Jason Scherer is the CEO of VitaTek. He provides expertise in all matters of leading the business, whether it be experience in bringing medical device products to market, high growth sales strategies, operations, international connections, company direction, sales leadership and processes, or access to capital. Has been a part of the NeuWave acquisition by Johnson and Johnson for $350 million and Auris’ acquisition by Johnson and Johnson for $5.6 billion.
What is VitaTek?
VitaTek is the ONLY medical device manufacturer that provides A to Z services in house. R&D, rapid prototyping weekly, user testing, FDA regulatory, die mold tooling, clean room full assembly, sterile barrier packaging, contract manufacturing, ETO sterilization, and sterilization coordination, distribution, and medical device sales team.
What was your professional journey that led you to working for VitaTek?
I was a part of three medical device exits: Gyrus ACMI to Olympus, NeuWave to Johnson & Johnson, and Auris to Johnson & Johnson. I decided that I was going to make my own medical devices. After working through various companies in the development cycle, I realized I was burning money with each group along the way. There was no incentive to be fast or efficient. I asked Rich Thompson to create Vita Group. Vita Group provides 6 months: Weekly Rapid Prototyping, IP Analysis, COGS Analysis, Regulatory Analysis, and Strategic Business Plan. Thirty-four medical projects have gone through incubation. VitaTek has invested in nine medical projects. Two medical projects are FDA cleared and being sold in the USA.
Now we have full die mold tooling capabilities and full contract manufacturing capabilities. We decided to purchase 10 ETO Sterilization units to do all our own sterilization in house. Now VitaTek is the ONLY medical device manufacturer that provides A to Z services in house.
Can you share some things your organization has done that you are most proud of?
We allow medical device companies engineers to be on our production floor working side by side with our engineers to make sure their product comes to market as fast as possible. VitaTek is extremely proud of our FIRST medical device products in the market and currently being trialed at Mayo Clinic.
Lastly, VitaTek is proud of putting all the puzzle pieces together. No one in the entire country has put all the pieces together.
What motivates you as a leader?
The motivation is this internal flame of medical device development companies in the marketplace taking advantage of medical device companies. This directly effects employees’ lives and ultimately patients’ lives! I fight daily for making sure technology gets out to market for employees and patients.
What advice would you give to aspiring healthcare leaders who are looking to make an impact in this industry?
Do something no one else is doing. Do it better. Disrupt the standard. The ultimate goal is making sure doctors and patients have a better outcome. PERIOD.
How do you see the healthcare industry changing in the next 5-10 years, and what is your organization doing to stay ahead of those changes?
The paradigm shift in healthcare is not just another trinket or widget. The medical device must save time, provide better patient experience, and better patient outcomes. The medical device industry is a hard industry to play in. I believe there will be a massive consolidation of different parts of the development process into one entity. Like VitaTek. We are the first in the USA to do that. The reason is healthcare costs have exploded and a part of the reasoning is you have 5-10 different companies you must work with to bring a medical device to market. Thus the cost of the product goes up significantly. VitaTek provides everything A to Z in house providing efficiencies, cost savings, and speed to market.
What do you see as the biggest opportunity and challenge facing the healthcare industry in Medical Alley?
A huge advantage of the healthcare industry in Medical Alley is the concentration of medical device companies, research institutions, and healthcare providers in the region. It presents a unique opportunity for collaboration and innovation. As for challenges, the healthcare industry continuously faces regulatory hurdles and complexities that are constantly evolving. Navigating these regulations and adapting to changes while maintaining innovation can be really challenging for medical device developers and healthcare providers in Medical Alley.
What are your hobbies or things you enjoy doing when not at work?
Playing any competitive sport. Hanging with the family. I enjoy playing board games with them or mario brothers or going on our family vacations.
What is your favorite thing about the Medical Alley community?
Medical Alley does a fantastic job on including everyone and anyone. Do a great job on providing networking events. Provide lots of options to connect in the Minnesota ecosystem. I truly do enjoy Medical Alley. I appreciate all you guys do. I know how hard it is and I appreciate your hard work. Thank you.
