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Too often we define the Medtech sector by the number of dollars raised, IPOs helped or companies sold. But the focus neglects the very foundation of the sector - the People. Join the Medtech Talk Podcast each week to hear from entrepreneurs, investors and executives who spend their days developing the tools that make sick people well and health care more efficient.

Shyam Natarajan, CEO and Founder of Avenda Health, Explains How the Start-Up is Gaining Momentum

April 21, 2019

In this episode of the MedtechTalk Podcast, we talk with Shyam Natarajan, PhD, founder and CEO of Avenda Health, a company using imaging, AI and focal lasers to create a better treatment for prostate cancer. The company’s original co-founders – Natarajin and Dr. Leonard Marks - started working on the company in earnest five years ago, but recently has begun getting real traction and making big moves. Natarajan talks about the company’s origins, its unusual fundraising path, and its relatively short path to potential FDA Approval.

Shyam Natarajan

Co-Founder & CEO

Avenda Health

Shyam Natarajan is Co-founder and CEO of Avenda Health, a clinical-stage healthcare technology company focused on personalized prostate cancer treatment. He is also an Assistant Adjunct Professor in the UCLA Departments of Urology and Bioengineering. Prior to Avenda, he led research efforts in developing image-guided interventions for prostate cancer at the Center for Advanced Surgical and Interventional Technology (CASIT) and has authored more than 50 peer-reviewed publications. His work was instrumental in the clinical translation and commercialization of targeted prostate biopsy. Additionally, Dr. Natarajan served as a Program Manager in the Business of Science Center, launching campus initiatives in entrepreneurship such as Innovation Week and Inventathon, Southern California’s first healthcare hackathon. He received a BS in Computer Engineering and BA in Japanese from UC Santa Barbara, and a PhD in Biomedical Engineering from UCLA, where he also completed postdoctoral work within the Department of Surgery.