You can usually tell pretty quickly whether a founder understands how hospitals actually get paid. Ask what happens to a hospital's margin the first time it uses your device. If the answer starts with the price of the device, they're probably missing the bigger picture. If it starts with the Medicare DRG, they've at least done the work. Most haven't. That distinction matters because the economics of a new technology are not determined by what the hospital pays you. They're de

You Built the Device. Now What? Let me paint you a picture. A brilliant founder spends three, four, sometimes seven years developing a medical device. They run studies. They survive the FDA process. They get the 510(k). They pop the champagne. Then they walk into a hospital and get absolutely nowhere. Not because the device doesn’t work. It works great. Not because there’s no clinical need. The need is obvious. But because FDA clearance and hospital adoption are two entirely