Surbhi Sarna, Founder of nVision Medical

Key takeaways

Experiencing personal health challenges can fuel a passion for innovation and change in healthcare.
Peer mentorship and community support are vital elements for founders, especially in challenging environments.
Raising funds as a solo female founder or in niche areas like women's health can be significantly more challenging.
Partnerships and collaborations, especially in skilled and experienced networks, are critical for success in entrepreneurship.
Continuous learning and adapting from every experience, even rejection, is key to forging a successful career.

Summary

Personal Health Journey

Surbhi Sarna shares her health journey that began with experiencing painful ovarian cysts as a teenager. Through a powerful personal story, she explains the lack of diagnostic options that forced her and her family to make difficult decisions. This experience not only led to her eventual career in women's health but also fueled her passion to innovate in the field.

Founding nVision Medical

Surbhi discusses her journey from a supportive work environment to founding nVision Medical, a company focused on ovarian cancer detection. The idea came after experiencing the inadequacies in women's health diagnostics and was spurred further by her grandmother's battle with cancer. Drawing on her scientific knowledge, she created a medical device that tackles these challenges head-on.

Challenges of Fundraising as a Solo Founder

Surbhi highlights the difficulties she faced in fundraising as a solo female founder in a predominantly male-driven industry. She shares anecdotes about investor rejection and explicit sexism she encountered, illustrating the challenges that compound when pursuing a novel concept in women's health.

The Role of Education and Experience

The conversation reflects on the importance of education and mentorship in her journey. Surbhi credits her high school teachers for shaping her understanding of science and keeping her motivated to pursue her dreams. Even navigating her transition from entrepreneur to partner at Y Combinator, she emphasizes the significance of surrounding oneself with knowledgeable individuals.

Acquisition and Commercialization Journey

Surbhi recounts the process of acquiring funding, achieving FDA clearance, and the eventual acquisition of nVision Medical by Boston Scientific for $275 million. This section highlights how she navigated the complexities of medical device commercialization and the impact of having supportive partners and investors during her journey.

Show notes

In this episode, we speak with Surbhi Sarna, founder of nVision Medical, a pioneering company in women's health diagnostics. Surbhi shares her journey from experiencing a personal health scare as a teenager to founding nVision, which developed a microcatheter for the detection of ovarian cancer. nVision was acquired by Boston Scientific for $275 million in 2018. Now a Partner at Y Combinator, Surbhi discusses her transition from founder to mentor, offering insights into the challenges of healthcare innovation. Her book, Without a Doubt, was released in 2022.