Revolutionizing Dialysis Care: From Johns Hopkins to TIME's Best Inventions with David Narrow

The Medtech Innovation Podcast

F Javier Perez from MedTech Digest and I are joined by David Narrow, Co-founder and CEO of Sonavex, where we explore the journey of building innovative medical devices, navigating regulatory approvals, and transforming dialysis care.

In this episode, we break down:

The Journey from Academia to MedTech Entrepreneurship
→ Spinning technology out of Johns Hopkins University
→ Building the right team and securing early validation
→ Transitioning from biomedical engineering to business leadership

Revolutionizing Dialysis Care with AI-Enabled Ultrasound
→ Understanding the critical need for better vascular access
→ How EchoMark and EchoSure work together to improve outcomes
→ Reducing catheter dependency from 7 months to weeks

Navigating CPT Codes and Reimbursement
→ Starting the process at the right time with clinical trials
→ Building relationships with specialty societies
→ Understanding the non-meritocratic nature of coding approval

Securing $24M in Funding During Tough Market Conditions
→ Working backwards from potential exits
→ Building comprehensive data rooms and economic models
→ Maintaining relationships with investors through milestones

Platform Technology and Future Applications
→ Expanding beyond initial use cases
→ Development of needle guidance technology
→ Leveraging grants for new product development

Best Quotes:

"It's not about how much you know, but how well you can apply, test, and iterate on that knowledge in the real world."

"What blew my mind was that 1% of the entire federal government budget is spent on dialysis care."

"An organized oligopoly is essentially a monopoly."

"First dollars are way harder than last dollars. Getting to the 50-yard line on your fundraising opens up all sorts of opportunities."

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FIND SPENCER JONES ON SOCIAL LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/spencer-jones-... XO Medtech LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/xo-medtech

FIND DAVID NARROW ON SOCIAL LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-narrow Sonavex LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sonavex Sonavex: www.sonavex.com

FIND F. JAVIER PEREZ ON SOCIAL
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/francisco-javier-perez-cfa
MedTech Digest: https://themedtechdigest.com/

Episode Timestamps:
0:00 - Introduction to F. Javier Perez
3:45 - The Academic to Entrepreneur Journey
6:00 - Understanding the Dialysis Market
12:45 - Navigating CPT Codes and Reimbursement
14:45 - Fundraising Strategy and Market Access
24:20 - Study Details
31:32 - Future Applications and Pipeline Development