Medical device startups need a strong surgeon/clinical advisory board for providing input and feedback.  They should be incorporated early on in the design process, as scope changes at a later date can cause great delays and disrupt project budgets. The founders and management team need to create the corporate vision and goals, but the details of the product design should be reviewed by these prospective customers (surgeons).  The company should engage in regular surgeon meetings to discuss ideas and evaluate designs and prototypes.  The definition of regular surgeon meetings is your decision, but having them every quarter or biannually is advised.  These meetings can be at industry conferences (an inexpensive option as they should already be attending), at your facility, an offsite location, or even as a webinar. The surgeons must feel that they are truly involved in the development process or you will likely see a reduction in attendance for each subsequent meeting. 

The founders may have pre-conceived ideas for the details of the design as they have been involved from day one.  Because of this reason, every product needs an expert, outside opinion as to the design and functionality of the products.  Review the Founder’s Syndrome from Tip #4, as you don’t want to force feed the surgeon community your ideas, especially if they are investors.