Amar Sawhney: Achieving Unparalleled Scale With A Foundation Built On Meaningful Science, Values, and Purpose
SHOW NOTES
Amar Sawhney is one of the most accomplished individuals in the realm of Medical Technology. His achievements and professional journey are unparalleled. In a conversation with Jasmeet, he recounts the path that led him to his current position. He imparts insight into effective leadership, emphasizing a life devoted to service and a keen focus on improving the healthcare system for patients. Keep a pen and paper handy to jot down his advice.
IN THIS EPISODE:
- [04:11] Amar shares his journey from childhood through university to his current position as an entrepreneur
- [09:17] Amar discusses what started his entrepreneurial path
- Learning from the challenges and benefiting from roadblocks
- [18:39] The background of a holding company and intellectual property
- [23:49] Amar talks about balancing his professional life with his personal life and what brings contentment
- [30:54] Amar shares innovations that are happening in the field of MedTech
- [36.47] Mentorship has been helpful to Amar and his response to the rapid-fire segment
Key Takeaways:
- If your business model is a holding company, you can maintain control. When you have stockholders, you can quickly lose control.
- If a leader hires good people and gives them autonomy, he can spend time building other ventures.
- Make sure that the people you partner with have the same goals and life values you do.
Guest Biography:
Dr. Amarpreet Sawhney is the CEO of Instylla, a company focused on embolic therapies for hypervascular tumors and control of hemorrhage, of Rejoni, a company developing products for preventing intrauterine scar formation; and of Pramand LLC, a company focused on developing biosurgery products. He was previously the Founder and CEO of Ocular Therapeutix, Augmenix, Confluent Surgical, and the technology founder of Focal and Access Closure. Amar’s innovations are the subject of over 120 issued and pending patents in biomaterials and bio-surgery. His inventions include several “first of a kind” surgical sealants, spacers, and drugs to be approved by the FDA, including ReSure Sealant and Dextenza for ophthalmology, DuraSeal for neurosurgery, FocalSeal for Lung surgery, Mynx for femoral puncture sealing, and SpaceOAR for prostate cancer radiotherapy. Amar and his partner Fred Khosravi have created Incept LLC, which provides a platform to support other healthcare entrepreneurs.
Amar has been recognized by several awards, including being named the “Champion of Change” by the Whitehouse and “Outstanding American by Choice” by the US Citizenship and Immigration Service. His companies and inventions have touched over 8 million patients and created over 5,000 jobs to date. He is a member of the National Academy of Sciences and a fellow of the American Institutes of Biomedical Engg.
Amar holds an M.S. and a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin and a B. Tech. in Chemical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, New Delhi.
About The Host
Jasmeet Sawhney
Jasmeet Sawhney is a life sciences industry executive, marketing leader, and serial entrepreneur with deep roots in technology and data analytics. He is currently the global head of marketing at Axtria. Jasmeet has over 20 years of experience in the life sciences domain and has helped build and scale three successful companies. He has received several company and individual awards, including Inc 500, Deloitte Fast 500, Crain’s NY Fast 50, NJBiz Fast 50, Business of the Year, SmartCEO Future 50, Top CMO, Forty Under 40, and many more.
Quotes
“So when you reach that stage of discontent, you can either sit there and blame the world and complain about the company and all the things that are wrong with the system or be positive and action-oriented and say, ‘You know what? I have tried my best to convince these folks, but they're not getting it, so it's okay, let's do something else." - Amar Sawhney
“The better way to do this is to put it into a holding company structure wherein you license the thing you will work on and raise funds for that. But don't put all the technology into the first company because eventually, it becomes not your company as more shareholders and investors are added. You become a smaller minority shareholder and cannot call the shots.” - Amar Sawhney
Leading Minds Podcast
The Leading Minds podcast by Life Sciences Voice delves deep inside the minds of the top life sciences executives, including pharmaceuticals, biotech, medical devices, consumer health, animal health, and leaders from related industries. In every episode, we meet a leader who has made a lasting impact in the life sciences industry and continues to drive the industry forward. We go beyond the name and the title to unravel their personality, their beliefs, their mission, and most importantly, to understand how their brilliant minds are changing the world for the better while fueling growth for their companies and their teams. Whether you are on a leadership path of your own, or just here to learn from the experiences of these great leaders, this is the podcast for you!
Season 1
Episodes
Episode 3
Gregory Rubert: Importance of leadership and a practical approach in product commercialization
00:32:38
