The Think Small Podcast
Visibility Over Volume: How a 25-Person Med Device Company Competes Against The Giants (Stephanie Kent, President and CEO, Carbon Medical Technologies)
In this episode of The Think Small Podcast, Stephanie Kent, President and CEO of Carbon Medical Technologies, shares how she is leading a lean 25-person medical device company through growth, commercialization, and transformation in a highly competitive industry. She discusses Carbon Medical’s unique pyrolytic carbon technology, the challenge of competing with much larger medical device companies, and the lessons she learned when bringing Durasphere back in-house after years of distribution. Stephanie explains why having a great product isn’t enough—you also need to make sure the market understands it, and why customer research helped the company identify opportunities to improve its injection system and develop Injecture. Stephanie also dives into the realities of scaling a small company, from building strategic partnerships and using fractional expertise to expanding manufacturing capabilities and navigating regulatory challenges. She shares why small businesses can benefit from staying close to their customers, observing products in the field, building strong CEO networks, and learning from outside experts. Her biggest lesson: stay curious, listen, adapt, and don’t be afraid to change course when new information shows you a better path forward. Connect: Website: https://carbonmed.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephanie-kent-9030264
