370.MD&M 2026 Keynote: Are we innovating or iterating? $6.1B worth of advice from Ray Cohen and Tom West moderated by Omar M. Khateeb

About this episode

The episode discusses the distinction between innovation and iteration in medtech, featuring insights from industry experts on funding and growth strategies.

In this episode, Omar Khateeb sits down with Raymond W. Cohen of Spiro Medical and Thomas A. West of Nalu Medical to unpack the real difference between innovation and iteration in medtech.Drawing from billions in exits and decades of experience, they explain why most companies fall into the trap of incremental thinking and why that approach is becoming harder to fund. The conversation highlights how venture capital behavior has shifted, why larger rounds are often necessary earlier, and how founders need to rethink how they approach building and scaling their companies.They also explore the importance of narrative, not just having a strong technology, but being able to clearly articulate the full journey from idea to commercialization, including reimbursement, manufacturing, and exit strategy.This episode challenges the way most founders think about growth and offers a clearer path to building something that actually stands out. Episode Breakdown: 00:00 Innovation vs Iteration in MedTech 00:01 Capital, Big Tech, and the Future of Healthcare 00:03 The Real Challenges in MedTech Today 00:05 Meet the Speakers and Keynote Setup 00:10 Are We Truly Innovating? 00:12 What Happens After…

People in this episode

Host: Omar M. Khateeb

Guests: Raymond W. Cohen, Thomas A. West

Topics covered

• innovation
• iteration
• medtech
• venture capital
• founder strategy

Keywords

• medtech
• innovation
• venture capital
• founders
• healthcare

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Spiro Medical, Nalu Medical

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