# The Journey from Idea to Success with Mike Morena of AdhereTech

- Show: [Predictable Designs Podcast](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/predictable-designs-podcast)
- Published: 2020-01-06
- Length: 37m
- Episode: 1
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/predictable-designs-podcast/2020-01-06-the-journey-from-idea-to-success-with-mike-morena-of-adheretech

## Summary

Mike Morena, co-founder of AdhereTech, explains how his team built a smart pill bottle to improve medication adherence for patients on specialty drugs. The device uses cellular connectivity (LTE-M) and sensors to track doses, sending data to a backend platform that triggers interventions like text reminders. Morena details the transition from a rough 3D-printed prototype to a mass-manufactured product, highlighting the challenges of antenna design when migrating from 3G to LTE. The company’s business model relies on recurring revenue from pharmaceutical companies for the service, rather than one-time hardware sales, which facilitated fundraising and scaling.

## Chapters

- [0:15](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/predictable-designs-podcast/2020-01-06-the-journey-from-idea-to-success-with-mike-morena-of-adheretech#t=15) Introduction: Mike Morena and AdhereTech Overview
- [6:48](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/predictable-designs-podcast/2020-01-06-the-journey-from-idea-to-success-with-mike-morena-of-adheretech#t=408) AdhereTech Business Model and Product Functionality
- [12:16](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/predictable-designs-podcast/2020-01-06-the-journey-from-idea-to-success-with-mike-morena-of-adheretech#t=736) FDA Classification and Regulatory Strategy
- [14:34](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/predictable-designs-podcast/2020-01-06-the-journey-from-idea-to-success-with-mike-morena-of-adheretech#t=874) Go-to-Market: From Walter Reed Pilot to Pharma Pilots
- [21:26](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/predictable-designs-podcast/2020-01-06-the-journey-from-idea-to-success-with-mike-morena-of-adheretech#t=1286) Founding Team Structure and Outsourcing Strategy
- [29:42](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/predictable-designs-podcast/2020-01-06-the-journey-from-idea-to-success-with-mike-morena-of-adheretech#t=1782) Hardware Development: Design Firms and RF Challenges
- [32:06](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/predictable-designs-podcast/2020-01-06-the-journey-from-idea-to-success-with-mike-morena-of-adheretech#t=1926) Antenna Design: 3G to LTE-M Migration

## Topics

- [Connected products & IoT](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/connected-products-and-iot)
- [Validation & product-market fit](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/validation-and-product-market-fit)
- [Microcontrollers & dev platforms](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/microcontrollers-and-platforms)
- [Wireless & RF](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/wireless-and-rf)
- [Starting a product company](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/starting-a-company)

## Most relevant to

early-stage companies

## Mentioned

- AdhereTech (company)
- Walter Reed National Military Medical Center (company)
- Express Scripts (company)
- AT&T (company)
- smart pill bottle (product)
- LTE-M (other)
- 3G (other)
- 510 K (other)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [240. Swallow Confirmed: Smart Pills That “Ping” From Your Stomach](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-next-byte-podcast/2026-01-27-240-swallow-confirmed-smart-pills-that-ping-from-your-stomach) (The Next Byte Podcast)
- [#028 - Meet the creators of FitBit for medication, with Peter Havas of PillDrill, USA](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-hardware-entrepreneur/2017-05-31-028-meet-the-creators-of-fitbit-for-medication-with-peter-havas-of-pilldrill-usa) (The Hardware Entrepreneur)
- [Using IoT to Distribute COVID-19 Vaccines  | Luma Health's Aditya Bansod](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/iot-for-all-podcast/2021-04-26-using-iot-to-distribute-covid-19-vaccines-luma-healths-aditya-bansod) (IoT For All Podcast)
- [S2E13 Relentless Empathy & Going Deep On Understanding The Problem | Ryan Eder](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2021-03-19-s2e13-relentless-empathy-going-deep-on-understanding-the-problem-ryan-eder) (Being an Engineer)
- [Intrapreneurship, Internal Incubation, Spinoffs, and IoT Product Development](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/over-the-air/2021-07-06-intrapreneurship-internal-incubation-spinoffs-and-iot-product-development) (Over the Air)

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