During LSI USA ’26, industry experts discussed a hurdle that many new medical technology firms face: creating a brand that delivers clinical benefit, gains trust and sets the company apart in a saturated marketplace. In the panel, If You Don’t Create Your Brand, Your Market (or Competitors) Will, experts shared their insights into why it is important for companies to begin thinking about medtech branding long before the product hits the market and to the extent that positioning, messaging and evidence decisions made early on can impact a company’s long-term growth.
Alluvia Studio’s CEO Rachel Knutton moderated the dialogue, which also included Amanda DePalma, SVP of Ultrasound Global Marketing, at Siemens Healthineers and Terri Burke, Senior Partner at Intuitive Ventures. During their discussion at LSI Dana Point, they emphasized the link between brand strategy, product development, understanding customers, investor confidence and commercial readiness.
The strategy of a brand always comes before the visual identity.
The concept of branding beginning with a logo, colors or website was one of the main topics of the panel. Burke said the bedrock of a brand is to know the business itself, the problem it solves, its value proposition and the attributes that set it apart from the competition.
“For me, it’s more than just a logo and colors; it’s a brand.” When I consider brand, I consider anything that happened prior to that. What is the issue that you are addressing? What is your offering, or value proposition? How are you standing? What is unique?”
These questions are particularly relevant for start-up companies with new technologies in new and established clinical fields. Even the most promising innovations can have trouble explaining the benefits and who is going to gain from using it if it’s not positioned.
Establish Your Position BEFORE you enter the Market.
Knutton said that Alluvia Studio’s process of branding is “define, refine, shine.” It starts with clarifying the firm’s identity, its target group, its values, and its market opportunity; it then involves a process of clarifying the message and building its visual language.
This first round is especially significant for startups as it provides investors with insight into the company and its potential, emphasized Burke.
Of course, the most crucial thing a startup can do and spend time on is the define phase, it’s who you are, what value you’re providing and why an investor should care,” Burke said.
A strong brand story can assist the founder in telling the story beyond the technology itself what the problem is, why it matters, and how the proposed solution might impact.
But the idea of positioning shouldn’t be a “one and done” statement created in isolation. Burke urged companies to experiment on the message with customers and physicians, and then tweak it accordingly based on the results.
“Just test it out with some customers and talk to some physicians and determine if it resonates or not resonates?” “This may require adjustments along the way.”
The concept can be applied to companies involved in the wider medtech VC ecosystem. Investors should know what the opportunity is, to whom the product is targeted, and the evidence that backs up the company’s claims. While a compelling story is important to communicate this opportunity, it needs to be based on a realistic development and commercialization plan.
Business values turn into business decisions because of consistency.
The greater the company grows, the harder it is to keep the message the same. It’s possible that various teams will give a different definition of the product, its value proposition and the company’s mission, creating confusion amongst customers and investors about what the business is actually about.
The brand messaging must be clear and easy for everyone in the company to understand and pass on, DePalma noted.
“It seems sort of soft and fuzzy, but it will differentiate you,” Knutton said. Knowing yourself, knowing what you are about, what you want, what you value, what you care about, what you don’t, what drives you, etc. does help you make decisions.
This consistency can be especially important for medtech startups when communicating with clinicians, distributors, investors, and/or potential acquirers. Positioning ensures that stakeholders know what the company is about and what they can reasonably hope to get from the company.
Do not differentiate for technical features only.
The other significant takeaway was that a company must step into the market with a position that it can own.
Burke gave an example from her experience at Edwards of developing the Edwards Intuity valve. Competitors were using the term “sutureless” to refer to similar products, but the team realised that this wasn’t the most effective way of conveying the most compelling value of this product.
Linking brand claims to clinical evidence.
Medical technology is not just about effective communication; it’s about maintaining brand credibility. Businesses also need to determine how they will prove out the claims they make about their products.
Early in product development, DePalma suggested getting a claims matrix going to ensure messaging is tied to clinical evidence and the company’s regulatory path.
“In medtech, it has to be done early, you have to have the evidence to say these things,” DePalma said. Early is the time it has to be defined, locked in and everyone working on it to deliver ultimately.
Take Ownership of Your Company’s Story
The title of the panel hinted at its larger message: companies will create a market identity, whether or not they are active in their creation. If there is no story, then customers and competitors might create one for the business.
“If you don’t think about it, if you don’t have a place that you want to stand in the space, then someone else is going to do it for you,” DePalma said. “You will have to spin a yarn for your competition.”
Creating a Brand that Supports Long-Term Growth.Creating a Brand that Supports Long-Term Growth.
The conversation at LSI Dana Point again made it perfectly clear that branding is a business practice, not a makeover. It enables companies to define their mission, determine market positioning, get everyone on the same page and deliver value in a way that customers and investors can understand.
For medtech startups, the best course of action is to start early, test hypotheses against the individuals and communities they hope to benefit, and make sure that every claim has a sound strategy for evidence generation.
Key Takeaways
- The first step to medtech branding is to have a clear value proposition, a target audience, and a believable story about what sets a company apart.
- It is important for any medtech startup to be able to consistently articulate the purpose to clinicians, customers, employees, investors and strategic partners, and early positioning is important here.
- The brand promise should be consistent with the clinical evidence, regulatory demand and what the company is able to substantiate claims with.
- Strong positioning emphasizes the customer benefit instead of just product attributes and competitive comparisons.