Final day of The MIT Bootcamps

Today is the final day of the MIT Bootcamps. If you've been following my journey in the previous newsletters, you'll know how enriching this experience has been.

If you haven't, I suggest checking out the previous days to understand what it's all about.

Day 1: NIDA MIT Bootcamp is SUD

Day 2: Exploring Commercialisation

Day 3: Go to market

Today is the final day.

Time flies when you have only 4 days to understand a problem, come up with a solution, and pitch it in simple terms. For me, beyond just an idea, it’s always about the team. You might wonder, how do you, in such a short period, build a team, trust, and an understanding of each other's strengths and limitations? But most of all, how do you create a team culture that brings out the best in each other to tackle one of public health's most wicked problems: substance misuse?

This is exactly what I want to share with you - 3 things successful teams have. Having participated in many datathons and hackathons, I’ve picked up some lessons. But first, today was not complete without hearing from Nance Dicciani, founder of RTM Vital Signs, and getting a quick overview of the pitches presented. And yes, relax, I promise I’ll reveal the winner and, maybe, something even more interesting for you.

RTM Vital signs case study

MIT Bootcamps introduced us to Nance Dicciani, co-founder of RTM Vital Signs. Seeing a woman leading in biomedical innovation is refreshing, as this field is so male-dominated. She talked about her medical device for measuring respiratory rate, an important but often underrated indicator in healthcare. The design is smart but may face challenges in certain patient groups. I’m curious about the future for hospitals and which devices will win the favour of patients, nurses, but most probably reimbursements.

What is all about...

Moving from nursing care to innovation and biomedical products has made me realize that improving care and outcomes is not always the core goal - the challenge is to commercialize it. If you can’t find a way to commercialize, there is no product.

When building medical devices, it's crucial to consider the problems you're aiming to solve, their complexity, liability risks, and competition. It’s not just about having a good product; it's about getting reimbursement, network, competition, and funding. You have to carefully consider these areas to have the best chance of success.

The final presentations

Were we also successful in finding solutions for the complex problem of SUD? It’s time to hear the final presentations. I always enjoy seeing the development of teams and their initial pitches compared to their final presentations. We always have some surprises. Solutions from clinical services to wellness apps and medical devices were presented. It’s amazing what can be achieved in just a few days with the right teams.

So, what 3 lessons can I share with to succeeded as a team?

1. The simpler and clearer the idea, the more likely you are to win. Complex solutions might seem practical, but they often fail to connect with people and generally don't win. If you want to win, pick a simple idea, communicate it clearly, and make it relatable to your audience.
2. Often, the team that struggles the most throughout the bootcamps ends up winning. These teams can change and learn fast, exploring other ideas when things aren't working. This was the case at this bootcamp with a team that developed a medical device to minimize cravings - an excellent idea, and I’m looking forward to hearing more about their project.
3. Egos can destroy teams, especially in healthcare. Team dynamics are crucial when building ideas in such a short time. People need to understand that for a team to work, establishing trust and getting to know what each person brings to the team is very important, as is understanding what can be achieved together.

About our team:

Our team won the second prize, which is not bad at all, BUT:

• We missed having a viable business model from the start
• Our harm reduction solution is somewhat controversial

I am grateful to have worked with such a fantastic team; it was well balanced in terms of skills and experience. Compared to previous hackathons and bootcamps, this one was the most enjoyable. The experience and prior entrepreneurial know-how made a huge difference.

I’m grateful to be part of such an incredible network. Thanks to all at The MIT Bootcamps and NIDA for such an amazing program. Honestly, it was one of the best programs I’ve been a part of. I'm sure many of you would benefit from this too.

Now, for the surprise:

If you’re interested in developing biomedical products for substance misuse, subscribe to the MIT Bootcamps email list. More programs will be available soon. NIDA also offers other interesting programs and support for those passionate about this field. NIDA’s team is incredibly passionate about helping people find solutions to complex problems like this.

Here's the link for more resources: