Walk the Valley

Tobias Böcker ex Mojo on nuances of understanding your buyers

In this episode of Walk the Valley, Kata talks with Tobias Böcker, former co-founder of Mojo, to unpack what really happens when a promising MedTech company gets almost everything right and still doesn’t make it.Tobias shares the full journey of building Mojo over seven years: from early funding success and clinical validation to hitting an unexpected wall in the market. With a CE-marked product, strong partnerships, and investor backing, the team seemed to have all the pieces in place … until reality proved otherwise.We zoom in on the hard lessons behind that turning point. Why solving a real problem isn’t always enough. How falling in love with your idea can blind you to market signals. And why understanding who pays — and why — is often more important than the technology itself.The conversation also explores Mojo’s pivot from B2B to direct-to-consumer during COVID, where the company achieved rapid growth and became a market leader only to face a different challenge: scaling in a space shaped by stigma, behaviour, and human psychology.This episode is an honest and nuanced look at the “almost made it” side of innovation — and what founders can learn from it.If you’re building in MedTech, this is a must-listen on market fit, go-to-market strategy, and the realities of navigating the valley of death.

Charlotta Tönsgård on leadership resilience and healthcare system realities

In this episode of Walk the Valley, Kata sits down with Charlotta Tönsgård, healthcare entrepreneur, former CEO of Min Doktor, and a leading voice in digital health innovation in Sweden. Charlotta shares her journey from tech into healthcare, and what it really takes to build and scale companies in one of the most complex and slow-moving systems. From navigating leadership under pressure to stepping through public scrutiny, this conversation goes beyond the usual startup story. We explore the structural challenges that hold healthcare innovation back: from unclear incentives and slow procurement processes to the gap between innovation and real-world adoption. Charlotta also shares practical insights for founders: how to think about public vs private pathways, why building “in tandem” with the system matters, and how to avoid getting stuck waiting for decisions you don’t control. We also dive into the future of healthcare in Europe, including AI adoption, system productivity, and why the biggest risk isn’t moving too fast, but not moving at all. This episode is a candid and thoughtful look at what it takes to build healthcare, and why understanding the system is just as important as solving the problem.

Ingela Mauritzon, Founder and CEO of Fabola Learning and Strategy

In this episode, we sit down with Ingela Mauritzon, Founder and CEO of Fabola Learning and Strategy, a company dedicated to making medtech regulation accessible for startups, scale-ups, and investors. Ingela's journey into the world of regulation is anything but straight. From working at an international hospital in Beijing, to patient experience and lab work back in Sweden, to specialising in IVDs and regulatory science, she's now completing her PhD in the field. We get into one of the most underestimated challenges in medtech innovation: regulation. Why does it consume up to 80% of product development costs? Why is Europe so much harder to navigate than the US? And why is the innovation ecosystem still failing to give startups the regulatory support they need? If you're building in medtech, this one is essential viewing.

Martin Broch Pedersen and Nicolas Bouchet Health Thech Hub Copenhagen

In this episode of Walk the Valley, we do something a little different. A round-table discussion with two guests who approach healthcare innovation from distinct but connected perspectives.We’re joined by Martin Broch Pedersen, Business Development Director at Health Tech Hub Copenhagen, who works closely with early-stage healthtech startups on regulation, reimbursement, and commercialisation through programmes like Health Tech Pathways. Martin focuses on building the support structures that help founders learn faster, adapt earlier, and survive the valley of death.We’re also joined by Nicolas Bouchet, Investment Manager at Health Tech Hub Copenhagen, who brings the investor lens. Nicolas explores how startups can turn attention into actual investment, what makes a company investable, and why strong business models matter more than visibility alone.Together, we unpack what it really takes to move from innovation to investment:* Why saving money long-term often means investing earlier* Why building product and market in parallel beats waiting for a “finished” product* What builds investor credibility, and why fitting into existing budget streams matters* Why knowing what you don’t know is one of a founder’s strongest assetsThis episode is for founders who want to understand the system they’re building in, and how working with it can be more powerful than trying to disrupt it. Links: https://healthtechhub.org/ [https://healthtechhub.org/] http://healthtechhub.org/investor-survey-2025/

Cathrin Johansson CEO MedVasc

In this episode of Walk The Valley, Will talks to Cathrin Johansson CEO of Medtech company MedVasc. We learn about her companies work to bring a catheter device to market, their decision to focus on the US market, and why starting early with regulatory is critical for startups.We dig into the challenges of fundraising in 2025, building long-lasting trust with investors, and keeping the balance of clinical need, regulatory timing, and commercial urgency. Cathrin also breaks down how she approaches leadership in a small team, how MedVasc is preparing for market entry, and what founders often underestimate when bringing a device from prototype to patients.