are live, head over to Medsider.com and sign up for our free newsletter.Second, if you want to peek behind the curtain of the world's most successful startups, you should consider a Medsider premium membership. You’ll learn the strategies and tactics that founders and CEOs use to build and grow companies like Silk Road Medical, AliveCor, Shockwave Medical, and hundreds more!We recently introduced some fantastic additions exclusively for Medsider premium members, including playbooks, which are curated collections of our top Medsider interviews on key topics like capital fundraising and risk mitigation, and 3 packages that will help you make use of our database of 750+ life science investors more efficiently for your fundraise and help you discover your next medical device or health technology investor!In addition to the entire back catalog of Medsider interviews over the past decade, premium members also get a copy of every volume of Medsider Mentors at no additional cost, including the latest Medsider Mentors Volume VII. If you’re interested, go to medsider.com/subscribe to learn more.Lastly, if you'd rather read than listen, here's a link to the full interview with Somer Baburek.

In this episode of Medsider Radio, we sat down with Kate Dilligan, CEO of Cooler Heads.Cooler Heads is a commercial-stage company addressing a problem affecting many chemotherapy patients undergoing treatment for solid tumors: hair loss and the loss of privacy that comes with it. The company's FDA-cleared medical device, Amma, makes scalp cooling accessible by fitting into infusion center workflows rather than disrupting them.Kate brings an unconventional background to medtech — from political fundraising to developing classified software for the U.S. government. As a solo female founder who had never worked in hardware, she started Cooler Heads in 2018 after her own experience with breast cancer. By mid-2025, the company had raised $11 million in Series A funding and placed devices across 27 states, with most accounts having never offered scalp cooling before.In this interview, Kate shares how to design for health system adoption by solving workflow problems first, why saying “no” to scope creep protects your first-generation product, and how political fundraising tactics translate directly to building investor relationships in medtech.Before we dive into the discussion, I wanted to mention a few things:First, if you’re into learning from medical device and health technology founders and CEOs, and want to know when new interviews are live, head over to Medsider.com and sign up for our free newsletter.Second, if you want to peek behind the curtain of the world's most successful startups, you should consider a Medsider premium membership. You’ll learn the strategies and tactics that founders and CEOs use to build and grow companies like Silk Road Medical, AliveCor, Shockwave Medical, and hundreds more!We recently introduced some fantastic additions exclusively for Medsider premium members, including playbooks, which are curated collections of our top Medsider interviews on key topics like capital fundraising and risk mitigation, and 3 packages that will help you make use of our database of 750+ life science investors more efficiently for your fundraise and help you discover your next medical device or health technology investor!In addition to the entire back catalog of Medsider interviews over the past decade, premium members also get a copy of every volume of Medsider Mentors at no additional cost, including the latest Medsider Mentors Volume VII. If you’re interested, go to medsider.com/subscribe to learn more.Lastly, if you'd rather read than listen, here's a link to the full interview with Kate Dilligan.