In this episode of Medsider Radio, we sat down with Greg Walters, co-founder & CEO of Excision Medical. Excision is developing a leaflet modification system to enable lifetime management of aortic stenosis.

Greg has almost 40 years of experience in cardiovascular devices, holding leadership roles at Kensey Nash Corporation where he led the development of Angio-Seal and several endovascular programs. He later co-founded Essential Medical, which was acquired by Teleflex in 2018, and is an inventor on more than 75 U.S. and European patents.

In this interview, Greg discusses why early-stage teams should build to learn rather than to impress, using functional prototypes to generate real feedback and fundraising momentum. He outlines how disciplined safety work — not perfection — defines first-in-human readiness, and what makes a pre-revenue company attractive to strategic acquirers.

Before we dive into the discussion, I wanted to mention a few things:

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If you'd rather read than listen, here's a link to the full interview with Greg Walters.

Building Fast Without Cutting Corners: Interview with Excision Medical CEO Greg Walters

Medsider: Learn from Medtech and Healthtech Founders and CEOs