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LifeSci Continuum with Bill Schick
I'm a Fractional Chief Marketing Officer for life science companies and I help them accelerate product adoption & make marketing work.
This is LifeSci Continuum, where we explore the unbroken sequence of innovation, strategy, & growth in the life sciences industry. Join us as we explore the insights and experiences of founders, product managers, commercialization leaders, & marketing pros in the field.
Discover the strategies & tactics that have worked for them, hear about their challenges and triumphs, and gain valuable knowledge to help your company thrive.
From commercialization to full life cycle product management and marketing, learn about the latest trends in pharmaceutical, biotech, med device and healthcare marketing, product management, and branding.
From groundbreaking startups to exit-stage brands, we uncover the secrets to success in the life sciences, reflecting the ongoing evolution that defines our industry.
As a fractional CMO in the life sciences, I can help you establish, track, and optimize the right metrics and KPIs that align with your business objectives. This includes defining what success looks like for your specific stage of growth, whether it's early lead generation, nurturing prospects, or moving toward commercialization. I'll ensure that your marketing efforts are measured using data-driven insights, helping to identify opportunities, optimize campaigns, and make informed decisions to accelerate growth and ROI while minimizing wasteful efforts.
For more specialized help with growth, check out my firm, Mesh.
https://meshagency.com/
LifeSci Continuum with Bill Schick
Tailor Your Pitch for VC | David Iannetta
Connect with Dave Iannetta on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dave-iannetta/
Interested in getting 18+ Years of Cheat Codes, Perspective, and Tips for Surviving Marketing in Life Sciences and Medical Devices?
• Subscribe to Bill Schick’s Newsletter on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/build-relation/newsletter-follow?entityUrn=7154518390324281344
Or Connect with Bill directly on Linkedin https://www.linkedin.com/in/founderandcdo/
Timestamps:
00:00 Intro
00:55 Venture Capital Investors
03:09 Challenges of a Venture Investor Partnership
04:11 Building a Business Network to find Investors
05:00 The Key to Venture Investing: Clinical Validation
06:16 How to Build Credibility
07:45 Voice of the Customer
08:25 Major Risk for Life Science Companies
10:26 The Value of Building an Audience Before You Launch
11:49 Brand Building Case Study
13:54 Marketing Opportunities for Life Science Companies
About this Episode:
In part two of my conversation with seasoned marketing executive Dave Iannetta, we explore how life science and medtech companies must evolve their marketing strategy during the venture capital stage of funding. Unlike angel investors who often demand scientific granularity, VCs bring both capital and powerful networks—but expect startups to demonstrate growing market readiness, physician validation, and strategic focus.
Dave shares hard-earned lessons from his work in venture-backed firms, emphasizing that your messaging must shift from scientific promise to clinical credibility and commercial potential. We unpack the importance of engaging advisors early, not just as formal board members but as trusted text-message-level sounding boards. We also get into how continuous, informal feedback from KOLs and physician stakeholders strengthens your credibility with investors and sharpens your product roadmap.
Whether you're building your first advisory board or rethinking your investor pitch, this episode offers a blueprint for transforming market conversations into momentum—before your next funding milestone.
Featured Pro Tips:
One thing I’ve found while working as a Fractional Chief Marketing Officer for life science and medical device manufacturers that doesn’t get talked about enough is just how early you should start building relationships with your future KOLs. And I’m not talking about scheduling six-month advisory board meetings and waiting around for feedback. The smartest companies I’ve worked with treat those advisors more like co-conspirators—looping them in while ideas are still half-baked. Even a casual “Would this even fly in your world?” text can save months of wasted effort. It’s not formal yet, but that low-friction, ongoing cadence is what builds trust.
Another underused tactic? Taking KOLs out of the usual echo chamber. Instead of just showing them a slide deck, have them walk through your onboarding process, or react to messaging in the context of a real clinical workflow. When they experience it in the environment they actually operate in, you get feedback that’s 10x more actionable. And it signals that you care about more than their name—you care about their insight.
And here’s one more that’s deceptively powerful: co-creating early artifacts. Invite your most aligned advisors to help shape a single line of your positioning, a headline, or a product value statement. It doesn’t just make the messaging better—it builds a sense of ownership. When you eventually ask for a quote or support during a launch, they’re already invested. You're not asking them to sign off on your story—you’re asking them to amplify a story they helped shape.
For more specialized help with growth, check out my firm, Mesh.
https://meshagency.com/
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#ProductMarketFit
#HealthcareStartups