How to Iterate Faster in Medtech
For startups and established companies alike, every iteration means more time, more money, and higher risk. Yet any seasoned medtech leader will tell you that iterative design isn’t optional — it’s what separates successful devices from costly failures.
Know when "good enough" is good enough: Get out of the lab and into the real world. The sooner your device reaches clinicians and real patients, the faster you’ll learn what works, what doesn’t, and how to make it better — before time and funding run out.
Manage your attention: Don’t try to perfect every feature from day one. Focus on the one critical innovation that sets your device apart and proves it works— then put your energy there. At the same time, keep development moving efficiently, encourage real-time collaboration, and prioritize high-impact tasks.
Build a team that owns the key functions: Be selective when hiring — don’t get seduced by name-brand agencies or expensive consultants.
Balance stakeholder demands: Prioritize ruthlessly. Be ready to say “no” to things every day that don’t align with what you’re working on.
Move forward, even without perfect data: Don’t wait for perfect information. Instead, make decisions with 40-70% of what you know and keep moving.
Don’t Chase Perfection and Stunt Your Progress
Eric Goslau, co-founder and CEO of Transverse Medical, brings nearly three decades of medtech experience spanning sales, marketing, product development, and entrepreneurship. His company’s flagship product, Point Guard Cerebral Embolic Protection Device, shields the brain from stroke-causing debris during procedures like TAVR and, unlike its predecessors, protects all major vessels supplying blood to the brain.
Transverse brought on Dr. Ian Meredith, former Chief Medical Officer at Boston Scientific, as a board director. Dr. Meredith helped launch a similar product — Claret Medical’s Sentinel device. While he recognizes its strengths, Dr. Meredith believes Point Guard tackles key gaps Sentinel does not, like broader vessel protection. This expert validation stems from Eric's commitment to real-world clinical insights.
Eric sees a clear difference between engineers who spend time with customers in the field and those who stay in the lab. Observing doctors, nurses, and technicians reveals how devices are actually used, not just how they were designed to be used. That’s why his first advice is to get out of the office and lab early and often. Sit in on procedures, watch how clinicians interact with the device, and listen to their feedback. This is how you understand the “nuances that physicians or other folks work through on the front lines when using your device,” says Eric.
Bridging the gap between lab conditions and real-world use means fewer surprises down the line.
Being in the trenches also helps with identifying when a device is "good enough." Perfectionism slows you down, and in medtech, time is money. Eric notes that the temptation to keep tweaking your device to make it a little better is hard to resist. “But realizing that it's probably good enough to go for it as is — that’s a hard art.” What you need is a solid, testable version, because “you'll never know until you put it in a human.” Excessive refinement can exhaust your startup runway before reaching crucial milestones.
Every iteration cycle takes time, and if you don’t move fast, you’ll burn through cash before reaching the finish line. Eric puts it bluntly: “At the end of the day, time is money. If you don't have any money, you're going to run out of time real quick.” That’s why the faster you can test, learn, and refine, the better. That is why getting into human trials as soon as possible is critical — lab tests will only take you so far.
For example, Point Guard seemed great in flow models and simulations, even after extensive testing in 26 animal studies. But once the team got it into humans, they saw important parameters that needed refinement — insights impossible to capture in the lab.
Eric’s iteration framework is straightforward: First, get close to your users for insights that can’t be found in the lab. Second, know when to stop refining. Third, move into human trials as soon as possible, because simulations and lab tests can only tell you so much.
Focus on What Matters — Resist the Bells and Whistles Early On
Sava co-founders Rafaël Michali and Renato Circi, both recognized on Forbes’ 30 Under 30 list as some of Europe's most promising innovators, have spent more than a decade developing wearable biosensing technology for preventive health.
Sava’s platform can non-invasively monitor molecules beneath the skin in real-time. It initially targets diabetes management, with plans to expand into monitoring a broader range of health-related metrics, like ketones and cholesterol.
“It’s very tempting to optimize every single part of the product from day one,” says Renato. But that’s a mistake. Not every component needs to be perfect to prove your idea works. Instead, figure out the one scientific breakthrough that sets your product apart and put all your effort into proving that.
“Often, what you need to demonstrate isn’t the whole product — it’s one critical step that gives people confidence in your idea,” he explains. In other words, resist the urge to build a polished app with flashy features early on. Instead, ask yourself: What is the fundamental innovation that makes your product different?
Today, the Sava team has grown to over 40 people, and the co-founders swear by the power of close collaboration. In medtech, it’s common for scientists, engineers and material specialists to operate in silos. Sava did the opposite — and brought everyone under one roof. “Instead of waiting days to get answers or approvals, we just go upstairs or downstairs and solve it on the spot. It closes the iteration loop,” says Rafaël.
Take their advice to foster real-time collaboration however you can. This could mean co-locating teams, improving communication channels, or setting up processes that eliminate bottlenecks.
While staying focused, you also need to be resourceful. “Ask for help, leverage existing resources, and look beyond obvious funding avenues,” Renato advises. A CEO’s job is to seek out opportunities — through research partnerships, government grants, or leveraging investors’ networks for expertise.
Finally, iterating quickly isn't just about moving the science fast. Renato advises, “Constantly refine what the key milestones are.” Work on high-priority tasks and tackle the riskiest elements first. That means engaging early with customers, investors, and potential hires to gain feedback, and continuously adjusting priorities for regulatory approval, clinical validation, and commercialization.
Hire Smart, Not Big
Konrad Morzkowski initially set out to build AI tools for healthcare but changed course after meeting a team of scientists while pursuing his MS at Stanford. Together, they founded WearLinq to develop consumer-friendly digital healthcare solutions, starting with EKG monitoring.
WearLinq’s strength lies not just in the team’s expertise, but in the clear ownership each founder takes over their domain. “We split responsibilities as much as possible,” says Konrad. They divide responsibilities — software , hardware, supply chain, clinical validation, and regulatory strategies — so they can work in parallel as opposed to sequentially. “Even from the beginning, Yuxin was in Singapore, close to our manufacturing partners. He could go and get things done on-site,” Konrad recalls.
When each founder takes full ownership of a critical function, the team hits a sweet spot for progress. The same principle applies to hiring the right people.
Instead of defaulting to well-known agencies or expensive consultants, Konrad suggests finding someone who understands your specific problem, whether a niche engineer, regulatory expert, or clinical lead.
Being at Stanford gave Konrad and his team access to valuable startup resources, including venture studios, investor networks, and experienced mentors. “I literally knew no one when I came to the U.S., but connecting with people who had already been through this saved us time and helped us avoid mistakes,” he reflects.
Even without a Stanford network, the principle holds: find networks, incubators, and communities that can open doors. Whether through LinkedIn, industry events, accelerators, or government programs like SBIR grants, tap into available resources. Connections are helpful, but don’t stop there. Consider unconventional approaches when traditional paths don't deliver results.
Konrad discovered this firsthand when seeking study participants: “I tried recruiting study participants through a big health system in San Francisco — no good response. Just crickets. But then we put out an ad on Craigslist, offered Amazon gift cards, and it worked super well.” This practical approach saved time and money while delivering better results than working through formal institutions.
That same scrappy thinking carried over to the development process.
Due to the extended time frames, prioritizing and parallel processing are essential in medtech. “When developing regulated hardware, we locked down the design as soon as possible, then built everything else around it in parallel,” says Konrad. His advice: identify the slowest-moving part of your process and build around it. If hardware testing takes months, start working on software, marketing, and clinical strategy while waiting. If regulatory approvals are slow, engage with regulators early.
In short: build a team where everyone owns a core function. Hire smart, not big. Stay scrappy. And above all, work around roadblocks instead of waiting for them to clear.
Move Fast and Build a Strong Foundation As You Go
Beth Rogozinski started in digital media and product development, helping develop Final Cut (later sold to Apple) and leading Pear Therapeutics’ FDA-cleared digital therapeutic.
Now, as the CEO of Oncoustics, Beth is applying machine learning to ultrasound technology. Oncoustics’ platform analyzes raw ultrasound data to create tissue acoustic biomarkers, providing low-cost, non-invasive solutions for early disease detection.
Beth knows that building great technology is only half the job when bringing a medical device to market. Founders must also align with doctors, regulators, and payers. “You’ve got to have all of these horses moving at the same pace as you're developing your technology,” she says. That’s why she went directly to clinicians, asking, “What do you need? What do you want to know about your patient’s liver?”
They built what doctors wanted — but the FDA said, "That’s great, but that’s a de novo." It was a wake-up call. What doctors want isn’t always what regulators approve, and what regulators approve isn’t always reimbursed. Beth has seen too many startups win FDA clearance but fail commercially without payer buy-in.
“I always tease my team that our key to success is that we wake up every day and decide what not to do,” she says. Oncoustics’ AI technology has broad potential, but the team chose to focus on liver disease first — moving faster and building a strong foundation before expanding.
One battle Beth deemed worthy of focusing their efforts on was collecting their own datasets. Most AI models in healthcare rely on existing datasets, but over 99% of raw ultrasound signal data is discarded before it even reaches doctors. This was a major bottleneck — so the team rolled up their sleeves.
They launched IRB-approved, GCP-compliant studies and spent years prospectively collecting the largest known dataset of raw ultrasound signals and cine video clips. It was a major upfront lift — but it accelerated iteration cycles.
With their own dataset, they can iterate faster than competitors who rely on public data or pausing development to gather more.
For AI-driven companies, if the right data doesn't exist, collecting it yourself might seem slower — but it pays off exponentially in speed and performance later.
Do As Much As You Can With In-House Resources
Front Line Medical Technologies co-founders Dr. Asha Parekh, a biomedical engineer, and Dr. Adam Power, a vascular surgeon, are tackling one of the biggest challenges in trauma care: severe bleeding.
Their company developed COBRA-OS (Control of Bleeding, Resuscitation, Arterial Occlusion System) — the world’s smallest aortic occlusion device, designed to temporarily block blood flow and sustain vital organ perfusion until definitive treatment is available.
After years of refinement, COBRA-OS is now commercially available in Canada and Europe, with global expansion underway. Beyond trauma cases, the device has also proven valuable in military medicine, postpartum hemorrhage, and pre-hospital emergency care.
In trauma surgery, waiting for perfect information can cost lives. That same mindset applies to developing in medtech. “You can’t make a decision with 0% of the information, but you also can’t wait until you have 100%,” says Asha. “You have to move within that 40-70% range.”
As a practicing surgeon, Adam naturally leans toward quicker decisions, acting on 40% of the information. As an engineer, Asha prefers waiting until she’s closer to 70% certainty. “We balance each other out,” she explains.
One of the biggest challenges for medtech startups is getting meaningful clinical feedback early in development. Many struggle to gather insights quickly, which slows down iteration. “We had an internal clinical person from day one, and that was a game-changer,” says Asha. “Not everyone has that luxury, but for us, it meant we could move a lot faster.” Rather than guessing what clinicians wanted, they went directly to frontline doctors and asked questions like “What do you need in a trauma setting?”, “What’s most important to you when using a device like this?”, and “How does this fit into your workflow?”
These insights shaped their product roadmap and helped them avoid unnecessary detours. But for Asha and Adam, staying hands-on was also important. They didn’t just outsource regulatory, quality, and clinical trials, they also learned the process themselves. “We were involved in every single step of the way,” Adam says. “It’s not that we pretended to be experts in everything, but we did our own homework. Don’t trust anyone — do your own research.”
This hands-on approach gave them control over their timelines, reduced miscommunication, and sped up decision-making.
To maintain such control over your venture, it’s also important to keep your board lean. Each external partner adds complexity, costs, and delays. Asha and Adam learned that the fewer partners they worked with, the faster and cheaper things moved.
For early-stage startups, this means keeping your team tight and not outsourcing too early, avoiding over-reliance on external firms, and only bringing in external experts when absolutely necessary.