Our host, Richard Sokolov, Executive Director and co-founder of IDE Group, speaks with Michael Brooks,Head of R&D Radiology at Bayer and long-time judge of IDE’s BBFH Challenge.

Richard and Mick talk about Australia’s role in the global medical device market, the importance of execution and helping the patient, advice for entrepreneurs in Medtech and more.

About the BBFH Series

The Building Better Futures for Health (BBFH) Series is a series of interviews with founders, professors, executives, and other leaders of the Australian startup community. Together with our guests, we explore and analyse the drivers and challenges of the healthcare startup community in Australia and talk about their unique journeys and stories.

Website: https://www.idegroup.com.au/videos-podcasts

Website BBFH Challenge: https://www.bbfhchallenge.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ide-/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ide_group

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/IDEGroupAU/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ide.group/  

Chapters/Timestamps 

00:00 Intro

00:33 Background and career of Michael Brooks

03:33 Culture of innovation in Australia

05:05 History of Imaxeon and Australia’s role in the global medical device market

06:44 The BBFH Challenge and the importance of the human factor in startups

10:14 Standout projects of the BBFH Challenge over the past years

11:13 What startups get out of the BBFH Challenge

13:15 Impact of Covid on the Healthcare and Medtech industry and the concept of risk

16:24 Advice for applicants and other founders in Medtech 

17:40 How to select the right team

20:10 Importance of execution and helping the patient

21:40 Outlook