Samsara Vision President & CEO Thomas Ruggia

In this episode of the CEO Podcast, host Clint sits down with Tom, the CEO and President of Samsara Vision, a groundbreaking medical device company specializing in vision restoration. Tom shares his incredible journey from a personal trainer to leading a company that is transforming lives with its innovative implantable miniature telescope for patients with age-related macular degeneration. Timestamps: 00:00 - Introduction 00:09 - Tom's background and career journey 00:42 - Overview of Samsara Vision and its mission 02:02 - The technology behind the SING-IMT 04:03 - Launching the SING-IMT in China 07:26 - The timeline and challenges of bringing a medical device to market 09:47 - Advice for aspiring medical device founders 10:30 - A day in the life of Tom, the CEO and Ironman triathlete 12:07 - The impact of the Gaza and Israel conflict on the business 14:23 - Mental health and leadership during challenging times 16:28 - The role of AI in Samsara Vision's outreach 19:04 - Tom's reading and podcast recommendations 20:30 - Recruiting top talent and the importance of patient connection 22:09 - The future of medical device investment 24:20 - Leadership lessons learned 26:07 - The importance of empathy and being on the front lines 27:51 - The person who gave Tom his first big break