Medtech start-ups like
Fractyl Laboratories can inspire with promising technologies that may someday cut down diabetes.
But those stories run on capital, not optimism.
Last month, Fractyl filled its cash tank with a $44 million Series D round coming from new investors including GV, True Ventures, and IDO Investments as well as an undisclosed investor.
In this interview, co-founder and CEO
Harith Rajagopalan, MD, PhD, discusses how much time he commits to raising new rounds of capital. As CEO, “you and you alone have to make sure you have enough cash in the bank to achieve your objective,” he says.
Dr. Rajagopalan also:
- Offers advice to Medtech CEOs pitching their own fund-raising story.
- Discusses the importance of building the right board of directors. In November, Fractyl announced the addition of Sen. William W. Bradley and Dr. John Amatruda to the company’s board of directors. How does a high-profile board support a Medtech CEO?
- Updates us on Fractyl’s clinical progress.
- Explains the company’s connection to the influential diabetes patient community.
Harith Rajagopalan, MD, PhD
Co-Founder & CEO
Fractyl Laboratories, Inc.
Dr. Harith Rajagopalan is Co-Founder and CEO of Fractyl, having started the company while serving as an Entrepreneur-in-Residence at General Catalyst Partners. Prior to founding Fractyl, Harith was an academic cardiologist and physician-scientist. He received his B.S. in Chemistry from Stanford University and went on to obtain M.D. and Ph.D. degrees from Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. At Johns Hopkins, Harith did groundbreaking and award-winning research on intestinal cancers that was published in top medical journals, including Nature and Science. After medical school, Harith trained in internal medicine and clinical cardiology at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and completed a research fellowship at Harvard Medical School.
