Listen "335. Career: Doug Boyd , SVP & GM at Imperative Care"
Episode Synopsis
In this episode of The State of MedTech, we dive into the raw ingredients of a legendary medtech career with Doug Boyd , SVP & GM at Imperative Care. What builds a legendary medtech leader? Doug Boyd of Imperative Care shares the blueprint. We cover the "Auris Mafia" effect, hiring for hunger over pedigree, and the hard lesson from a startup failure. Learn the key to overcoming overthinking and why moving from VP to GM required a new skill set. Essential listening for your career.Tap to listen.Episode Breakdown00:00 – Opening Motivation & Host Intro00:56 – Welcome Back + Episode Setup02:10 – Guest Intro: Doug Boyd’s Background & Career Overview04:25 – How Doug Boyd Entered Medtech (The Breast Cancer Market Project)08:23 – Early Medtech Lessons: Rubicon, Peak Surgical & Medtronic10:28 – Hard Lessons: Permission vs Action & Failing Fast13:47 – Commercial Break (Showpad)15:55 – Taking Action vs Overthinking in Startups17:48 – Strategy Shifts, Product Decisions & Market Reality20:21 – Auris Health Era: Creativity, Culture & Career Breakthrough22:10 – The Moment Everything Changed (Inflection Point at Auris)23:00 – Developing Robotics: Early Decisions, Architecture & Iteration29:22 – Transition into Sales at Auris + Mentorship from Bill Green32:45 – Understanding Market Dynamics & Product-Market Fit34:57 – Moving from Auris to J&J + Lessons Learned35:47 – Discovering Imperative Care (Stroke Thrombectomy Opportunity)37:16 – Why Stroke Is a Massive Unmet Need40:55 – How Imperative’s Technology Actually Works42:06 – Becoming GM: Responsibilities, Scope & Strategy44:45 – How a GM Measures Progress & KPIs46:58 – What Product-Market Fit Really Looks Like48:05 – Diagnosing When a Product *Doesn’t* Have Product-Market Fit49:17 – Common Reasons Medtech Products Fail50:09 – Why Many Startups Build “Cool Tech” With No Real Market51:14 – The Shift from VP Marketing → GM: New Skill Sets Required53:47 – Medtech Is Changing: Financial Modeling, New Standards & AI Lag55:25 – Why Medtech Lags 10–12 Years Behind Consumer Tech57:00 – Tech Talent Crossing into Medtech (and Why It Matters)59:42 – The Next Big Shift in Medtech Innovation01:00:29 – Boyd's Strong Opinions About Modern Marketing01:01:53 – Why He Wouldn’t Hire His 22-Year-Old Self01:03:50 – Lessons From a Failed Startup (Rubicon)01:05:11 – What Young Professionals Get Wrong01:07:29 – “Stop Worrying About Yourself” -Career Philosophy01:11:10 – Final Thoughts & Episode CloseAre you a medtech CEO in need of some marketing help attracting investors, growing sales pipeline, and more? Go to GrowMyMedtech.com to book time for a free analysis.Subscribe to our Youtube Channelhttps://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGpL_rGt1LQJwinMq_K7gfgSubscribe to our LinkedIn Newsletterhttps://www.stateofmedtechpodcast.com/Follow The State of MedTech onLinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/thestateofmedtechInstagram https://www.instagram.com/stateofmedtech/TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@stateofmedtechX https://twitter.com/StateofMedTechFacebook https://www.facebook.com/stateofmedtech/Follow Omar M. Khateeb onLinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/okhateeb/Instagram https://www.instagram.com/omar.m.khateeb/TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@omarkhateebofficialX https://twitter.com/OmarMKhateebFacebook https://www.facebook.com/OmarMKhateeb/#MedTech #Leadership #CareerGrowth #Startups #Robotics
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