Host Stories

In this special host episode, our podcast founder Dr. Aaron Fritts interviews BackTable innovation co-hosts Dr. Eric Gantwerker and Dr. Bryan Hartley about their own entrepreneurial journeys, lessons they’ve learned along the way, and how they joined our podcast.

Dr. Gantwerker explains his interest in medical education and gamified learning. He describes his decision to pursue a master’s degree in Medical Education at Harvard Medical School after he finished his pediatric ENT fellowship. In Boston, he was able to learn about game-based learning and the evolving landscape of medical education. Upon graduating his program, he was presented with an opportunity to serve as a subject matter expert consultant for his current company, Level Ex. Though it was a tough choice, he decided to split his time between clinical practice and business development for Level Ex. He currently serves as the company’s Medical Director, a role that allows him to be cross-functional and horizontally integrated in all departments.

Dr. Hartley shares about his interventional radiology background and why he felt a pull towards entrepreneurship and the Stanford Biodesign fellowship. The program’s structure helped him and his teammates identify a clinical need, innovate solutions, and implement a business plan. His experience in the program has culminated in the founding of Pulmera, a device company focused on innovating novel technologies to improve the diagnosis of early stage lung cancer.

All the hosts agree that sufficient clinical experience is key to refining product-market fit. Having subject matter expertise helps physicians develop their ideas and gain confidence in their product. Additionally, building a reputation in their clinical specialty is helpful for fundraising purposes.

Finally, we discuss the difference between formal and informal learning. While the former pathway can help entrepreneurs generate ideas and build networks, the latter pathway is ideal for entrepreneurs who already have product ideas and funding. We highlight former podcast guests who pursued each of these strategies.