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Charlie DeCook has exited seven medical device companies while performing 1,500 joint replacements a year — all packed into three clinical days per week. In this extended interview, he breaks down exactly how he evaluates new technologies and why he now filters every opportunity through an AI and robotics lens.

DeCook traces his entrepreneurial arc from his first venture in surgical impaction — a product that eventually sold to Johnson & Johnson and became Kincise — through to his current focus on software-driven solutions. He explains why the "jobs to be done" framework from Clayton Christensen's Innovator's Dilemma is the foundation of every product he touches, and why surgeons who skip the financial model are setting themselves up for years of pain. Along the way, he offers a candid look at how large device companies operate, including the "slow no" that strings inventor-surgeons along for months without a real commitment.

The conversation also covers the AHF Shark Tank program and what separates pitches that land from those that get eaten alive. Whether you are a surgeon sitting in the OR frustrated with an inefficiency, or a founder trying to get traction with the big three, DeCook's hard-won playbook is worth hearing in full.

⏱️ Chapters:
00:00 Meet Charlie DeCook — surgeon, serial entrepreneur
02:11 First venture: surgical impaction to Johnson & Johnson
03:29 Filtering ideas with easier, faster, better
05:22 Patient outcomes vs commercial reality in med-tech
07:43 Why cost concerns work themselves out over time
09:02 Strategic shift from hardware to AI and robotics
10:41 Finding innovation through jobs to be done in the OR
12:43 Lessons from ventures that required major pivots
14:49 Protecting IP from large device companies
17:27 Why public companies can't think past the quarter
19:02 Evaluating products beyond your own efficiency lens
21:40 What makes a winning AHF Shark Tank pitch
24:29 Common mistakes surgeon-entrepreneurs make pitching
27:17 Innovation areas the Shark Tank needs more of
29:25 Top advice for surgeons with a great OR idea
31:45 What innovation in orthopedics really means

Listen to the AHF Podcast on your preferred platform:
Buzzsprout: https://ahfpodcast.buzzsprout.com
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ahf-podcast/id1749521487
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5CrGJyvRiQFTCU3FFFVvHc
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/ahf-podcast
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@anteriorhipfoundation
Homepage: https://anteriorhipfoundation.com

This podcast is intended for educational and informational purposes only.

The content discussed does not constitute medical advice and should not be used as a substitute for professional judgment. Clinicians should rely on their own training, experience, and clinical decision-making when applying information from this discussion.

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