Message Engineer for the Medical Device Startup

From napkin sketch to sales revenue! Our latest guest has built a completely vertically integrated medical device development company, taking inventor ideas, translating them into products with all the necessary checks and balances, and launching them into their early stage surgical sales force!I am Maureen Shaffer, Host of the Message Engineer for the Medtech Startup show and CEO of message and market advisory, Mingletoe. In this episode, I share my insightful conversation with Jason Scherer, CEO of vertically integrated medical device development company, VitaTek, which takes devices from napkin sketch to sales revenue. Previously, Jason spent 15 years as a top tier, award-winning surgical sales manager. I thoroughly enjoyed talking with Jason about how he applies the focus and speed of sales along with key opinion leader relationships to full medical device development, from sketch to sales.We dive deep into the world of contract device development and discuss how to accelerate medical device and medtech development and reduce time to market.Overall, this episode is full of insightful and thought-provoking discussions about medtech design and development, including the topics below. I highly recommend giving it a listen or watch and joining the conversation online!

In this episode of the Message Engineer podcast, host Maureen Shaffer, CEO, Mingletoe, shares her insightful conversation with health care data provider, Paul-Lukas Hoffschmidt, Founder and CEO of Alpha Sophia. Paul created Alpha Sophia to get to the heart of data needed for young medtech and digital health startups to scale rapidly and well, without the exorbitant cost burden of others. Paul is also an experienced angel investor with multiple investments in new innovations.This data-packed episode is full of insightful and thought-provoking discussions about healthcare data, how to use it to determine target markets, including early adopter physicians, healthcare facilities such as hospitals inpatient and outpatient, ambulatory surgery centers, and others. I highly recommend giving it a listen or watch and joining the conversation online!

Welcome to the Message Engineer Show with your host, Maureen Shaffer.In this episode of the Message Engineer Podcast for medtech startups, we have a fascinating conversation with Jeremy Nagel, the CEO of FocusBear. As a neurodivergent software developer turned startup founder, Jeremy brings a unique perspective to the world of entrepreneurship. He successfully sold his prior startup, Smooth Messenger, to MessageMedia in 2022 and now serves as a product manager at MessageMedia. Join us as we dive deep into Jeremy's latest venture, FocusBear, an innovative productivity and work-life balance app specifically designed for individuals with ADHD. We explore the challenges of founding companies, the intricacies of raising funds, and the importance of properly understanding and connecting with neurodivergent audiences. As a medical device startup, it's crucial to grasp the nuances of messaging neurodivergent individuals, and Jeremy sheds light on what is often missed in this respect. Gain valuable insights into the world of ADHD, and discover how FocusBear is transforming the lives of those with this condition. Don't miss this engaging and informative interview with Jeremy Nagel, the visionary CEO of FocusBear, as we unravel the secrets to effective communication with neurodivergent audiences. Tune in now!#neurodivergent #interview #CEO #FocusBear #messaging #audience #JeremyNagel #community #neurodiversity #communication #interviewseries #insightful #awareness #conversation #neurology #inclusion #diversityandinclusion #neuroscience #autismacceptance #mentalhealth___________________Exit the messaging struggle bus! Medical device messaging is challenging and complex. On the Message Engineer Show we dissect best practices for messaging in the ever-changing health care field from prominent CEOs and influencers who have a word or two to say about what makes for GREAT messaging. Jump on the express lane to the best engineered messages and follow along! We engineer clear, compelling, and competitive messages to drive successful fundraising (seed, Series A, Series B) and grow revenue for medical device, health tech, and medtech startups. ☎️ Get 1:1 Advice https://calendly.com/maureenshaffer

In this episode of the Message Engineer podcast, host Maureen Shaffer, CEO, Mingletoe, shares a deeply helpful how-to-fundraise conversation with growth investor, Lenard Marcus, who specializes in health IT and enterprise software. Lenard Marcus is currently a General Partner with Edison Partners, an award-winning growth investment firm, making it onto GrowthCap's short list of best growth investment firms for the second year in a row. Lenard co-leads Enterprise Software team where he focuses on healthcare IT and cybersecurity and works with Gregg Michaelson on the Healthcare IT team. Lenard also serves on the board of Capital Rx a 2.0 PBM and VirtualHealth, a cloud-based care management platform. Lenard earned his IE degree at Stanford and his MBA at Columbia.

Conflict Zones and Corporate Teams: Insights from former Special Forces Officer, Sal FilardiIn this episode of the Message Engineer podcast, host Maureen Shaffer, CEO, Mingletoe, shares her insightful conversation with former US Army Special Forces officer (Green Beret), Sal Filardi. Sal Filardi is a Communications Consultant, Pinnacle Leadership Coach, and FirstTee Youth Mentor and Golf Coach. Sal is also a proud father & veteran. Sal discusses his work in conflict zones worldwide, and how he draws on that experience to help corporate teams better communicate and work together. This episode offers valuable insights for anyone looking to take their organization to the next level and build a lasting, successful company. Tune in and join us for an informative and engaging conversation. He speaks to us from his home in North Carolina.

In this episode of the Message Engineer podcast, host Maureen Shaffer, CEO, Mingletoe, shares her insightful conversation with healthcare expert, JB Muñoz, MD. Dr. Muñoz is  currently a Visiting Fellow at MedTechVets and Director, Network Development at Pearl Health. Dr. Muñoz was previously a Medical Director and Surgical Intensivist at the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD).We dive deep into the world of healthcare and discuss important topics that affect us all. Here are three takeaways:1.     The importance of thinking and acting holistically at the societal level. To move from volume to value in health care, Dr. Muñoz emphasizes the need to think across sectors and to have a broader view of the world to move the big mothership that is healthcare.2.     How to align health care incentives for prevention. Dr. Muñoz describes an example of internists purchasing air conditioners during a heatwave for seniors to prevent heat-related medical issues–a win for patients, for medical providers, and for payers.3.     The startup culture and how to transition from military life. We discuss the cultural values of a healthcare startup called Pearl Health, which has "anything is possible" as its number one value and MedTechVets which helps veterans transition into medtech, medical devices, and pharma.Overall, this episode is full of insightful and thought-provoking discussions about healthcare–check out the topics below. I highly recommend giving it a listen or watch and joining the conversation online!

In this episode of the Message Engineer podcast, host Maureen Shaffer, CEO, Mingletoe, interviews Andrea Wilson Woods, an award-winning author, passionate patient advocate, and founder of a liver cancer nonprofit. During the podcast, Maureen asked Andrea to define the word “patient advocate.” Andrea explained that an advocate is “fighting for what you want, a cause or a belief.” For patient advocates, this means fighting for what the patient wants and educating them about all of their choices. Andrea noted that when you get a serious diagnosis, you don't always realize that you have options. They discuss the role of patient advocacy in the medical industry and the importance of educating patients on their options when facing a serious diagnosis.Andrea shares her personal experience with her younger sister's battle with liver cancer and how it inspired her to found a nonprofit organization, Blue Faery. 

Jason Hanft, CEO at Defender Operations and Michael DiTullo, Chief Creative at Michael DiTullo and former designer of Nike, Converse, and Jordans joins Maureen Shaffer, CEO, Mingletoe, to chat about:·       3D Humans·       Why Guess?·       Cool Matters·       Frankenstein·       Looks Matter·       Naming Wins·       Marketing Test·       Naming Impact·       Easy Compliance·       New Airport Test·       Outcomes Design·       Amputation Wins?·       Celebrate Function·       Product is Marketing·       Compliance Challenge·       Keep Asking Questions·       DTCaregivers and Friends·       Reimbursement–If It Walks Like a Duck·       And much much more!Listen to hear for yourself! Watch to see!

Business Model Innovation with James Jordan | CEO, StraTactic + Professor, Carnegie MellonJames F. Jordan, a Distinguished Service Professor of Healthcare and Biotechnology Management and Senior Director of Healthcare and Biotechnology Programs at Carnegie Mellon University's Heinz College, and the CEO of StraTactic joins Maureen Shaffer, CEO, Mingletoe, to chat about:·       Brand Definition·       Citation Caution·       Goodbye Queue·       Clients–Not Patients·       Differentiation Vigor·       Amazon + Healthcare·       Precision vs. Personalized·       Drive Not-Sexy Outcomes·       Customer Investor Acquirer·       Why Teach Grandma to Text·       Win Health Care Consumerization·       And much much more!Listen to hear for yourself! Watch to see!

Nicky Billou, President + CEO, eCircle Academy; Author, Finish Line Thinking; and Podcaster, Thought Leader Revolution joins Maureen Shaffer, CEO, Mingletoe, to chat about entrepreneurship, messaging, and selling vs. serving. Nicky tells the truth on blast for struggling entrepreneurs and those who want to scale and continue to encounter obstacles. He also has a thriving Million Dollar Clinic business.

Nuances of Balance and Feedback with Christine Winoto, Executive Director, UCSF Rosenman Institute and Founding Partner at MedTech Venture Partners! Christine Winoto, Executive Director at UCSF Rosenman Institute and Founding Partner at MedTech Venture Partners joins Maureen Shaffer, CEO, Mingletoe, to chat about medtech, healthtech, and digital health startups. When I engaged Christine to help identify the common pitfalls for startups, she redirected the conversation to talk about how the UCSF Rosenman Institute meets people where they are with what they need. And connects the founders to relevant resources (people mostly) to meet their needs, whereas often times we want to prescribe a one-size-fits-all solution. Christine had such a nuanced and wise approach to offering advice, providing feedback, and choosing what to do next as a founder. She shared why it was important to be cautious of judging as an outsider and why what startups need and what they think they need may be differ. It was a remarkable and enlightening conversation that changed the way I approach feedback and providing guidance. Listen to hear for yourself! Watch to see!

Seth Bogner, CEO, HeartPoint Global joins Maureen Shaffer, CEO, Mingletoe, to chat about how to infuse social purpose and drive investor value in a cardiovascular medical device startup company. Seth also shared his thoughts on how 25 partnerships propel his company forward in challenging situations–from developing innovative and novel cardiac surgical solutions for developing countries to supply chain shortages, how to hire and retain the best global medtech talent across three continents, and why building a strong culture pays market dividends.

Healthcare Ecosystem–Times They Are A-Changin' with Fahad Rahman, CEO, Lumi Health! Fahad Rahman, CEO, Lumi Health, joins Maureen Shaffer, CEO, Mingletoe, to chat about the rapidly changing healthcare ecosystem for patients, providers, facilities, and especially for medtech startups. Fahad also shared his thoughts on how to think through referral patterns changes, hospital at home, and health equity.

Create Compliance Culture (and Improve Regulatory-Marketing Relationships) with Colleen Hittle, CEO, Proveritas Partners! Colleen Hittle, CEO, ProVeritas Partners, joins Maureen Shaffer, CEO, Mingletoe, to chat about the sometimes challenging relationship between marketing and regulatory / compliance / legal and how to solve for synergy. Colleen also shared her thoughts on common startup compliance mistakes and how medtech startups can be smarter upfront about risk management.

Start with the Exit in Mind POV–Startup Medtech Message with Jon H. Hoem! This week, your Message Engineer Podcast host, Maureen Shaffer (CEO of Mingletoe LLC), sits down sits down with Jon H. Hoem, CEO of Pacertool to discuss compressing timelines, when to start speaking with corporates (strategics), and why education and training is more important than marketing campaigns.

Pitching POV–Startup Medtech Message with Peter Vranes! This week, your Message Engineer Podcast host, Maureen Shaffer (CEO of Mingletoe LLC), sits down with Peter Vranes to discuss pitching to venture capital (VC), when marketing must begin at a medtech startup, and why messaging is both challenging and critically important.Listen/Watch NOW to hear key takeaways, including: Why relationships are far more important than pitch decksWhy 100 pitches are the goal in startup fundraisingWhy marketing must start Day OneThe power of one clear message across the customer continuum, and much more!Peter has more than 20 years of C-level experience and is currently CEO + Co-Founder at Nutromics. Nutromics is developing a “lab on a patch” to provide continuous diagnostic monitoring of drugs, proteins, and metabolites, with the vision of “a patch for every patient.” Their initial target is vancomycin to prevent adverse events, such as acute kidney injury, outside the narrow therapeutic window. At Nutromics, he and his COO and Co-Founder, Hitesh Mehta, have raised $20 million to date, including $14 million in Fall 2022. Prior to Nutromics, he was chief executive officer and founder of multiple startups in the cosmeceutical space, including Biocore whose product was distributed at 2,500 retail outlets before the company was successfully sold. LISTEN to the full episode on the Message Engineer Podcast everywhere! Including Apple Podcast, Audible,Spotify, Amazon Music (try “Alexa, play Message Engineer podcast”), and iHeartRadio.WATCH full video episode: https://www.youtube.com/@messageengineerFOLLOW Peter Vranes: https://www.linkedin.com/in/peter-vranes-085bb810/FOLLOW Maureen Shaffer: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maureenashaffer/______________________________

This week, your Message Engineer Podcast host, Maureen Shaffer (CEO of Mingletoe LLC), sits down with La Toya Sutton, JD, Senior Attorney at the National Advertising Division of the Better Business Bureau (BBB) National Programs to discuss claims and advertising for medical devices, healthcare, and consumers. La Toya Sutton, JD, shares compelling marketing and messaging insights that will drive future success in planning for and making marketing and health claims.Listen now to hear key takeaways, including: What constitutes a claim – including a discussion of emojisHow a founder speaking on the company's IG live may constitute product claimsWhy securing marketing claims is as important as securing intellectual property (IP)Why an attorney in advertising and claims law is an integral partner for your startupWhen the marketing landscape changes rapidly and there is unclear regulatory guidance, how to consider claims support, and much, much more!La Toya has 15 years of deep experience in claims and advertising law. She has counseled clients regarding the development, substantiation, approval, and defense of advertising claims, as well as compliance with Food and Drug Administration (FDA) labeling and marketing requirements. La Toya has worked on matters involving the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), U.S. Department of Agriculture, and other federal and state agencies. Previously, La Toya worked at Hogan & Hartson (now Hogan Lovells), post-Georgetown Law, as well as Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP and Baker & Hostetler LLP.Listen to the full episode on the Message Engineer Podcast everywhere!https://redcircle.com/shows/message-engineer-for-the-medical-device-startupWatch full video episode: https://youtu.be/OLxKvLYgCq0Follow La Toya Sutton: https://www.linkedin.com/in/la-toya-sutton-1476266/Follow Maureen Shaffer: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maureenashaffer/___________________________________________________________Welcome to the Message Engineer for the Medical Device Startup! We are focused on how to create clear, compelling, and competitive messages for the medtech and medical device startup to drive funding and revenue. We will be posting every week, so comment your questions and Subscribe/Follow!

Serial CEO POV–Startup Message with Joe DeVivo! This week, your Message Engineer Podcast host, Maureen Shaffer (CEO of Mingletoe LLC), sits down with Joe DeVivo to discuss medical devices, healthcare IT, and messaging. Joe DeVivo shares a multitude of marketing and messaging insights that will drive future success in health IT, and medical devices.Listen now to hear key takeaways, including: How to define “healthcare” todayWhy regulatory and compliance are necessaryThe moral compass at the intersection of information technology and medical devicesThe unique juxtaposition of medical devices and healthtechThe power of patients, aka healthcare consumers, and much, much more!Joe has more than 30 years in the medical device (#medtech) and healthcare IT (#healthIT) space. Most recently, Joe DeVivo was President of the hospital and health system business unit for Teladoc Health. Prior to Teladoc, he was chief executive officer of InTouch Health, which he sold to Teladoc Health for $600 million, consisting of approximately $150 million in cash and $450 million of Teladoc Health common stock in 2020. Prior to that, he served as president, chief executive officer, and director at Angiodynamics. Other leadership roles include global president of Smith & Nephew Orthopedics, as well as VP/GM at U.S. Surgical/Davis, a division of Tyco International's Healthcare Business.Active in industry leadership as well as philanthropy, Mr. DeVivo is a member of the board of AdvaMed, American Telemedicine Association, and St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital, raising over $1,000,000 for the benefit of the Hospital.Listen to the full episode on the Message Engineer Podcast everywhere!Watch full video episode: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGhobfgJvoXc3Ex9R6oVFBAFollow Maureen Shaffer: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maureenashaffer/Follow Joe DeVivo: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joe-devivo/  ______________________________

DescriptionHumanization of Messaging–Consumer Health POV with Mark Prince #messageengineer! This week, your Message Engineer Podcast host, Maureen Shaffer (CEO of Mingletoe LLC), sits down with Mark Prince. Mark has more than 20 years in the consumer retail and healthtech space, He was most recently CEO of Qardio, a remote patient monitoring company with a consumer devices business unit. Before that, Mark was the Vice President Consumer Business at Withings, a pioneer in consumer connected health products segment, and previous to that, Head of Retail for Nokia Health. In earlier days, one of his favorite projects was selling Nerf-branded protective covers to the Apple store.Mark Prince shares a multitude of marketing and messaging insights that will drive future success in consumer health, healthtech, and medical devices.Listen now to hear key takeaways, including: How B2C needs to think in terms of “superpowers”Human Enablement vs. Business Model EnablementWhy “consumerization of healthcare” is the wrong termHow medical device marketing needs to think about market segmentationThe power of brands and much, much more!Listen to the full episode on the Message Engineer Podcast everywhere!Watch full video episode: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGhobfgJvoXc3Ex9R6oVFBAFollow Maureen Shaffer: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maureenashaffer/Follow Mark Prince: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maprince/  

Startup Messaging – Cardiologist POV! This week, your Message Engineer Podcast host, Maureen Shaffer (CEO of Mingletoe LLC), sits down with David Lee Scher, MD, who has been a cardiologist for 30 years. Dr. Scher is the former 20-year Director of Electrophysiology at the University of Pittsburgh Medical and presently at Lancaster General Health/Penn Medicine. He has served on executive committees for the Pennsylvania Chapter of the American College of Cardiology (ACC), cardiology representative for a Medicare Carrier Advisory Board, and IT Committee of the Heart Rhythm Society (HRS) as well as serving as Chair of the HIMSS mHealth Roadmap Task Force.Dr. Scher shares myriad insights spanning brand awareness, Artificial Intelligence, remote monitoring, home health care services, and more. Tune in to hear key takeaways, including: The role social media plays in awareness as well as marketing and salesShifting the narrative from “time is money” to “time is sanity” to prevent burnoutArtificial Intelligence (AI) and its potential in discharge planning and with payersThe value of expanding remote patient monitoring to include environmental monitoring & much, much more!Listen to the full episode on the Message Engineer Podcast everywhere!Watch full video episode: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGhobfgJvoXc3Ex9R6oVFBA  Follow Maureen Shaffer: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maureenashaffer       Follow David Lee Scher, MD, FACP, FACC, FHRS, FESC: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidleescher and on Twitter at @dlschermd______________________________More... on David Lee Scher, MDDr. Scher was a pioneer in digital health technology as the first physician in private practice to perform remote monitoring of implantable defibrillators as a clinical investigator in 2000 as well as the integration of that data into an electronic health record. He chaired the Blue-Ribbon Panel of Happtique which developed standards for its certification program of health and medical apps in 2012.  Scher has served as a consultant to many medical device and digital health technology companies. His breadth of clinical and consulting experiences gives him a unique perspective on the developing landscape in the digital health tech industry.  Scher has been featured in national and international print as well as online sites providing education and advice about mobile and other digital health technologies. His internationally awarded blog The Digital Health Corner is a comprehensive primer of digital health landscape, strategy, and advocacy.  Scher lectures nationally and internationally to professional and public audiences on the topic of digital health technologies, which, because of constraints of healthcare systems worldwide, will become a critical aspect of preventive, diagnostic, and therapeutic medicine. Developing strategies for mobile health is an imperative for which Scher is proud to advocate. 

Join Rich Walsh, CEO of CorVent Medical, and lifelong medical device regulatory guru along with host Maureen Shaffer, CEO of Mingletoe, to learn the Sales Point of View (POV) on medical device marketing and messaging.Learn key tips and techniques for high-level sales and marketing organizations from Rich's time at US Surgical and Acclarent and what's important todayLearn about critical collaboration amongst training and education, the field sales force and marketing around messagingLearn how to think about success and failure as well as Rich's favorite place on earthKey Takeaways"In marketing, it's critical they're great listeners. If they're great listeners and they capture and they hang on every word of the customer, both the internal customers within the organization and the external customers out in the field, at the hospitals, at the doctor's office, at the clinics, that's really critical that they understand and they capture every little nuance of what the customer's trying to tell you.""What are some of the activities that characterize high-level medical device marketing organizations?""The marketing team at US Surgical was always in the field. They spent a lot of time in the field. That organization always bring the salespeople in. They did a lot of focus groups where the salespeople really owned the customers and introduced them to the marketing people and then collaboratively worked with the customer.”Link to Full Video Episodes:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGhobfgJvoXc3Ex9R6oVFBALink to Rich Walsh: https://www.linkedin.com/in/richardswalsh/Link to Maureen Shaffer: linkedin.com/in/maureenashaffer

Join Marianne Jacklyn, CEO of Traxn Consulting, and lifelong medical device regulatory guru along with host Maureen Shaffer, CEO of Mingletoe, to learn the Regulatory point of view (POV) on marketing and messaging.Learn how marketing can work more efficiently with regulatory in medtechLearn why messaging earlier in the development process is critical for medical device startup organizations' successLearn how regulatory uses messaging and why cross-organizational consistency is importantKey Takeaways"Messaging often involves claims. So you want to make sure that you're collecting the right data to support the message you want to say and to make sure you can make the claim you want to claim. Even something as simple as the description of the device in a regulatory submission can help you later with the way you want to position it and the way you want to talk about it in the market.""What are some of the challenges that you've experienced or run into during your time in regulatory and dealing with, you know, labeling and advertising?"Having people talk to each other too late in the process is probably one of the biggest issues, because I think there's a misunderstanding about the impact messaging may have. Well, specifically for regulatory, but I think it carries over to other functional areas as well. But, for example, understanding the message can affect your regulatory strategy, and a lot of it crosses over into. And I know a little bit about your process, I haven't worked through it. I haven't had that pleasure, but understanding your customer, understanding your product, understanding how you fit in to the bigger picture, all of that is important for your message, but it's also really important for your regulatory strategy and for your design for that matter. I mean, it's kind of elementary to having a successful product."Link to Full Video Episodes: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGhobfgJvoXc3Ex9R6oVFBALink to Marianne Jacklyn: linkedin.com/in/marianne-jacklyn-she-her-4257911Link to Maureen Shaffer: linkedin.com/in/maureenashaffer

This week, your Message Engineer Podcast host, Maureen Shaffer (CEO of Mingletoe LLC), sits down with one of her client's summer interns to discuss how to kickoff their social media. Maureen Shaffer shares compelling insights into how to make that first step into social and lay the groundwork for future success as a cash-burning medical device startup.Listen now to hear key takeaways, including: Which social media platform?How often to post on social media?How to start from scratch on LinkedIn?A personal tour through Maureen's top social platformAnd tips and hacks for how to sell this internally!Maureen has 30+ years of deep experience in medical devices and has helped her medtech startup clients to build, grow, and scale since 2012. She has been a three times Vice President of Marketing on the corporate side, has led reimbursement and clinical education, and loves sharing all the knowledge with startups. Maureen Shaffer is also an advisor and partner with the Rosenman Institute at UCSF.Listen to the full episode on the Message Engineer Podcast everywhere!https://redcircle.com/shows/message-engineer-for-the-medical-device-startupWatch full video episode: https://youtu.be/3Hx66jON_CkFollow Maureen Shaffer: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maureenashaffer/