The Device Industry's Training Ground

Are successful medical device start-ups born or made? It's not clear, but Stanford University's Emerging Entrepreneur program is attempting to incorporate the experience of successful start-ups in a hnew learning program.

If founding and running a successful medical device start-up were simply a matter of marrying lots of money to great technology, there’d be many more successful device start-ups than there are. But as anyone who has ever tried to take a device company from concept to commercial success can tell you, even the most compelling technology ideas and most resolute financial backers face innumerable challenges on the path to widespread adoption.

In fact, of all the factors that go into a successful company, perhaps the most underrated, and elusive, is experience—the insight and wisdom to work through problems gained by having...

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