#98 The Hidden Cost of Bad MedTech Strategy: Women’s Health, Reimbursement and What Founders Miss with Jordan Pollack

Jordan Pollack, biomedical engineer, entrepreneur and CEO of Sub-Q Bionics. Jordan began his career at Boston Scientific, later founded VeinWay in Israel and is now focused on building a new treatment paradigm for lymphoedema in cancer survivors.In this episode, we explore what actually creates momentum in MedTech, from networking with intent to building the resilience needed to survive the founder journey. Jordan shares why conferences alone rarely deliver results, how warm introductions and targeted roadshows outperform generic networking and what he had to unlearn after leaving corporate structure behind to become a startup CEO. He also offers a brutally honest take on entrepreneurship, explaining why the role is not for everyone and why persistence, resilience and equanimity matter more than titles or ambition alone.We also go deep into the story behind Sub-Q Bionics and why Jordan chose to focus on lymphoedema, particularly in women recovering from cancer treatment. He explains the clinical reality of the disease, the lack of meaningful treatment options beyond maintenance, and why reimbursement, not just good technology, is often the deciding factor in whether a device company succeeds. Along the way, he shares sharp insights on women’s health being chronically underfunded, the differences between the U.S. and Israeli startup ecosystems, and why mission-led companies are far more likely to stay the course when things get hard.Timestamps[00:00:32] Why Generic Conferences Rarely Create Real MedTech Opportunity[00:02:05] How Networking Shaped Jordan’s Move from Boston Scientific to Israel[00:03:29] What Corporate MedTech Taught Him and What He Had to Unlearn[00:05:54] Why Being a Founder Is Not for Everyone[00:08:49] The Origin of Sub-Q Bionics and the Shift Toward True Disease Treatment[00:11:53] What Lymphoedema Actually Is and Why It Is So Devastating[00:14:06] Why Women’s Health Remains Underfunded and Where Innovation Is Emerging[00:18:25] Why Reimbursement Matters More Than Technology Alone[00:20:58] U.S. vs Israel: Two Very Different Startup Ecosystems[00:25:10] Balancing Founder Life, Health, Travel and RelationshipsConnect with Jordan - ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/jordan-pollack-81464827/Learn more about Sub-Q Bionics - ⁠⁠https://subqbionics.com/Get in touch with Karandeep Badwal - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/karandeepbadwal/ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow Karandeep on YouTube - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@KarandeepBadwal⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to the Podcast