How Resource Constraints Can Enhance Your Development Process: Interview with Reia CEO Kaitlin Maier

In this episode of Medsider Radio, we sat down with Kaitlin Maier, co-founder and CEO of Reia. Reia has developed a self-managed pessary — a collapsible device that empowers women to treat pelvic organ prolapse comfortably and independently. A mechanical engineering graduate of Dartmouth, Kaitlin previously worked at Sherpa Technology Group, developing patent strategies for leading life science and technology firms. In this conversation, Kaitlin shares how she and her co-founders turned a student project into an FDA-cleared product using resource constraints as a design advantage. She explains how to turn FDA feedback into forward momentum, why running an NIH-funded randomized controlled trial (RCT) strengthened both credibility and confidence, and how non-dilutive funding can buy the time and control founders need to build on their own terms.Before we dive into the discussion, I wanted to mention a few things:First, if you’re into learning from medical device and health technology founders and CEOs, and want to know when new interviews are live, head over to Medsider.com and sign up for our free newsletter.Second, if you want to peek behind the curtain of the world's most successful startups, you should consider a Medsider premium membership. You’ll learn the strategies and tactics that founders and CEOs use to build and grow companies like Silk Road Medical, AliveCor, Shockwave Medical, and hundreds more!We recently introduced some fantastic additions exclusively for Medsider premium members, including playbooks, which are curated collections of our top Medsider interviews on key topics like capital fundraising and risk mitigation, and 3 packages that will help you make use of our database of 750+ life science investors more efficiently for your fundraise and help you discover your next medical device or health technology investor!In addition to the entire back catalog of Medsider interviews over the past decade, premium members also get a copy of every volume of Medsider Mentors at no additional cost, including the latest Medsider Mentors Volume VII. If you’re interested, go to medsider.com/subscribe to learn more.Lastly, if you'd rather read than listen, here's a link to the full interview with Kaitlin Maier.