Wednesday, November 15, 1-2 p.m. | Center Stage
The Story of nVision: From Patient to Impatient Entrepreneur
Surbhi Sarna was 13 years old when a painful cyst sent her tumbling to the ground. The next thing she remembers is waking up at the hospital. It was going to be the first of many trips. And she didn't know it then, but it was also going to be the start of her journey from becoming a patient to an impatient entrepreneur. It took months for the doctors to tell her that the cyst wasn't cancerous, and she vowed to herself that she would one day start a company dedicated to the early detection of ovarian cancer. In 2011, she did just that. Along the way, she hired a best in class team, won two FDA clearances, and completed several clinical trials. The team's work culminated in a blockbuster sale of the company, nVision, to Boston Scientific for $275M.
Surbhi Sarna is a partner at Y-Combinator and the author of Without A Doubt. Previously, she was the founder and former CEO of nVision Medical, which sold to Boston Scientific (NYSE: BSX) for $275M. nVision developed a first-in-kind microcatheter for the detection of ovarian cancer. After raising $17M in venture funding, completing three clinical trials, and obtaining two first-in-class FDA approvals, nVision was acquired by Boston Scientific for more than 15X money-in. Surbhi then stayed at Boston Scientific for two years, running the 150+ person commercial organization in preparation for launch. She is now Y-Combinator's only and first partner focused exclusively on healthtech, medical devices, and therapeutics and sits on both private and public company boards.