Why Great Science Still Fails – Avoid 7 Costly Mistakes Medtech and Biopharma Founders Make BeforeThey Raise, Pilot, or Launch
THIS EVENT HAS BEEN RE-SCHEDULED FROM AUGUST
WE HOPE YOU CAN JOIN US NOV 4
Event Description
Great science does not protect a startup from bad assumptions
Medtech and biopharma companies lose time, capital, and credibility when they solve the wrong problem, pitch investors the wrong story, mistake interest for traction, or build evidence for approval without planning for adoption.
Join Katherine King French, MBA, Director of Strategy at Smith+Nephew, and Bill Schick, MBA, Strategic Growth Advisor for Medtech, Biopharma, and Life Sciences, for a hands-on MDG Boston Lunch & Learn Masterclass.
Grounded in research, market data, company stories, and more than 25 years of startup, investor, commercialization, and IPO experience, the session will unpack seven costly mistakes that can derail a raise, pilot, launch, or next stage of growth.
You will use a practical founder workbook to pressure-test your assumptions and identify weaknesses in your commercial story, evidence, traction, audience, and adoption plan.
You will leave with a clearer view of your biggest risks and a focused 30-day action plan for what to validate, fix, and move forward next.
Sign up today for the MDG Boston Lunch & Learn Masterclass.
Bring your assumptions.
We will help you find the expensive ones.
Time: 12-1 PM (Online)
Tickets: $10 (Zoom Link will be sent in advance to registrants)
REGISTRATION
Bill Schick, eMBA, FCMO
MESH Interactive, Founder
Bill Schick, MBA, is a Strategic Growth Advisor for medtech and biopharma companies and founder of MESH, where he helps leadership teams turn promising technologies into businesses people understand, trust, fund, and buy.
For more than 20 years, Bill has worked across strategy, commercialization, positioning, customer experience, go-to-market, and growth—helping startups and established companies navigate the messy space between a strong product and a strong business. His work spans medical devices, health technology, life sciences, advanced manufacturing, and other complex B2B markets, often working directly with founders, executive teams, investors, and boards.
Bill is particularly focused on helping companies challenge assumptions early, understand what customers and investors actually need to believe, and connect product, market, and commercial strategy before expensive decisions get locked in. He holds an MBA and brings a practical, customer-centered approach shaped by more than two decades of building brands, launching products, advising growth companies, and helping leadership teams find a clearer path to market.
Katherine King French, MBA
Director of Strategy at Smith+Nephew
Katherine (Kate) French, MBA, is Director of Strategy for Sports Medicine Global Marketing at Smith+Nephew, where she works at the intersection of market strategy, commercialization, portfolio planning, and organizational decision-making.
Throughout her career in medical technology, Kate has helped global teams navigate complex markets, evaluate opportunities, challenge assumptions, and translate insights into strategies that teams can actually execute. Her experience spans upstream and downstream marketing new product commercialization, portfolio strategy, market development, and cross-functional leadership across global organizations.
Kate is particularly passionate about bringing structure to ambiguity—helping teams ask better questions, distinguish evidence from assumption, and focus their resources on the opportunities most likely to create meaningful impact. She holds an MBA from the Johns Hopkins Carey Business School and brings a practical, data-informed approach to strategy grounded in the realities of building and commercializing healthcare technologies.