Prior to joining AliveCor Vic Gundotra served as Senior Vice President reporting to Google’s CEO Larry Page. He wore multiple hats managing roles ranging from mobile application development to social initiatives. Before working at Google, Vic had already spent 15 years in the software world while at Microsoft. It was during his time there that he was recognized by MIT as a “Young Innovator under 35” for his work in sparking Microsoft’s change from Win32 to the .NET programming model.
AliveCor is continuing to stay at the helm of mobile heart monitoring, announcing today that they are launching a medical-grade electrocardiogram (ECG) product called Kardia Band for the Apple Watch. We asked Mr. Gundotra about his tenure as CEO, what the new announcement means for his company, and where he sees AliveCor heading in the future:
Tom Fowler, Medgadget: Congratulations on becoming the AliveCor CEO last November. What is the biggest development that has changed AliveCor since you have been CEO?
Vic Gundotra: The biggest development has been the hiring of a new world class leadership team. Frank Petterson and Simon Prakash who both just recently left executive engineering positions at Google, and Doug Biehn who leads our commercial efforts after leaving Relay Health. Today, we also just launched our latest product called Kardia Mobile and Kardia Band for the Apple Watch. Check out our website to learn more at AliveCor.com.
Medgadget: As someone with extensive leadership experience in software companies, in what ways do you find working for a medical technology company to be different from the environments at Microsoft and Google?
Vic Gundotra: This is a highly regulated industry. Getting a 510k isn’t easy. So we have to be very thoughtful about the claims we make and ensure they are backed up with clinical trials and science.
Medgadget: Do you use your AliveCor often? What is the main demographic that the company targets for these devices?
Vic Gundotra: I use my Kardia mobile device daily! My family has a history of cardiac issues, and while I’m in great health, I use my Kardia device to give me peace of mind and track my heart health over time.
Medgadget: What three common pitfalls warnings would you pass on to individuals that are starting careers in the medical technology sector?
Vic Gundotra: I’m not sure I’m qualified to give that advice as I’ve just started a few months ago!
Medgadget: If we gave you $1 billion to work on any project, what would you do with it?
Vic Gundotra: I’d likely spend the money on what we at AliveCor are doing already. Heart disease is the world’s number one killer of men and women. Yes, more than even cancer. Building tools that can help save lives from this killer is an important pursuit and one I’m personally very passionate about!
Flashback: Kardia ECG Band for Apple Watch Unveiled