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
De-Risk and Master Phase Zero | Aaron Joseph & Russ Singleton
Work with Bill: https://meshagency.com/lets-connect/
- Aaron Joseph https://www.linkedin.com/in/ajosephprofile/
- Russ Singleton https://www.linkedin.com/in/russellsingleton/
Here’s the link to their blog series: https://www.mpo-mag.com/author/russell-m-singletonrodmaneditors-mpo-com/
00:00 Introduction and guest bios (Aaron Joseph & Russ Singleton)
01:40 Backgrounds in medtech, compliance, and product development
03:40 What is Phase Zero in medical device development?
05:30 Why skipping Phase Zero leads to compliance & product failures
07:00 The physician-inventor dilemma: “I am my own customer”
10:30 Early adopters vs. mainstream market realities
13:00 Phase Zero on steroids: knowledge-building, risk reduction, and planning
19:00 Success through feasibility checks, fail-fast pivots, and market validation
25:00 Jobs-to-Be-Done, customer discovery, and avoiding founder bias
41:00 Practical advice for clinicians and teams starting innovation journeys
50:30 Final thoughts: passion, customer focus, and long-term impact
Medtech veterans and co-authors/thought leaders Aaron Joseph (Sunstone Pilot) and Russ Singleton unpack “phase zero on steroids”—the disciplined, pre-development work that de-risks science, validates real jobs-to-be-done, and sets your regulatory and reimbursement strategy before you write a line of code. Expect war stories, practical frameworks, and the permission to cancel projects early (that’s a win).
Most early-stage device teams rush into development and end up paying for it in rework, delays, or regulatory dead ends. In this episode, I chat with Aaron Joseph—principal consultant at Sunstone Pilot—and Russ Singleton—results-driven medtech executive and company builder. Aaron and Russ show you how to run Phase Zero on Steroids.
Three Tactics to Make Your Phase 0 Worthwhile
Russ and Aaron have three key takeaways for your med-tech journey pre-development, all with the promise of reducing headaches when executed properly.
Front-Load Truth, Not Features.
Begin Phase Zero by naming the job-to-be-done in one plain sentence and testing it with a representative set of users—not just top-5% surgeons. Pair a market-ear with a technology-ear in every interview to capture both desirability and feasibility. Write down kill criteria (technical, clinical, regulatory, economic) you’ll honor. If you hit them, pivot or stop. Canceling early is a success that preserves runway.
Make Science a Workstream with Exit Gates.
Treat unknowns like experiments: define the question, the method, the success threshold, and the next decision. Time-box these studies and document what you learn so results flow directly into design inputs. In parallel, map regulatory strategy (e.g., 510(k) vs PMA), evidence requirements (clinical/usability/electrical safety/sterilization), and reimbursement hypotheses. Often the fastest market path is a tight v1.0 with limited indications that establishes a regulatory baseline.
Design for Adoption Across Four Buyers.
You’re not just convincing a clinician—you’re convincing a system. Quantify switching costs and plan proof that speaks to (1) the user, (2) the hospital/economic buyer, (3) the payer/reimbursement gate, and (4) internal champions. Build your go-to-market around early centers that match your first winning application, then expand indications. Keep Phase Zero lean but funded: small, passionate core team; targeted outside experts; a 5-page plan that a VC—or your own GM—can say yes to.
Want help turning messy early insights into a crisp strategy, message, and launch plan? Bring in a Fractional CMO. https://meshagency.com/fcmo-fractional-cmo-fractional-marketing/
#MedTech #MedicalDevices #healthcareinnovation