Catalyst Capital Symposia

Medical Device & Diagnostics Symposium

Date:
6/25/2025 1:00 PM
-
8:00 pm
Location:
10918 Technology Pl, San Diego, CA 92127

Join us for the Medical Device & Diagnostics event, where industry leaders and innovators converge to explore the latest advancements in medical technology. This event will feature keynote presentations, panel discussions, and networking opportunities, showcasing cutting-edge devices, diagnostic tools, and emerging trends in the healthcare landscape.

Attendees will gain insights from experts on regulatory challenges, technological innovations, and the future of healthcare delivery. Whether you're a healthcare professional, a startup founder, or an investor, this event provides a unique platform to connect with key players in the medical device industry and discuss the transformative impact of diagnostics on patient care.

Don't miss this opportunity to be at the forefront of innovation in medical technology and contribute to the future of healthcare!

Register

Pitch Deck Help?

Are you a California startup developing a device, therapy, or diagnostic?

You may be eligible for 16 hours of complimentary Pitch Deck Consulting.

Agenda

With Nicholas Mourlas as our Master of Ceremonies

1:00 PM

Check-in / networking

2:00 PM - 2:20 PM

State of Industry: "Medtech Market Data and Insights, Found Nowhere Else"

  • Speaker: Nicholas Talamantes

2:30 PM - 4:00 PM

Round Table

  • Table Host: Kwame Ulmer
    • Title: "Navigating FDA Changes in 2025"
    • Description: This interactive roundtable will bring together startup leaders, investors, and regulatory experts to explore how companies can proactively adapt to evolving FDA policies in 2025. The conversation will spotlight key updates across breakthrough designation, cybersecurity, AI/ML, and clinical evidence expectations along with practical strategies to stay ahead.
  • Table Host: Ralph Morales III
  • Table Host: Doc Vu
    • Title: "The Roadmap to Bring Connected Medical Devices to Market"
    • Description: We’ll dive into what it really takes to navigate development, de-risk design, and deliver FDA-ready products—drawing from 400+ launches across wearables, diagnostics, and wireless platforms.
  • Table Host: Zhao Hongbo
  • Table Host: Lisa Voronkova
    • Title: "Defining Value in MedTech: From Brilliant Idea to Hospital Adoption"
    • Description: Most medical innovations don’t fail in the lab -- they fail in the boardroom. In this roundtable, Lisa Voronkova, CEO of OVA Solutions and author of Hardware Bible, will guide founders through the four critical stages of defining value in medtech. She’ll show how to quantify and communicate clinical, economic, and operational value in ways that resonate with hospitals, payers, and frontline staff.

4:15 PM - 5:15 PM

"Seed to Series A: Demystifying Early-Stage Fundraising"

Moderator:

  • Nicholas Mourlas, Healthcare Innovation, Entrepreneur | Executive | Investor

Panelist:

  • Kwame Ulmer, Managing Partner of MedTech Impact Partners
  • Aiden Aceves, Insight Partners
  • Bobby Edelman, Early Stage Investor of Nufund
  • Glen McLaughlin, CEO & President of YorLabs
  • Zhao Hongbo, Venture Investor of Gaorong Ventures

5:30 PM - 7:00 PM

Startup Showcase

7: 00 PM - 8:00 PM

Networking, Happy Hour, Startup Market

Prizes

1st place Therapeutic and Medtech winners will receive the following prizes:
  • $5,000 Tax Services
  • $20k in office/lab space
  • Digital Marketing and Branding Services (worth $5,000)
  • $10K in office/lab space
  • $25k custom UX design package from the largest femtech incubator in the US
  • $5,000 Legal Services
  • Exploratory biostatistics package: 3 reports
  • Membership to Mayo Clinic Innovation Exchange
  • Regulatory kit and Regulatory strategy consulting (Medical Device only)
  • $5,000 Legal fees
  • Two months campaign on startup program
  • 3-day ticket to the upcoming 2025 RESI Conference
  • Contingent Permanent Placement ($5,000 off); Retained Search services ($5,000 off)
  • $5,000 of tax services
Medtech winner will also receive the following prize:
  • 6 month Growth subscription and services package (worth up to $14K)

Learn from Subject Matter Experts

Kwame Ulmer

Managing Partner, MedTech Impact Partners

Kwame Ulmer is the Managing Partner at MedTech Impact Partners, bringing over two decades of experience evaluating medical technologies in both the government and private sectors. He is also a Venture Partner at Wavemaker Three-Sixty Health, where he leads the MedTech practice and is actively involved in all aspects of fund management, including deal sourcing, diligence, negotiation, and advising portfolio company management teams.

Aiden Aceves

Vice President, Insight Partners

Aiden Aceves is a Vice President on the investments team at Insight. He joined the firm in 2021 to focus on investments in therapeutics and enabling technologies. Aiden was previously an associate at Vida Ventures, where he worked in the firm's LA office making investments in innovative cell and gene therapy companies. Prior to becoming an investor, Aiden worked on founding and operating biotechnology companies in San Diego California, where he is based. Aiden traces his academic lineage to Caltech, where he earned his doctorate in the lab of Dr. Steven Mayo, a leader in the space of computational protein engineering. Aiden received his B.S. in synthetic chemistry from the University of California, Riverside.

Bobby Edelman

Early Stage Investor, Nufund

Bobby Edelman is an active angel investor and advisor who has worked with over hundreds of early-stage companies—more than 80 of them paid clients in the past 16 months—across sectors including genomics, medtech, and health and wellness. He’s invested in 140+ startups directly, via equity crowdfunding platforms, and through funds like NuFund, Interlock Capital, and the San Diego Angel Conference. A former tech exec who helped scale a $200M business and contributed to the $800M sale of Marshall Electronics, Bobby specializes in helping founders raise capital, refine their pitch, and become investor-ready.

Ralph Morales III

Managing Director at Shokunin Ventures

Ralph Morales III is an accomplished leader in the wearables and health tech space, with over 15 years of experience driving innovation and market growth. He has held pivotal roles at companies like Oura, where he led the development of healthcare solutions that generated significant revenue and expanded digital health capabilities. Ralph is a solution advocate for integrating digital biomarkers and real-time health insights to improve therapeutic outcomes and advance health span.  

Nicholas Talamantes

Senior Director of Market Intelligence, LSI

From analyst to product development, Nicholas leads the market intelligence team at LSI. He brings over a decade of experience in market research and consulting for venture-backed medtech companies and private equity firms.

Dr. Hongbo Zhao

Venture Investor, Gaorong Ventures

Dr. Hongbo Zhao is a venture capital investor specializing in medical technology and healthcare innovation. He is currently part of the healthcare investment team at Gaorong Ventures, a leading venture capital firm with a strong presence in China and a global investment outlook. At Gaorong, Dr. Zhao focuses on medical device investments, supporting emerging innovations and commercialization strategies in the industry.

Doc Vu

Founder | Innovator | Builder, DeviceLab Inc.

Doc Vu is the founder of DeviceLab and a hands-on leader in connected medical technology. With 25+ years of experience, he has completed over 400 medical devices and systems—many of which have successfully gone to market. These include diagnostic devices, wearables, and patient monitors, often featuring wireless platforms that close the loop between clinic and home. He has built and led engineering teams that move fast and deliver results across complex systems—firmware, electronics, wireless, and regulatory. Doc stays close to execution, focused on solving hard problems and getting high-impact products across the finish line.

Glen McLaughlin

CEO & President, YorLabs

Glen has over 30 years of medical device product development, innovation and leadership experience. Glen is a renown ultrasound imaging technologist and a principal inventor of software-based zone sonography technology. Glen presently serves as CEO of YorLabs, where he is leading the development of a new standard setting solution in intracardiac image guided therapy. Prior to YorLabs, he served as President of Innovation & Development, VP Global Partnerships, and Chief Product Officer of Mindray Medical International, the largest medical device company in China. He previously served as Zonare’s Vice President of Engineering for over 12 years, having led all technology and product development. Zonare was acquired by Mindray in 2013. At Zonare, he established and managed a world class engineering team to cover all aspects of engineering development, including electrical, mechanical, software, regulatory, transducers, and imaging physics. At Mindray/Zonare, Glen has brought over a dozen products to market generating over $200M of revenue. He holds 70 issued patents with over 30 additional pending in the medical device field.

Lisa Voronkova

CEO & Founder, OVA Solutions

Lisa Voronkova is the founder and CEO of OVA Solutions, a medtech R&D firm that has developed over 200 medical and wellness products, including wearable diagnostics, orthopedic solutions, and connected drug delivery systems. With a background in bioengineering and deep expertise in hardware, Lisa also serves as a mentor at Vanderbilt University and has supported early-stage teams through programs like Nucleate Accelerator. She recently published Hardware Bible: Build a Medical Device from Scratch, a practical guide for founders navigating development and commercialization.

MC/MODERATOR

Nicholas Mourlas, PhD

Healthcare Innovation, Entrepreneur | Executive | Investor

Nick is a healthcare executive, entrepreneur, and investor with a track record of founding and leading successful medtech startups, including Akros Medical (acquired by Johnson & Johnson), Acumen Medical (acquired by Medtronic), and Siris Medical (acquired by Turning Point Systems), and serving as CEO of Tarsus Medical (acquired by Integra Life Sciences). Most recently, he led strategy and operations at JLABS San Diego, part of Johnson & Johnson Innovation’s global incubator network, helping accelerate emerging medtech, biotech, and digital health companies. Earlier in his career, he worked on early-stage investing and R&D collaborations across Johnson & Johnson’s medtech and pharmaceutical sectors, and held innovation leadership roles at PARC and Xerox. He holds a PhD in Electrical Engineering from Stanford, where he was a Stanford Biodesign Fellow, and engineering degrees from Dartmouth College.

STARTUP SHOWCASE

Sai Zhou
CEO
CircuCare is redefining cardiac care with Cynova, the first hands-free, AI-powered ultrasound device that delivers continuous, real-time cardiac imaging. By combining clinical-grade imaging with automated analysis and remote access, we make cardiac diagnostics faster, more accessible, and more scalable across hospitals and homes.
Devin Zarkowsky
Co-founder and CMO
We intend to apply energy in hard-to-reach anatomy. Our current device system disrupts biofilm, improving bacterial clearance by 36x vs. antibiotics alone.
Daniel Koslover
CEO
We will provide state-of-the-art PCR-style diagnostic tests at a price comparable to antigen-based immunoassays. Our tests will fill significant gaps in the existing point-of-care market, and in the emerging at-home testing market, by eliminating the trade-offs between time, cost, and accuracy currently faced by consumers.
Jason Merrick RN, EMT-P
CEO
We connect with Head Start organizations across the U.S. to improve pediatric attendance of well child visits by reducing structural barriers to meeting appointments, including transportation, timing, and cost.
Dr. Michael Norton
CEO
Axcess Instruments is revolutionizing laparoscopic surgery with their next generation handheld device and ultra-high definition visualization solution. The Axcess Port device speeds procedures, increases patient safety, reduces surgeon workload, and can be used in existing facilities. It is disposable and can be used in standard to austere settings.
Aruna Rajan
Chief Strategy Officer
Unlocking a New Era of Diagnostics Reimbursement Insights
Peman Montazemi, MS, PE
Founder & CEO
Finally Quiet! revolutionizes dental care with the first patented, medical-grade noise-canceling and AI-driven communication system, addressing noise-induced hearing loss in dental professionals and anxiety in patients. By creating a quieter, more comfortable, and efficient clinical environment, we improve patient experiences, enhance staff well-being, and boost operational efficiency. Our innovative solution integrates seamlessly into existing clinic workflows, redefining the standards of care in dentistry.
Scott Corlett
CEO
MEDA leverages proprietary AI-driven technology to digitize, democratize, and disrupt healthcare, making instant, affordable care accessible to everyone. Our patented virtual assistant provides empathetic, human-like interactions, seamlessly matching patients with practitioners and revolutionizing telemedicine. With a focus on scalability and affordability, MEDA aims to transform healthcare delivery for over a billion people worldwide in the next decade.
Albin Broman
Co-Founder & CEO
1. Improved Pediatric Assessment Accuracy: Up to 30% improvements, which generate savings of $1.15B annually for assessment and intervention combined. Efficiency: Assessment time reduced by 40% or $1.14B with AI tools. 2. Accelerated Recovery/Treatment for Young Patients: Long-term outcomes improve by up to 20%. Efficiency: Return to normal activities is 30-40% faster, which results in $4.25B–$5.66B annually 3. Cost Savings for Pediatric Healthcare: Intervention costs reduced by 25-30% or $3.56B-$4.27B annually. Long-term support needs decrease by up to 35% or $2.49B annually
Henri Justino
CEO and Co-Founder
We aim to enable pediatric pulmonary valve replacement via a minimally invasive procedure to avoid multiple open-heart surgeries for children with congenital heart disease, so they can live normal lives and just be kids!
Andrew Dennis
Chief Business Officer
Providing liver diagnostic for early diagnosis of fatty liver disease (MASLD and MASH) with high accuracy, low burden, and ubiquitous accessibility. Test is based on an inflammatory lipid biomarker panel, directly related to the disease causes. Company is founded by two UC San Diego professors, a biochemistry pioneer of the field of lipidomics, and the head of gastroenterology at UC San Diego Health.

JUDGES

Bobby Edelman

Early Stage Investor, Nufund

Bobby Edelman is an active angel investor and advisor who has worked with over hundreds of early-stage companies—more than 80 of them paid clients in the past 16 months—across sectors including genomics, medtech, and health and wellness. He’s invested in 140+ startups directly, via equity crowdfunding platforms, and through funds like NuFund, Interlock Capital, and the San Diego Angel Conference. A former tech exec who helped scale a $200M business and contributed to the $800M sale of Marshall Electronics, Bobby specializes in helping founders raise capital, refine their pitch, and become investor-ready.

Sarvesh Karkhanis

Healthcare Investor, Stealth

Sarvesh Karkhanis is a healthcare investor and an advisor to the Chariot Project at Stanford School of Medicine. He previously served as an instructor at Stanford Biodesign. He is also a med-tech innovator, TEDx speaker, former founder of a robotics startup and a VC. Sarvesh is a Swartz Fellow at Carnegie Mellon University, a fellowship endowed by the founder of Accel, which is a well-known venture capital firm. Sarvesh contributed to a NASA-funded space robotics mission at the CMU Robotics Institute and helped coordinate global innovation efforts during COVID-19 pandemic, including 3D-printed solutions for hospitals during supply chain disruptions. Sarvesh is now focused on building an academic startup community, advising healthcare startups and aims to raise a venture capital fund to support deep-tech and healthcare founders.

Daniela Di Iasio

Venture Partner, Maximus

Daniela is dedicated to empowering early-stage startups by providing strategic insights, funding guidance, and hands-on mentorship. With a deep understanding of business development and scaling operations, she helps founders navigate the complexities of growing their businesses in highly competitive markets. Passionate about identifying disruptive startups with high growth potential, she works closely with them to refine their business models, develop scalable strategies, and secure the necessary resources to thrive. Her mission is to bridge the gap between visionary founders and the capital and networks they need to succeed. She is a hard-working, dynamic, and determined person who strongly believes in transparency, clarity, loyalty, and competence, and she has based her professional career on these values.

Eddie Wang Rodriguez

General Partner, MedTech Innovation Hub

Eddie Rodriguez is a co-founder and general partner at MedTech Innovation Hub, a venture studio that transforms promising healthcare technologies from concept to reality by providing entrepreneurs with essential infrastructure, methodology, capital, and partnerships. He is also a co-founder and general partner at Teal Ventures, an early-stage venture capital fund focused on innovations across medical devices and diagnostics.

Doc Vu

Founder | Innovator | Builder, DeviceLab Inc.

Doc Vu is the founder of DeviceLab and a hands-on leader in connected medical technology. With 25+ years of experience, he has completed over 400 medical devices and systems—many of which have successfully gone to market. These include diagnostic devices, wearables, and patient monitors, often featuring wireless platforms that close the loop between clinic and home. He has built and led engineering teams that move fast and deliver results across complex systems—firmware, electronics, wireless, and regulatory. Doc stays close to execution, focused on solving hard problems and getting high-impact products across the finish line.

Dennis Abremski

Executive Director, Institute for the Global Entrepreneur

As the Executive Director of the Institute for the Global Entrepreneur (IGE), UC San Diego, Dennis has merged entrepreneurship training with an intensive acceleration environment to deliver a blend of education, mentorship, and resources to scale deep-tech startups. Since its establishment in 2016, IGE has sponsored both regional and international startups in healthcare and life sciences seeking to commercialize their research. As a founder in several startups, Dennis has built a career with a balance of business and technology expertise, holding executive positions in R&D, operations, sales and business development.

Judges

Bobby Edelman
Early Stage Investor, Nufund
Sarvesh Karkhanis
Healthcare Investor, Stealth
Daniela Di Iasio
Venture Partner, Maximus
Eddie Wang Rodriguez
General Partner, MedTech Innovation Hub
Doc Vu
Founder | Innovator | Builder, DeviceLab Inc.
Dennis Abremski
Executive Director, Institute for the Global Entrepreneur

Sponsors

Startup Market

Innovative products from local founders

The Startup Market is a unique marketplace designed to promote local startups. The market provides founders with the opportunity to showcase their products and to sell directly to consumers.

Interested in a booth at the symposium?

Catalyst Capital Symposia

IMPACT

Activating Startups

Catalyst Capital Symposia is a platform connecting founders and funders to catalyze innovation.

This monthly forum provides a unique opportunity for participants to gain valuable insights into emerging sectors and disruptive technologies that have the potential to revolutionize human health, the environment, and society.

Through engaging discussions, informative panels, and interactive workshops, aspiring and seasoned entrepreneurs and investors can learn about essential concepts, strategies, and best practices directly from industry experts.

By engaging the venture and startup ecosystem, the symposia encourages investors to be activists and empower startups with cutting-edge technology.
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INVESTOR-ACTIVIST

Investing in Startups

Stay ahead of the curve by joining us at the Catalyst Capital Symposia, where you can gain valuable insights into emerging technologies, spanning various industries, from tech and healthcare to sustainability and beyond.

Join the ranks of investor-activists who not only provide financial backing but also lend their expertise, networks, and influence to nurture startups, catalyzing a collective effort towards a brighter, more innovative future.


FUNDRAISING
&
RESOURCES

Startups: Apply to Pitch

Are you ready to supercharge your innovative startup? Don't miss this golden opportunity to bring your vision to life!

Pitch your startup to an audience of industry experts, colleagues, and seasoned investors to gain valuable insights and feedback, forge strategic partnerships and connections, secure vital funding for your pioneering project, and elevate your startup to the next level!

Apply to pitch at one of the upcoming symposiums.
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Connecting with Potential Customers

Position your organization as a corporate sponsor and connect with a deeply engaged audience of investors, entrepreneurs, and industry experts.

Sponsorship at Catalyst Capital Symposia provides a range of advantages, such as heightened brand visibility, lead generation, networking opportunities, thought leadership, and early access to emerging technologies.

To explore the ways in which your company can benefit from sponsoring our event, reach out to us for more information.
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Be a Champion of Women's Health

Want to make an even bigger impact? Consider becoming a sponsor for Casino Night! As a sponsor, you'll receive prominent recognition at the event, on our marketing materials, and across our digital platforms. Sponsorship packages offer a unique opportunity to align your brand with a cause that resonates with so many.