CRP#2: How a Robot Became a Shoe: Cadense Adaptive Footwear, with Tyler Susko, Ph.D. and Johannes Sauer

CRP#2: How a Robot Became a Shoe: Cadense Adaptive Footwear, with Tyler Susko, Ph.D. and Johannes Sauer

During a feasibility study at MIT, patients walked on a robotic treadmill that removed the floor during the swing phase of gait. The result was simple and striking: people just walked better. One patient said, "I wish I could take it outside the lab." That sentence became a company. In this episode, Cadense co-founders Tyler Susko and Johannes Sauer, join Dan Mazzucco to talk about translating a decade of MIT and UCSB robotics research into a variable-friction adaptive shoe for people with neurological conditions. They discuss the engineering behind passive variable friction technology, navigating FDA registration through customer reviews, securing an NIH R01 grant, the founder duo dynamic and why humility matters more than hustle, and why awareness, not technology, is their biggest challenge with 40,000 pairs sold and 60 million potential customers in the U.S. This conversation is for medtech founders and academic inventors who are sitting on something that helps people and aren't sure how to get it out of the lab. Tyler Susko, Ph.D., is the CTO and founder of Cadense and a professor of teaching at UC Santa Barbara, where he has taught product and machine design for over a decade. He completed his Ph.D. at MIT, where he developed the Skywalker — a robotic gait rehabilitation treadmill — and holds patents on the variable friction technology that became the foundation for Cadense footwear. Johannes Sauer is the CEO and co-founder of Cadense, bringing over a decade of consumer brand and direct-to-consumer e-commerce experience to the company. He holds an MBA from the University of Graz and previously served as CEO for consumer and high-tech brands before joining Cadense in 2022. Together they have built Cadense into a registered medical device company with NIH-funded clinical research underway at the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab, the top-ranked stroke rehabilitation hospital in the U.S. Theme Music: Prelude, composed andperformed by Benjamin Mazzucco, © 2026. Used with permission.

Capital Readiness Program (CRP) #1: How Demo Days are Failing Founders and Why CRP is a Better Way, with Heath Naquin

After sitting through what he calls his "thousandth demo day," Heath Naquin walked away convinced that the entire model was broken. Founders were being polished for investors rather than prepared for the real work of building a company. In this episode, Heath Naquin, VP of Government and Capital Engagement at the University City Science Center in Philadelphia, joins Dan Mazzucco to unpack the philosophy behind the Capital Readiness Program — a week-long immersive boot camp for medtech founders that replaces pitch competition theater with real investor due diligence. They cover what investors actually look for before writing a check, how to build a real investor discovery strategy, what belongs in a strong deal room, and the red flags that end conversations before they start. This conversation is for medtech founders who are raising beyond friends and family and want to understand how investors actually make decisions — not how founders imagine they do. Heath Naquin is the Vice President of Government and Capital Engagement at the University City Science Center in Philadelphia, where he leads the Capital Readiness Program, the Investor in Residence Network, and federal commercialization partnerships. Over a 30-year career at the intersection of capital, innovation, and public impact, he has helped deploy more than $200 million in global venture funds focused on science and technology, served as Principal Investigator or Co-PI on more than $250 million in federal, state, and international funding programs, and coached hundreds of founding teams through the transition from grant funding to institutional investment. He invests his own capital as an LP and direct investor in medtech and other sectors.

Season 2 Epilogue and Season 3 Introduction

Dan yaps about his guests from Season 2 and introduces the theme for Season 3. This is not a full episode, but it is worth investing the eight minutes if you want to understand the whole season. Theme Music: Prelude, composed and performed by Benjamin Mazzucco, © 2026. Used with permission.

Everything you Need to Know about SBIR Reauthorization, with Jerry Hollister, BBCetc

From October 2025 through April 2026, the SBIR program went dark. Now that it's back, what is different? In this episode, Jerry Hollister, Co-Owner of BBCetc, joins Dan Mazzucco to pull back the curtain on the SBIR reauthorization fight, including the political dynamics that delayed it for months, the new foreign influence provisions now written into law, and the strategic breakthrough authority that allows awards up to $30 million without SBA approval. They also cover which of the 11 SBIR agencies is right for which stage of company, why NSF and NIH have fundamentally different expectations, the practical difference between SBIR and STTR for academics who are not ready to leave their university, and why the "solution in search of a problem" mentality is still the fastest path to rejection. This conversation is for life science founders and academic researchers who run toward federal funding and want to understand the system well enough to actually win. Jerry Hollister is Co-Owner of BBCetc, a 30-year-old SBIR support organization that grew out of the University of Michigan Medical School and now helps companies navigate the full SBIR program across all 11 federal agencies. Jerry began his career as a U.S. Navy Civil Engineer Corps officer, serving as a warranted contracting officer, and went on to lead the NIA Wave team to more than 45 SBIR awards. He joined BBCetc in 2017 and became co-owner in 2023. Both NIA Wave and BBCetc have received the Tibbets Award, the highest national recognition for SBIR awardees. Jerry serves as a reviewer for four different SBIR agencies, has been a trusted advisor to federal agencies and congressional staff, and was boots on the ground throughout the 2025 reauthorization fight, meeting directly with staffers and organizing the advocacy community that helped get the program relaunched. Theme Music: Prelude, composed and performed by Benjamin Mazzucco, © 2026. Used with permission.

Payers Don't Care what FDA Considers Safe and Effective, with Erik Harris

Getting FDA clearance is not a business goal. It is a milestone on the way to one. The goal is revenue in year one, year two, year three — and if a startup's pitch deck doesn't show how reimbursement dynamics support that revenue, sophisticated investors will notice before founders do. In this episode, Erik Harris, founder of Market Access Solved, joins Dan Mazzucco to demystify the market access and reimbursement landscape for early-stage medtech companies. They discuss the three pillars of reimbursement — coding, coverage, and payment — and when a product can legitimately fly under the radar of payer scrutiny, why payers don't care what the FDA considers safe and effective and what they actually care about instead, how coverage policies are really non-coverage policies in disguise, why label language drafted without a market access expert can be used against a company by payers, and how to design clinical trials that serve both FDA requirements and payer evidence standards without losing focus. This conversation is for medtech founders, executives, and investors who know reimbursement matters but haven't yet figured out when to start — and how much it affects everything else they're building. Erik Harris is the founder of Market Access Solved, a strategic and tactical market access and reimbursement consultancy specializing in U.S. and international medical device markets. With over 30 years of experience spanning device manufacturers including Zimmer, Wright Medical Technology, BioMimetic Therapeutics, and Moximed, as well as provider and payer organizations, Erik brings a rare 360-degree perspective to reimbursement strategy. He provides due diligence support to venture capital and private equity firms on M&A and investment activities, advises startups on pricing strategy within reimbursement, and conducts commercial payer coverage landscape assessments. He is a presenter and CEO mentor at ZeroTo510 Medical Device Accelerator, the 8400 Health Network's U.S. Market Access Symposium, and Peak Spirit Academy in the DACH region. Theme Music: Prelude, composed andperformed by Benjamin Mazzucco, © 2026. Used with permission.