Originally Published MX September/October
2002

COVER STORY

Serial entrepreneur James E. Nicholson, founder and chairman
of Cortek Inc., offers lessons for up-and-coming medtech companies.

Interview by Steve Halasey

The medical device industry thrives on innovation, but when
it comes to business decisions, innovators can learn a lot by listening to those
who have gone before.

One such seasoned entrepreneur is James E. Nicholson, whose
industry credits since 1969 include inventing a number of world-standard medical
products and founding several medical device companies. He guided two of his
companies—Mitek Surgical and Innovasive Devices—through successful
initial public offerings (IPOs). Both firms were later acquired by Johnson &
Johnson's Ethicon division—Mitek in 1994 for $128 million, and Innovasive
Devices in 1999 for $85 million.

"I
end up speaking at a lot of conferences because I've been through the process
a number of times," says Nicholson. His presentations focus on strategies
for building small companies and making them successful—with emphasis on