Greg Coticchia

Founders build companies. Ecosystems build founders. 🚀 Behind every "overnight success" is a powerhouse of support, the people who provide the capital, the coaching, and the connections to bridge the gap from a raw idea to a fundable venture. The Reed Smith LLP ROCKY Award by Tech Coast Venture Network (TCVN) is our way of recognizing these pillars of our community. As a Founder’s Choice Award, it is unique because the winners are chosen by the entrepreneurs themselves and the TCVN board. Who we celebrate: We honor the "rock-solid" individuals who help founders become investor-ready, including: * Angel Investors: For providing the critical early-stage belief and capital. * Mentors & Advisors: For guiding founders through the highs and lows of the journey. * Community Champions: For building the infrastructure that makes our ecosystem thrive. By honoring our champions, we ensure the next generation of innovators has a foundation to build upon. Watch this video for a behind the scenes look at the pre-show set up. 👉 Want to see who's leading the way? Check out the full press list to see this year's incredible winners and nominees. #TCVN #ReedSmith #StartupEcosystem #AngelInvestors #Mentorship #FoundersFirst #CommunityChampions

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Most startups die trying to get what an existing business already has — Customers Cash flow Systems Brand trust Why start from zero when you can buy from momentum? Buy a business doing $500K–$2M in revenue. Leverage seller financing, SBA, or private capital. Keep the team, fix the margins, and scale. It’s not about being an entrepreneur anymore. It’s about being an acquirer. Startups are hope. Acquisitions are math. And math wins. 🦈

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This week on the Tacos & Tech Podcast, we go deep with Jared Tangney, co-founder of Biolinq. After a decade of R&D, Biolinq’s microneedle sensor is now FDA-cleared - measuring glucose, lactate, and cortisol with massive implications for how we monitor health. From soldering at 10 to raising from Mark Cuban off a Mailchimp signup - Jared’s story is a masterclass in building real tech that lasts. Listen in: https://lnkd.in/gq3AK8fq

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👉 The Four Critical Areas Every DSO and Group Practice Should Be Focusing On in Q3. It’s not too late to prep for the AI shifts coming. In today’s market, the DSOs seeing the greatest success are zeroing in on four key areas. Once these foundations are in place, layering in AI and new technology can create a lasting, positive boost to your profit margins. 1️⃣ Production Per Visit – Maximize every patient appointment by optimizing diagnosis, case acceptance, and treatment efficiency. Adding in new services like vVARDIS Curodont for a first response, GLO Science whitening to support restorative and cosmetic treatment plans, HuFriedyGroup's bio film disruption paired with Oral Genome testing, and Clear Aligner therapy paired with Two Front. 2️⃣ Team Satisfaction – Happy teams deliver better care. Reducing burnout and turnover is essential for stability and growth. Look to solutions like DifferentKind to get a pulse on your practice and restructure accordingly. A team that knows their "why" and is focused on patient care, will be the team that lasts in this economy. 3️⃣ Schedule Fallout – No-shows and last-minute cancellations kill momentum. Strong recall systems, patient engagement, and proactive scheduling are your safety net. You need to disrupt your current scripts. Teams must change the timing of confirmations, the phone calls and the messaging- Authenticity is key, caring is paramount, and the recare schedules that are closer in to the visit date are proving effective when combined with an outbound call to remind your patient. Consider SupportDDS for a quality system for recare calls. 4️⃣ The Mechanics – Old sensors, outdated equipment, and fragmented tech stacks slow your practice down. The future lies in all-in-one solutions—integrated platforms with AI capabilities that bring clinical, operational, and financial workflows together. Too quickly we have placed the metrics ahead of the mechanics, if your systems aren't built properly the overlay of AI will not work efficiently and will actually harm your patient outcomes. Signing up for Pearl and OVERJET without quality xray equipment like Jazz Imaging results in a garbage in, garbage out AI detection. We have to raise the standards in Q3 to be ready for the next level of AI coming, this includes your PMS. The message is clear: technology isn’t optional anymore, it’s the backbone of efficiency, patient experience, and profitability. If you’re still running on disconnected systems, it’s time to rethink these key 4 operations before it starts costing more than it saves. Remember, garbage in = garbage out. #Dentists #DSOs #Q3Dental #CoreFocus #Growthin2025

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Churn wasn't the problem. It was the symptom. A PE-backed digital health company was approaching exit. Six-month revenue churn had climbed from 6.7% to 14.2% across 6,000+ SMB customers. Leadership assumed onboarding was the issue. Not entirely true. The real problem: one engagement model applied to every customer, regardless of value. Lower-value accounts consumed disproportionate effort. Higher-value accounts couldn't reach value fast enough. Margins eroded. Churn followed. We didn't just address churn. We redesigned the model. → Onboarding: 90 days → 30  → Team: 16 FTEs → 8 on scaled operations  → ~90% adoption at graduation  → $1.5M in-year efficiency gains  → Retention improved 2%+ before the valuation event For PE-backed companies, elevated churn isn't an ops issue. It's a valuation risk. Full case study → https://lnkd.in/gxEPTFr3

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How do founder-builders compound through acquisitions without creating chaos? Founder-led acquisitions compound when you connect Operating Cadence to Acquisition Cadence—then rebaseline the combined business fast. The goal isn’t “close the deal.” It’s “operate tighter after the deal” with one version of truth, clear owners, and a repeatable rhythm. Builder Flywheel: Baseline operating truth (owners + definitions) Run cadence weekly (CRAID) Maintain a living target pipeline (always screening) Screen fast (fit rules + kill criteria) Diligence with evidence (not opinions) Integrate Day 1/30/90 (planned pre-close) Rebaseline the combined entity (same cadence) Which step breaks first for you—target flow, screening, or integration? Connect with us to bring visibility, clarity and action that will improve your capital return on your next aquisition.

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MedTech fundraising is tough, but it doesn’t have to be confusing. Too many startups focus on the science and leave fundraising strategy as an afterthought. The result? Costly mistakes, tough term sheets, and lost investor confidence. We put together this practical fundraising guide for MedTech founders covering: -Which funding options make sense early -How to navigate Angels vs. VCs -What every pitch deck must include -What investors really check in due diligence -How to plan your exit early The right strategy can mean the difference between a successful raise and months of frustration. Ready to get investor-ready? Book your FREE 30-min consultation with Adnan Ashfaq: https://simplimedica.com/ #MedTech #Fundraising #Startups #RegulatoryAffairs #MedicalDevices #HealthcareInnovation

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