Episode 9: Bouldering & Biomedical Entrepreneurship | John Criscione

Dr. John Criscione is a professor of Biomedical Engineering at Texas A&M University who trains medical device engineers while simultaneously inventing, testing, and commercializing medical technologies. Dr. Criscione has been serving in this capacity for over 20 years and also serves as the CTO for CorInnova, a biomedical technology company focused on addressing Acute Heart Failure.

During our conversation, he discusses:

• The importance of disagreement for innovation

• Translating inventions into marketable products

• The challenges of new technologies and indications in medical devices

• The pivotal role of angel investors in technology development

• Navigating the 'valley of death' in medical technology commercialization

• The specific difficulties of pediatric medical devices

• Partnering for commercialization versus solo invention

• The role and impact of the Southwest Pediatric Device Consortium

Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube.

What We Cover:

• 00:00 The Nature of Innovation

• 04:08 John’s Journey into Biomedical Engineering

• 06:09 Challenges in Medical Technology

• 10:47 The Valley of Death in Medical Innovation

• 13:57 Funding and Investment Challenges

• 15:12 CorInnova's Inception and Early Years

• 20:51 The Double Whammy of New Technologies

• 25:59 The Role of Angel Investors

• 28:33 The Burdens of Innovation

• 35:52 Challenges in Pediatric Medical Devices

• 40:20 Key Questions for Pediatric Device Investment

Connect with Dr. Criscione:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-criscione-6a56833/

• Website: https://engineering.tamu.edu/biomedical/index.html

• Website: https://swpdc.org/

• Website: https://www.corinnova.com/

Connect with Andrew

• Newsletter: https://thediligentobserver.substack.com

• X: https://twitter.com/AKazlow

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewkazlow/

• Book: https://angelops.pitchfact.com/

• Website: https://pitchfact.com/

Stuff We Reference

• Texas A&M University: https://www.tamu.edu/index.html

• Boulder Grading: https://www.99boulders.com/bouldering-grades

• The Ozarks: https://mostateparks.com/page/57896/lake-ozarks-region

• Johns Hopkins University: https://www.jhu.edu/

• Aggie Angel Network: https://mcferrin.tamu.edu/program/aggie-angel-network/

• William Altman: https://www.linkedin.com/in/williamcaltman/

• Harvard University: https://www.harvard.edu/

• McKinsey: https://www.mckinsey.com/

• Houston Angel Network: https://www.houstonangelnetwork.org/

• National Institutes of Health (NIH): https://www.nih.gov/

• SBIR: https://www.sbir.gov/

• American Heart Assocation: https://www.heart.org/

• American Cancer Society: https://www.cancer.org/

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All opinions expressed are personal and may not reflect the views of the individual’s organization or of The Diligent Observer. Not investment advice.