EPISODE 054
The Medtech industry appears, at times, to have a lot stacked against it.
Therefore, it’s helpful to have professionals like Kirk Nielsen who have successfully defied the odds in the past.
Nielsen parlayed a successful college hockey career at Harvard into a short career in professional hockey, including some time spent in the NHL.
A native of Grand Rapids, MN, Nielsen then followed a love of healthcare into the Medtech industry, taking the advice of one of the sector’s icons, the late Glen Nelson.
His interests then carried him west to Menlo Park when he accepted a junior position at Versant Ventures. The position didn’t include an inside track to partner, but Nielsen forged his own way.
Now, Nielsen is a managing director, leading the firm’s Medtech efforts as part of the second-generation management team heading up the venerable venture firm that formed in the late 1990s.
In this podcast, Nielsen discusses his origins, the advice he received, and the parameters he’ll be using to measure Medtech investments for Versant’s new $400 million fund.
Podcast Guest
Kirk Nielsen
Managing Director
Versant Ventures
Kirk Nielsen is a Managing Director at Versant Ventures, where he leads the firm’s med tech practice. Kirk joined Versant in 2006 from Medtronic, where he worked in sales & marketing in the company’s Cardiac Rhythm Management division. Previously, he spent time at Fluidigm (a Versant portfolio company) and he also served as a consultant at Bain & Company, where he advised clients in healthcare, private equity and other industries. Prior to his business career, Kirk was a professional hockey player. At Versant, Kirk has led or co-led investments in Biotie Therapies (public/acquired), Cameron Health (acquired), CardiAQ (acquired), Lutonix (acquired), NeuWave Medical (acquired), Sequent Medical (acquired), Zyga Technology (acquired), Ceterix Orthopaedics, Inari Medical, Metavention, Monteris Medical, Nuvaira, Respicardia and Veran Medical. Based in Minneapolis, he also leads the firm’s activities in the Midwest. Kirk graduated with a BA in Biology from Harvard College, where he won the John P. Reardon award as the school’s top scholar-athlete, and he earned an MBA from Harvard Business School, where he was a Baker Scholar.
Meet Our Host
Geoff Pardo
Geoff has been in medtech for over two decades in both operational and investment roles. He is passionate about the industry potential and sharing stories from the front lines of innovation.