Making US Connections for Australian Medtech Companies – Frank Jaskulke Visit
11 May 2023
Next week we are welcoming back Medical Alley Association's Frank Jaskulke to Australia, to take part in a number of events in Perth, Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney. Frank will be sharing his expertise with the sector on cracking the US medtech market.
Frank is head of Medical Alley Starts and Medical Alley Global, and has helped hundreds of companies to find partners, investors, key talent, and other resources they need to advance their business. He has particular expertise in entry strategies for the US market.
Medical Alley is a region in Minnesota that is home to the world’s most concentrated health technology cluster made up of medical device, biopharmaceutical, diagnostic and digital health industry leaders. It is the birthplace of the modern medical device and a hot spot of innovation. The Medical Alley Association is a non-profit organisation that is dedicated to accelerating healthcare innovation and fostering the growth of medical technology companies.
MTPConnect has a long-standing relationship with Medical Alley and Frank, who has served on the MTPConnect BioMedTech Horizons Steering Committee since 2020 and is involved with MTPConnect's Clinical Translation and Commercialisation Medtech (CTCM) Program.
MTPConnect’s CEO Stuart Dignam spoke about the strong relationship between both organisations.
“Last year at the Medtech Conference in Boston we signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Medical Alley Association of Minnesota, to work closely together to support the growth of medtech companies in Australia. Minnesota is one of the biggest medtech clusters in the world and this MoU and Frank’s visit is about making the right connections for Australian medtech companies and start-ups seeking to access the US market," said Mr Dignam.
“International connections have never been so important for companies look to commercialise their innovations to a global market,” he said.
Perth Launch
For those in Perth, our WA Life Sciences Innovation Hub is hosting Frank at a sold-out WA Spotlight Series event on Monday 15 May at RSM Australia. Frank will share insights into developing US Market Strategy. While in Perth, MTPConnect’s Chair Jaala Pulford and CEO Stuart Dignam will introduce Frank to representatives of WA Government and WA universities to discuss developing innovation ecosystems.
Adelaide Visit
Frank will then travel to Adelaide where he will be a guest speaker at the ARIIA Conference ‘Facing the Future: Aged Care 2030 & Beyond’ on 16 May to discuss “Modern Day Ageing in the USA”.
South Australian-based medtech researchers, entrepreneurs and commercialisation professionals are invited to attend a seminar to hear Frank discuss “US Medtech Insights – Strategies for Entering the US Medtech Market”, on 17 May at Tonsley Innovation District. Topics to be covered include why Medical Alley is global powerhouse, FDA and US reimbursement, emerging technology trends and more.
Melbourne Mingle
From there he heads to Melbourne on Thursday to catch up with awardees of MTPConnect’s Clinical Translation and Commercialisation Medtech Program, an MRFF-funded initiative, and to meet with the CTCM Investment Panel.
Sydney Stopover
Heading to Sydney on Friday 19 May, we have arranged for Frank to spend time with some of the NSW-based companies heading to the BIO Convention in Boston next month to help with their preparations, and to share insights on setting up US operations.
And he will connect with other companies participating in the REDI-supported Health 10X Accelerator led by The George Institute and UNSW, who are looking to delve into the US market. We have also teamed up with the NSW Health Office of health and Medical Research to extend this invitation to recipients of the NSW Health Medical Devices Fund, and awardees from our BMTH and TTRA programs.
All in all, it’s going to be an interesting week for the medtech sector around Australia.