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In this episode of MedTech 101, Rodney sits down with Mike Link, COO of KamiVision. The Palo Alto company has sold more than 23 million smart cameras worldwide and now applies vision AI to elder care.

Mike talks about his unusual route into tech. He went from flipping candy on the school bus to studying neuroscience, then spent a year exploring Ayurvedic medicine, and finally bet his last $1,500 on a move to San Diego. He then explains how requests from KamiVision’s home security users led to KamiCare, an AI fall detection system that supports older adults to age in place safely, both at home and in care facilities.

Timestamps

00:00 Cold open
01:03 Intro: why KamiVision hits close to home
02:00 Welcome Mike Link, COO of KamiVision
02:29 From flipping M&Ms to selling Cutco knives
03:28 Neuroscience, medicine, and a year studying Ayurveda
05:25 The last $1,500, a flight to San Diego, and falling into tech
07:49 What KamiVision does: vision AI, 23M+ devices, bootstrapped growth
09:14 From home security to elder care: the fall detection request
10:43 KamiCare and aging in place: the staffing gap in care facilities
11:42 Mike’s grandmother: four hours stuck in the garage
12:40 Beyond falls: low-cost software for thin-margin care facilities
14:38 Bringing care into the home with wearables and vitals data
16:32 How it works: discreet sensors and edge AI chips
17:30 AI filtering plus human verification for accuracy and privacy
19:23 From a fall to a notification: the alert journey
19:50 Challenge #1: configuration and non-technical installs
21:18 Challenge #2: adoption in slow-moving facilities
22:15 Challenge #3: why the home is harder than a facility
23:12 500+ home installs and the service partner model
25:04 Global footprint and expansion into Japan, the UK, and the EU
26:33 The future of aging in place: radar sensors and behavior change
30:31 Where to find Mike: CES, Shoptalk Luxe Abu Dhabi, LinkedIn

https://kamivision.com/en-us

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This episode takes MedTech 101 to Nairobi for the first time. I sit down with Derek Ngokonyo, managing director of ThatcherX, the Kenyan drone operator using hybrid VTOL aircraft to move blood samples and medical supplies across some of the country's hardest to reach regions. What started as on the ground blood donation advocacy through the Kenyan by Blood Foundation grew into a partnership with Arizona based Good Drone Company and a fleet of ten Malaika drones covering up to 1,000 kilometers on a single flight. We get into the real cost of running a drone program, the two year fight for a Kenya Civil Aviation Authority license, and why ThatcherX draws a hard line between humanitarian cargo and anything that looks like a security threat. If you want to understand how Africa is building its own answer to Zipline, this one is for you.

Timestamps

00:00 Cold open: the vision behind ThatcherX
00:37 Welcome back to MedTech 101, first episode recorded in Africa
01:01 Meet Derek Ngokonyo and ThatcherX
03:46 From an IT degree to the Kenyan by Blood Foundation
05:39 The access problem: floods, insecurity and 100km gaps
07:08 The case that sparked the pivot to drones
09:56 Zipline's $600M raise and what it means for the region
10:45 Inside Malaika: five rotors, VTOL and hybrid propulsion
13:08 Range, payload and reverse logistics
16:01 The Good Drone Company partnership and deal structure
20:14 What one drone actually costs
22:56 Training Kenya's first drone pilots
25:51 Funding, adoption and the two year licensing gauntlet
29:39 Ten drones, a new raise and local manufacturing plans
32:00 Weather, terrain and scaling payload to 150kg
34:50 The future of medical drone delivery in Kenya
41:06 Beyond healthcare: tea, radiopharma and e-commerce
42:32 Drawing the line: humanitarian use only
45:26 Closing thoughts

Website: https://thatcherx.com/

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What if you could monitor your blood glucose levels in 10 seconds, no needles, no blood, just a simple saliva test that looks like a lipstick? In this episode, Rod sits down with Luc Pierart, co-founder of LipsTech and a 30-year veteran of medical technology with over 50 patents to his name. Luc shares how his team has cracked a problem that scientists have been trying to solve since 1941, achieving 98% accuracy in a clinical trial of 180 type 2 diabetic patients using a combination of nanocarbon sensors and AI. We cover the competitive landscape, why big players like Apple and Samsung have failed at non-invasive glucose monitoring, how LipsTech is priced to reach patients in Africa and beyond, and what the regulatory road to market looks like. If you think painless, affordable glucose monitoring is still in the future, this episode will change your mind.

Timestamped Summary

[00:00] Luc opens with the headline clinical result, 98% accuracy across 180 type 2 diabetic patients, two 10-second daily tests, weekly A1C scoring and meal education feedback.

[01:39] Rod introduces the episode from Paris and frames the concept: glucose monitoring via saliva.

[03:06] Luc's background: 30+ years in product development, 50+ patents, 12 products launched, early Airpod-like tech, PK Vitality wearable CGM acquired by Withings. LipsTech born from unmet T2D need.

[05:32] IP and technology carryover, patents sold with PK Vitality; standard biochemical CGM sensor tech adapted into a novel saliva format.

[06:53] What LipsTech is in plain English, lipstick-shaped device, rub inner lips, result in 30 seconds.

[08:01] Competitive landscape: BGM finger prick (63% market share), CGM patch (€100+/month), implantables, and failed non-invasive attempts by Apple, Samsung and Google.

[11:07] Pricing: reader $49, consumable $49 for 60 reuses, roughly 4x cheaper than CGM. Reusability was the key engineering breakthrough.

[12:32] Africa distribution: strong clinician interest at SFD Lyon, blood handling concerns and CGM cost make LipsTech a natural fit for African markets.

[14:12] Fundraising: seed round targeting $2M, lab prototype to commercial product, 2027 launch target, angels over VCs, round open until end of 2025.

[17:20] Manufacturing: reader in Eastern Europe, sensor pre-series in UK then internalised to France.

[18:01] Regulatory pathway: 2027 wellness launch first, IVD Class B/Class 2 medical certification ~2 years later, FDA Q-Sub meeting planned.

[20:54] How the science works: nanocarbon sensors plus AI to overcome the ~100x lower glucose concentration in saliva vs. blood. Problem attempted since 1941, 10 patents filed.

[23:49] Future vision: multi-sensor lipstick covering glucose, cholesterol, hormones and oral cancer markers. Full home health checkup in one device within 10 years.

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