The Trade Group Looking Out for the MedTech Community

Tyler Kern  0:03  
Welcome to the sunrise podcast

powered by sunrise labs.

Hello, and welcome to the sunrise podcast presented by sunrise labs. I’m your host today Tyler Cowen and joining me is Brian Johnson. He’s the president of mass medic, that stands for Massachusetts Medical Device Industry Council. The mass medic is obviously much easier to say. So Brian, thank you so much for joining me today.

Brian Johnson  0:24  
Thank you, Tyler. I’m really happy to be here.

Tyler Kern  0:26  
Absolutely. Note, mass medic is the largest regional med tech Association in the United States with over 300 members representing manufacturers, product developers, suppliers, research centers, research institutions, and academic health centers. And so a big organization. Brian, let’s just kind of start by talking about what mathematics mission is what what is the mission for mathematic?

Brian Johnson  0:49  
Well, I mean, in its simplest terms, we help maintain a healthy ecosystem for medical device, innovators, medical technology innovators, so we tried to make sure that the environment that people are operating in is, you know, as clean as can be. And I mean, I mean that in a couple different respects. So companies can that need each other to help develop technologies can find each other, we make sure that the folks in government understand the particular interests and needs of this community because we are a little bit different. We’re a highly regulated industry. So we always working with our government partners, to make sure that patients get the best care that they can get from our our technologists. And we also try to connect people, you know, I mean, all all innovation journeys, start with people. So we make sure that people who want to change the world can can find the resources and the partners and that they need. So, you know, we have a lot of different sort of ways to say that, but I think you know, that’s how I like to think about it in a more conceptual stance sense is that we just help make sure that the ecosystem for innovation in medicine is healthy.

Tyler Kern  2:02  
Absolutely. You mentioned community, there are a couple of times and just kind of having this group this ecosystem, what are some ways that you as an organization go about fostering community amongst some of these companies?

Brian Johnson  2:13  
Yeah, I mean, it. So you know, community is a really important thing to me, you know, I think of community as a group of people with a shared purpose, a shared set of ideals. And, you know, the people in this community all have the mission of creating life changing technology, that is used by patients, all across the globe. So really, what we try to do is make sure that those people can find each other, you know, through, you know, like, it’s a great, it’s a great time to be in this business, there’s so many tools you can use to connect people, you can use LinkedIn, you can use, you know, other software platforms, social media, you can easily create events as small as you know, five to 10 people to 200 to 300 400 people. So, you know, we do a lot of things where we try to create meetups, we create educational events, we create in person signature events, like our mass medic annual dinner, gala, our women in med tech leadership and networking forum, our innovation salons, we try to create a lot of buzz that way, we also have webinars, and then we do a lot, frankly, of one on one people coming to us and saying, you know, especially, you know, small companies, single person founders coming to us saying, you know, how do we get this, you know, how do we, you know, achieve our goals. And, you know, we do take our time out, because a part of our mission is fostering innovation. So, we both, you know, I do both do a lot of connecting with small company founders, but also through our ignite program, which is our, our, our startup program, where we take 1516 startups and really lead them three years long curriculum of educational boot camps, connecting opportunities, mentoring with leaders in the space. So you know, we do a, you know, we do it through a lot of different avenues, but we really, what we try to do is just continuously, you know, state the mission of our ecosystem, and that, you know, and our community and our community’s goals really are, you know, are very simple. We’re trying to make this world healthier through technology.

Tyler Kern  4:28  
Yeah, and I think it’s the it’s that stated goal, and that maybe that shared ambition by everybody. That’s part of the community that really gives it I suppose, a rallying point, right, that everybody has that shared goal. And so, so there’s kind of that built in support network almost.

Brian Johnson  4:43  
Yeah, I think that’s, I think that’s one of the things that I’ve always been attracted to with the health technology industry is you know, it’s very mission driven. It’s very much you know, your mission is very easily articulated and easily expressed. You know, you’re trying to make people better. And I think, you know, that’s, it’s, it makes, it makes it easy to follow a mantra that way, you know, you know, there are some industries where that might not be so, you know, the mission might not be so cut and dry or so dramatic. Sure. But you know, I love that about this industry that, you know, we really, we’re doing good. We’re changing people’s lives, we’re impacting generations of families, in many ways, you know, if you can keep, you know, grandma or grandpa alive for 20 more years, think of what that, you know, impact has on on a family generationally? You know, I think it’s, it’s really humbling to be a part of that.

Tyler Kern  5:41  
Yeah, absolutely. So you’ve mentioned just that there’s an innovation aspect to what you do. So when you look kind of over the next year or so what’s mathmatics main focus over the next 12 months?

Brian Johnson  5:54  
You know, we really, you know, we have some granular mission, stuff that we need to take care of, you know, there are still some, you know, I think some legislative hurdles, you know, there’s this thing called the medical device tax, which was enacted when the Affordable Care Act was created many years ago. It’s actually currently on suspension, but but it’s an excise tax on medical innovation. So we have to make sure to continuously push to make sure that that permanently is repealed, we have to continue to make sure that our companies are aware of changing regulatory environments, you know, it’s, it’s going to become more challenging in Europe, through some changes in the MDR program, so, you know, we have to make sure that our, our companies are aware and prepared for that Brexit can be, I think, is going to be a significant issue that we’re going to need to really pay close attention to, but you know, I think, you know, we’ve been pretty fortunate we’ve had a good run in, you know, in the industry here locally, we need to, you know, not sort of think that, that’s gonna just go on forever, without help and work. So we have some workforce issues that we have to continuously push for here, we have to help companies find talent, and we have to really push on the next generation of startups and help them, he prepared for the journey of trying to fund and build great companies of tomorrow. You know, you know, internally at Mass medic, you know, I took over this organization, officially, you know, last year, so I’m completing my first full year here on the job, we’re going to look to create a vision plan in 2020, which looks at the industry, here in Massachusetts, in New England for the next five years. So we’re gonna involve the community in that we’re going to continue to grow our ignite program, and then we’re going to continue to look for ways to really stimulate the community through our signature events. Because, you know, we have a lot of interest, it’s a really interesting space, you know, mass medic represents a big and very big companies, very small companies, we represent the pizza companies that are, you know, shipping out medical devices, with their brand name on it to companies that make the insides of medical devices, you know, companies like sunrise labs, you know, which which helped, you know, really played play a key role and, you know, building the brains and of a lot of these devices that go, you know, that. So that’s a sort of a, it’s a hub and spoke operation here in our ecosystem. So small companies, you know, it’s all very interconnected. So, you know, we, we have to, you know, always there’s always different issues that we have to make sure that we keep our eye on because, you know, we really are looking at, you know, from the very, very small companies to the very, very large companies. So, that’s a, you know, it’s a lot, a lot, a lot to keep track of,

Tyler Kern  9:00  
yeah, I wonder just with, with an organization, the size of yours, you know, with other over 300 members, how do you go about really sourcing different ideas for the future and ensuring that you kind of build a consensus for, hey, here are the steps, you know, that we need to take over the next five years to really get to where we want to go?

Brian Johnson  9:19  
Well, I mean, I think what we try to do is think very high level and say, you know, what, is this industry needed to be successful? And then how can we make sure that those areas are what we’re concentrating on? It’s, you know, you can’t with more in multiple hundreds of members, you can’t, you know, really think about just one member over the other. You have to really think of it on a large scale. And I think fortunately, you know, I’m pretty fortunate in that. I started my journey in med tech, as a publisher, so you know, I built around a publication called mass device, calm and all And some other offshoots from that particular conference called device talks. So I was I had for 10 years, I had a sort of a front row seat for every single thing that was going on in the industry. So, for me, it’s a little easier to understand the broad brush stuff. And, you know, we, you know, we try to anticipate the needs of our members, I think that’s the art of this. And then the science of it is, you know, you have to talk to your members, and you have to reach out to your members, and you have to make sure that they understand you’re here and you’re, you know, of, you know, you’re here to listen, you’re here to help. So we do do a lot of a lot of touching of our members through a lot of, you know, go to attend a lot of meetings, both our own meetings and other meetings and listen, you know, I mean, it’s, it’s, it’s fun in the end, it’s, it’s fun to kind of take all that information, synthesize and come up with big trends.

Tyler Kern  10:58  
Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely. So what are some of the challenges that just in the year that you’ve been in charge that you’ve been able to identify that you want to address moving forward? I think I heard you mentioned just that, that idea of fostering talent earlier, but what are some of the main things that have stood out to you?

Brian Johnson  11:15  
In terms of challenges?

Tyler Kern  11:16  
Yeah, yeah.

Brian Johnson  11:18  
So I mean, we, Massachusetts continues to be a really robust environment for investment in the space. But, you know, early stage investment is really still pretty slow. And startups need a lot of help, and they need a lot of help from, I think, parties that, you know, are not looking to directly benefit from their success. So I look at our ignite program, as a really important element to helping solve those needs. Because what we’re trying to do is give the founder an outlet where they can connect with other founders, so you don’t feel so lonely, where they can think about the full journey of their company beyond just I need to raise X amount of money. Because, you know, as a, as a founder, it’s, your journey is about way more than raising your a round. And I know that a lot of CEOs, especially the first time founder, CEOs, you know, that that can be the thing, they bang their head against the wall about, you know, most often, and what, you know, what, when I tried to tell them is, is luck in the money is going to come, you need to understand what you’re going to do with that money, how you’re going to go from zero to commercialization, you know, you need to think about the entire lifespan of this company, as a founder, not just thinking, not just pound your head against thinking about that, that that money, because the money will come. But you know, it’s really about how you’re going to execute, when you have that money. That’s gonna be the the difference between success and failure. And it’s really about, you know, does the founder, and the founding team have the skills they need to be successful as a team. So, you know, I mean, a lot of people don’t realize that most, you know, ventures fail because the founding team can’t execute, because they don’t really, they’re either flawed in their construction, or they don’t understand how to have hard conversations, or they’re, you know, homogeneously created in house. I mean, it’s, you know, you know, I could do this, and I’m your friend, and we like each other. So let’s work together, you know, like, that’s kind of can be a recipe for a real disaster. So, you know, I really look at that, I really look at that startup ecosystem as, as something we have to nurture. Because without it, we really, you know, it what is innovation without the people who are really pushing the boundaries, you know, innovation always comes from the ground up, it doesn’t come from the top down. So, you know, we have to continuously reinvest back into that into that part of our ecosystem. So, you know, I look at, I look at their challenges as our industry challenges, frankly.

Tyler Kern  14:17  
Yeah, it sounds like you have a real passion for the for the Ignite program. Is that one of the things that I guess gets you most fired up and that you’re most excited about? What about what you do?

Brian Johnson  14:27  
I guess so. You know, I, you know, I was a founding CEO of my last venture, I started it from scratch. I did the whole journey. Got the bruises and bumps to kind of prove it. And, you know, it was the hardest thing I’ve ever done besides Parenthood. But it was also the most rewarding thing I’ve ever done besides Parenthood. And I really feel proud intently about helping founders I think, you know, everybody has a personal mission, why they’re attracted to their job. And I just felt like, when I took this job, I said, you know, what a great opportunity this could be to help help people who were trying to do what, what I did. And, you know, I, you know, I really wanted to create that. So it’s my personal, personal mission to make sure that that ignite is a really important, impactful program. But, you know, I think I, sort of advocating for the entire ecosystem is really important to me. I really love I love medtech. I mean, I think it is a chronically under, you know, under appreciated technology sector. You know, if you think about all the innovations that have happened in medical device, medical technology, medical advances, I mean, it’s really astounding. I mean, it’s, it’s, it’s on par with the space program. You know, you know, if there’s no more hostile environment than the human body, and these people make technologies that live inside the human body. I mean, it’s pretty remarkable. We can, you know, we can do everything from, you know, I mean, you name it, we can do it in medical innovation, and I think people, because it has been such a reliable, reliable technology. I think often, it’s created by engineers, who are, I think, chronically undersell their impact? I think the industry really, you know, my other mission is to make sure that people understand the incredible things that this industry is doing every day.

Tyler Kern  16:49  
Yeah, sometimes, industries and the people that kind of work in them and working behind the scenes on some of this technology, are so focused on the mission and so focused on helping people that often there’s not like an end zone celebration dance, almost to kind of show the world Hey, like, look at what we’ve accomplished. And so sometimes you almost have to be that mouthpiece, right to say, hey, look like what’s being done in this industry is actually really incredible. And it’s not getting the credit that maybe it deserves.

Brian Johnson  17:15  
Yeah, well, I mean, you’re right. And I think it’s probably a good thing that they don’t celebrate. Probably, they probably wouldn’t continuously push the envelope. But, you know, somebody from the outsides got to say, hey, look at this incredible things that you guys are doing, and why aren’t we celebrating that? And, you know, I’m really lucky. That’s, I guess that’s me at this point. You know, that’s fine. That’s really what I’m probably best best suited for. I’m certainly not somebody who could actually be in the field building a medical device or, you know, digital health device or, you know, biologic. I’m not a scientist, I’m a, I’m somebody in communications. So, for me, kind of synthesizing and amplifying is a really, you know, that’s more of my, my bailiwick.

Tyler Kern  18:08  
Yeah, you and I can do the podcasting, we’ll leave the building and the technology to other people. But since we’re on that topic, let’s let’s talk about, you know, maybe some of the success stories, you know, what have been some of the success stories that you’ve seen med tech stuff from med tech startups that mass medical has really played a part in?

Brian Johnson  18:29  
Well, I mean, you know, this association has been around for 23 years. And, you know, it’s interesting, we have, for 20 years, 22 years, we’ve held an innovation showcase where, you know, 20 startups get up and present to the industry. And so it’s kind of the first, you know, unveiling for a lot of these companies, and I’ve had the pleasure of kind of going back over 20 years of this and seeing all these companies that you know, are pretty darn successful now, had their first crack the whip here, you know, the Ignite program was around for 10 years and other companies that are just doing amazing things, you know, you have multiple hundreds of employees and publicly traded who started, you know, through that ignite program. So, you know, I, I hesitate to say, mask, you know, mathematic we shouldn’t take credit for for things that that happen. You know, we’re here to support, you know, a company success is based upon that company’s work and sweat and tears, we’re just trying to make sure that we, you know, we, we help them, you know, help make sure the environments, you know, healthy for them. But, you know, in terms of Massachusetts and the innovations that have happened here, I mean, it’s, it’s, it’s one of the most fertile environments for innovation that you can ever imagine. It’s been so for hundreds of years. You know, this has always been, this has always been an environment. where people have dreamed big and even more importantly, have executed on those dreams. I mean, everything from sort of, you know, the first successful surgery with anesthesia was done here, you know, all the way to, you know, now we’re using robotic limbs, and we’re, we’re building surgical robots. And you know, we have companies that can have a surgeon perform a surgery from, you know, 100 miles away from the patient. Some of this stuff is pretty remarkable. I mean, you know, it’s, it’s science fiction. So, you know, I, I grew up in the Boston area. So it’s, it’s fun for me as a local guy. Yeah. To be able to tout all the really incredible innovations that have happened here.

Tyler Kern  20:49  
Well, are there any events coming up where networking is going to be possible or anything that your audience needs to be aware of coming up that, that you want people to know about event wise? Yeah,

Brian Johnson  20:59  
I mean, I think it’s really important that we, that your audience understands that coming up in this fall in September, the med tech conference, is coming to Boston. And this is a really important conference for the industry. It’s presented by adva med, which is the National Association for the medical device industry. And it brings in about 3000 people from across the globe. All the big players in med tech are coming into town, we need to showcase and this is our chance to really showcase what we do best. And, you know, I, I want to make sure that we set attendance records for this thing. Because it’s, it’s coming through here for the first time since 2012. It goes around to all different parts of the country. So, you know, we it’s our chance to really be to showcase and celebrate Massachusetts. So I hope your audience takes a look at the med tech conference and attends and, you know, just stay close to mathematic. We have all the local events that are of interest up on our website, we have a great community calendar. We’re always updating via our newsletter. So you know, we want to we’re a resource for the community. So they should use us and we’ll have a couple nice events coming up in the fall too.

Tyler Kern  22:20  
Excellent. Excellent. And what’s the what’s the website if people want to go find more information about mass medic? Pretty easy

Brian Johnson  22:25  
mass medic calm? Excellent.

Tyler Kern  22:28  
That is it easy ma ss medic.com. So head there if you want more information about events coming up in the fall and so, so much more. So Brian Johnson, president of mass medic, thank you so much for joining me today and talking a little bit more about what mass medic does and how you’re helping in the med tech community.

Brian Johnson  22:45  
Thank you. It’s my pleasure.

Tyler Kern  22:46  
Thanks for listening to this episode of the sunrise podcast presented by sunrise labs. We’ll be back soon with another episode but until then, I’ve been your host today Tyler Kern. Have a good one.