#3 - Networking & Building Connections in MedTech: Joseph Snyder & Cristiano Fontana

Hosts:

Joseph Snyder

Head of Talent and Co-Founder, Lifeblood

https://www.linkedin.com/in/josephasnyder1/

Cristiano Fontana

Head of Advisory, Lifeblood

https://www.linkedin.com/in/cristiano-fontana-medtech-businessdevelopment/

Guests:

Paul Grand

Founder & CEO, MedTech Innovator

Paul is the founder and CEO of MedTech Innovator. He created and managed MedTech Innovator as a program within RCT Ventures from 2013 – 2016. In 2016, with the financial support of RCT and other sponsors, Paul left to run MedTech Innovator as a stand-alone company. He spent 11 years as Director and Managing Director at RCT Ventures, the investment arm of Research Corporation Technologies, Inc. Prior to RCT, Paul was co-founder and CEO of startups in the MedTech, pharma, and tech sectors.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulgrand/

Stephen Levin, Editor-in-Chief, Medtech Strategist/Market Pathways

Managing Partner, Innovation In Medtech, LLC

Stephen Levin has spent more than 25 years covering the life sciences industry, writing and speaking primarily on medical technology worldwide.  In 2014, Levin and his long-time colleague, David Cassak, launched Innovation In Medtech, LLC, which features a pair of global medtech publications, MEDTECH STRATEGIST (focusing on business development) and MARKET PATHWAYS (covering medtech regulatory, reimbursement and policy issues), along with industry-leading investor conferences in Dublin, Ireland, and California. 

Levin formerly was Editor-in-Chief/Medical Devices at Elsevier Business Intelligence (EBI), from 2008 until EBI was acquired by Informa in 2013.  At EBI, he directed the editorial coverage for the company’s medtech publications, including IN VIVO, START-UP, MEDTECH INSIGHT, THE GRAY SHEET, and THE SILVER SHEET, along with the content for the Investment In Innovation (IN3) series of medical device partnering conferences.  EBI was formed in 2008 when Elsevier acquired Windhover Information and combined Windhover with FDC Reports.  He had joined Windhover in 1997, where as Executive Editor, he supervised the editorial operations of IN VIVO, START-UP, and MEDTECH INSIGHT, while also covering the device industry, distribution, and legal issues.  He also served as the company’s General Counsel.  

https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephen-levin-3415a591/

Ken Nelson

Partner, MedTech Advantage Fund

Ken Nelson is a seasoned leader and innovator in digital health and MedTech, with over 20 years of experience spanning Fortune 500 companies, high-growth startups, and successful exits. He has played a pivotal role in shaping the commercial success of groundbreaking technologies in digital health, wearables, and cardiac remote patient monitoring.

Ken’s leadership helped build three of the top four market share companies in the cardiac monitoring space, including BioTelemetry (#1, acquired by Philips for $2.8B), iRhythm (#2, IPO), and Bardy Diagnostics (#4, acquired by HillRom for over $400). At Bardy Diagnostics, he led global commercialization of the CAM Patch, securing over $35M in venture funding and driving the company’s rapid growth. 

Ken brings deep expertise in commercialization, startup scaling, strategic partnerships, and M&A. His specialties include sales and marketing leadership, disruptive product launches, venture fundraising, and strategic operations across cardiology, electrophysiology, and diagnostics.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/ken-nelson-56aaa34/