MedTech Jam Session with Chris and Mike D

What do you offer a 45-year-old patient with an irreparable rotator cuff tear who just wants to throw a baseball with their kid? Dr. Sean Churchill and CEO Chance Leonard jam with Chris and Mike D as they discuss the Super Spacer, a revolutionary, bone-conserving implant for this struggling patient population. With retear rates hitting 30-40% within two years following rotator cuff surgery, the current options are bleak. Capitan Orthopedics is filling the gap in rotator cuff repair treatment. By restoring more normal shoulder biomechanics, patients with Super Spacer will have less pain and higher levels of function, and most importantly, they be able to throw batting practice with the kids! To learn more about Super Spacer, visit capitanortho.com

What happens when a professional fighter, who is also a startup CEO, is told to put "25% of his body weight" on a recovering limb, but isn't given the tools to measure it? He builds a MedTech company. In this episode, Mike and Chris sit down with Ilya Popov, founder of ComeBack Mobility. Ilya shares his remarkable journey from being a tech CEO to a professional kickboxer in Thailand to solving one of orthopedics' most frustrating challenges: patient weight-bearing compliance. ComeBack Mobility's device attaches to the bottom of any cane or crutch, calculating the exact load a patient is putting on their injured leg and providing real-time feedback. In this episode, we cover The Weight-Bearing Guesswork: Why standard protocols like "toe-touch" or "50% weight-bearing" are historically based on ease of explanation rather than validated clinical trials. The NYU Langone experience: Groundbreaking data showing the ComeBack Mobility device achieved 74% patient step compliance, compared to just 20% in the standard of care group.Expediting Bone Healing: How optimized, iterative loading can accelerate tibial fracture healing to 6-8 weeks instead of the standard 10-11 weeks. To learn more about ComeBack Mobility, visit comebackmobility.com

Is the medical device industry finally ready to move past "gimmicks" and return to first principles? In this episode, Mike and Chris sit down with David Jansen, CEO of SAIL Fusion, to discuss why the Sacroiliac (SI) Joint market is heating up and why "proven orthopedic principles" are the new disruption. David shares his journey from engineering student to startup CEO and reveals how SAIL Fusion is using the Venture Studio model (via Core Medical Ventures) to accelerate development while minimizing risk. The trio also tackles the elephant in the room: the growing tension between spine surgeons and interventionalists, and why SAIL Fusion has chosen to side exclusively with the surgeons. In this episode, we cover: The "Bow Tie" Philosophy: Applying AO Foundation principles (rigid fixation, compression) to the SI joint. Market Predictions: Why 2026 is a transition year and 2027 will be the year of execution. The 30% Stat: Why up to 30% of chronic lower back pain is misdiagnosed as lumbar issues. Startup Strategy: How the Venture Studio model helps founders survive the "valley of death." Powered by ConveyMED. Listen in where ever you get your podcasts! To learn more about SAIL Fusion visit SAILspine.com.

Why are we still crossing joints to fix small-bone fractures? On this week’s MedTech Jam Session with Chris & Mike D, CEO Sarah Sachinis explains how Meduloc uses flexible nitinol to deliver intramedullary fixation without traversing the joint. This winning combination features elasticity (micromotion for healing) with distal locking for stability… All while protecting the joint. Genius! Meduloc, A Cor Medical Ventures portfolio company, benefitted greatly from the venture studio model as they shortened time to market and remained incredibly capital efficient. Check out our convo with Sarah on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Powered by ConveyMED. To learn more about Meduloc, click here

The 2025 MNVC was an epic, sold out gathering of founders, builders, investors, and drivers of the orthopedic startup community. On this week’s MedTech Jam Session with Chris & Mike D, we have the two moderators that were in the ‘Room Where it Happened’ – Chris Lyons and Mike Sherman. In part 1, we discuss highlights from the panel, ‘Financing and M&A Environment for Private Companies’ by Charles Hamilton, and Key thoughts from the ‘Investor Roundtable’ panel featuring Gary Stevenson, Michael Collins, Chance Leonard, Nicholas Pachuda, and Jeffrey O’Donnell. Join us wherever you listen to podcasts and stay tuned for Part 2 releasing next week. Congratulations to all of the presenting companies for bringing a great conference to light! Powered by ConveyMed

Is there a ‘Missing Middle’ in tendon care? Many partial-tear patients find themselves in a treatment gap where PT or needle procedures fail, but they are not yet candidates for surgery. That’s where Trace Orthopedics is creating the future of tendon repair. Dr. Bill Morrison and CEO Adam Greenspan jam with Chris and Mike D. as they share their journey to launch the first device for tendon reattachment without surgery. • Pivotal animal study complete • Contract manufacturing established • FDA path defined • Targeting a limited market release in Q4 2026. We love it when physicians invent the very challenges they face every day. To learn more about Trace Orthopedics, go to their ⁠⁠LinkedIn page.⁠⁠ Another great jam session! Jam with us wherever you get your podcasts! AppleSpotify

Building the future of Ortho for over 20+ years at the annual MNVC. Gary Stevenson shares the story behind launching the Musculoskeletal New Ventures Conference (MNVC) over 20 years ago in Memphis—a platform designed to bring together surgeon-entrepreneurs, MedTech investors, and startups in the ortho space. Here’s what we learned from Gary: 1. With orthopedic giants such as @Stryker, @SNN and @Medtronic Spine, Memphis became the perfect ecosystem for orthopedic innovation. MNVC helped fuel that by connecting capital with clinical insight 2. In an increasingly digital world, Gary emphasizes the enduring value of face-to-face deal-making, clinical validation, and peer exchange that MNVC enables—especially for early-stage startups needing visibility and feedback. 3. The conference has become a launchpad for surgeon-led startups, offering a rare stage where real-world clinical problems meet venture capital, and great ideas are accelerated. To learn more about the MNVC Conference visit MNVC.orgTune into MedTech Jam Session wherever you get your podcasts! Apple Spotify

Will a Two-Portal approach be the catalyst for widespread adoption of endoscopic spine? Andy Choi and the team at Amplify Surgical have cracked the code and are proving that their dualPortal solution can deliver enhanced visualization and greater flexibility for spine surgeons performing lumbar fusion cases through a minimally invasive approach. Check out our recent conversation with Andy as he shares his journey from Stryker spine to a startup founder, his disciplined approach to company scaling, and how their training program is leading to rapid growth. Chris Lyons and I had a blast jamming with Andy on this episode of the MedTech Jam session. Jam with us wherever you get your podcasts! AppleSpotifyTo learn more about Amplify Surgical visit AmplifySurgical.com

Meet Scott DeFelice and the team at OPM as they usher in the next big material innovation in orthopedics. In this MedTech Jam Session, Scott explains how PEKK offers true bone-like mechanics, osseointegration, radiolucency, and intrinsic antibacterial/antiviral performance. Here’s what we learned from Scott: 1. Tackling the Toughest Cases First - From oncology to arthrodesis, OPM’s PEKK implants are solving high-risk, high-complication surgeries. 2. An Infection-Resistant Material - With a 1.5% infection rate vs. 20% for traditional materials, clinicians are rapidly adopting the tech for the most challenging cases. 3. Patient-Matched Precision at Scale - With over 4,500 personalized craniofacial implants delivered and growing into extremity, trauma, and oncology applications, OPM brings perfect-fit, 3D-printed implants to complex cases Tune into MedTech Jam Session to see where high-performance polymers meet better patient outcomes – wherever you get your podcasts! To learn more about Oxford Performance Materials, visit: OxfordPM.com Listen to this episode wherever you get your podcasts! AppleSpotify

Can We Grow New Cartilage Instead of Replacing Joints? That’s a gamechanger! Brad Estes, CEO of CytexOrtho, joined Chris and I on the MedTech Jam Session to talk about his 3D printed biodegradable scaffold designed to replace damaged cartilage. Here’s what we learned from Brad: 1. Solving the Young Patient Gap With no good solution between cartilage repair and total joint replacement, Cytex targets a major unmet need: 35–60-year-old active patients who need lasting results without compromising future treatment options. That would be HUGE! 2. Leveraging NIH-Funded Research Originally developed at Duke University, Cytex has leveraged over $18M in non-dilutive funding. Super resourceful management team. 3. 3D Printing continues to be a great technology platform The Cytex team have developed a 3D printed manufacturing process for a complex, mechanically strong biodegradable scaffold. Impressive. Follow Cytex Ortho and Brad Estes on LinkedIn Listen to this episode wherever you get your podcasts! Apple Spotify

Surgeon/Inventor/Founder/Investor/Pilot and all-around good dude Kent Ellington jammed with Chris Lyons and I on this episode of the MedTech Jam Session with Chris & Mike D. Kent shares his journey from clinician to creator, having developed over 100 products with over $1.5 billion in revenue! Mad skills! Here’s what we learned from Kent. 1. 6 P’s of successful innovation – People – Product – Process – Plan – Performance – Patient Focus. Great insight! 2. Startups and incubators, not the big companies, are leading the next wave of orthopedic innovations. Hot take – We agree! 3. There exists a confluence of technology innovation such as 3D printing, AI, & Robotics which will unleash a new wave of solutions to frustrating clinical problems. Reach out to Kent by email at: KentEllingtonFX@gmail.comJam with us wherever you get your podcasts! AppleSpotify

Simple and innovative? Not an easy task, but when it’s right, it is a gamechanger! Tim McCown, COO of Spinal Simplicity shares their compelling vision to help patients enjoy a life ‘where pain no longer defines the day.’ Here’s what we learned from Tim. 1. Spinal Simplicity is transforming the spine market with minimally invasive, patient-centric solutions like the Minuteman device—designed to reduce recovery time, opioid use, and hospital stays 2. Scaling from the Heartland. Who says you have to be on one of the coasts to raise capital? This Kansas City-based startup raised over $50M in friends-and-family capital. Impressive! 3. A hybrid sales channel is a winning formula. Tim breaks down their hybrid go-to-market approach using both direct reps and distributors. 4. To learn more, visit SpinalSimplicity.com Jam with us wherever you get your podcasts!Apple PodcastsSpotify