# #473: The MedTech Odyssey: Bridging Academic Science to Series A Success

- Show: [Global Medical Device Podcast](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/global-medical-device-podcast)
- Published: 2026-09-21
- Length: 42m
- Episode: 473
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/global-medical-device-podcast/2026-09-21-473-the-medtech-odyssey-bridging-academic-science-to-series-a-success

## Summary

Jordi Martorell, CEO and co-founder of Aortyx, discusses his journey from mapping arterial blood flow at the Harvard-MIT Biomedical Engineering Center to raising a Series A for his Class III medical device company. He explains how Aortyx sustained its multi-year development of bioresorbable endovascular patches for aortic dissection by leveraging friends-and-family rounds, Capital Cell equity crowdfunding, and European Innovation Council (EIC) grants. Martorell details the structural challenges of managing a cap table with hundreds of retail investors via syndication and SPVs to maintain clean negotiation lines for institutional VCs. He also reflects on the realities of closing a Series A in a non-traditional VC hub, facing post-pandemic inflation, and the critical importance of resilience and visibility at conferences like LSI.

## Outline

1. Introduction: Jordi Martorell and Aortyx
2. From Academia to Entrepreneurship
3. Validating Unmet Needs and Product Concept
4. Navigating Early-Stage Funding in Spain
5. Crowdfunding and Cap Table Management
6. The Series A Odyssey and Macro Challenges
7. Regulatory Strategy and Clinical Milestones
8. Board Dynamics and Founder Resilience

## Topics

- [Fundraising & investors](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/fundraising)
- [Validation & product-market fit](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/validation-and-product-market-fit)
- [Leadership, teams & culture](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/leadership-and-culture)
- [Certification & compliance](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/certification-and-compliance)
- [Pricing, margins & unit economics](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/pricing-and-unit-economics)

## Most relevant to

companies scaling up

## Mentioned

- Aortyx (company)
- Capital Cell (tool)
- EIC Accelerator Program (other)
- Grifols (company)
- IQS (company)
- Harvard-MIT Biomedical Engineering Center (company)
- LSI (other)
- Catalonia.health (company)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [Episode 1 - The Hardware Story of Inito w/ Aayush Rai | Building a B2C medical hardware company](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-hardware-story/2024-06-26-episode-1-the-hardware-story-of-inito-w-aayush-rai-building-a-b2c-medical-hardwa) (The Hardware Story)
- [S5E8 Aaron Call | How to Find Money for MedTech Startups](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2024-02-23-s5e8-aaron-call-how-to-find-money-for-medtech-startups) (Being an Engineer)
- [017 - "Feet First" with Ahmed Zobi](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/lets-combinate/2022-01-26-017-feet-first-with-ahmed-zobi) (Let's Combinate)
- [S1E02 $1k to $25M in 12 years | Dan Kasprzyk](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2020-04-29-s1e02-1k-to-25m-in-12-years-dan-kasprzyk) (Being an Engineer)
- [S6E35 Spencer Jones | AI for Engineers, Finding Venture Capital, & Accelerating Medtech Development](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2025-08-29-s6e35-spencer-jones-ai-for-engineers-finding-venture-capital-accelerating-medtec) (Being an Engineer)

## Citing this page

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