How Can a Smaller Prefilled Syringe Transform Medical Logistics with Ian Speers & Robert Halvorsen

What if one of healthcare’s overlooked costs is something we’ve been shipping, storing, and working around for decades? Pre-filled syringes make medication easier to administer But their traditional design can take up valuable space in medical kits, hospitals, and throughout the supply chain. In this episode, I sit down with 𝐈𝐚𝐧 𝐒𝐩𝐞𝐞𝐫𝐬, CEO and Co-Founder, and 𝐑𝐨𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐭 𝐇𝐚𝐥𝐯𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐧, CTO and Co-Founder of 𝐏𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐨 𝐌𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥, and the 2026 HealthTech Impact Award recipients in the category of BioTech, to unpack how they’re redesigning the pre-filled syringe to fit the same medication into a more compact package. But this conversation goes beyond a syringe. If you’re a healthcare founder or executive asking, 𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘥𝘰 𝘐 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦’𝘴 𝘢 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭 𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘬𝘦𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘺 𝘪𝘯𝘯𝘰𝘷𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯? 𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘥𝘰 𝘐 𝘳𝘦𝘥𝘶𝘤𝘦 𝘢𝘥𝘰𝘱𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘣𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘳𝘴? 𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘥𝘰 𝘐 𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘯 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘥𝘶𝘤𝘵 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘢 𝘴𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘯𝘺? Their journey offers some practical lessons. 𝗜𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗲𝗽𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗱𝗲, 𝘆𝗼𝘂’𝗹𝗹 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻: ✅ How Ian’s experience in medical logistics exposed an overlooked supply-chain problem ✅ Why Pacto Medical started by redesigning the bulky plunger rod on pre-filled syringes ✅ How reducing packaging volume can affect transportation, storage, cost, and medication access ✅ Why the team chose the widely used 10 mL saline flush as its first market ✅ How Ian and Robert combined different skill sets to move from an observed problem to a working product ✅ Why continuous feedback from clinicians, manufacturers, distributors, purchasers, and pharmaceutical companies matters ✅ How human-centered design can reduce cognitive load during high-pressure clinical situations ✅ Why founders need to understand the entire path from manufacturing to the end user—not just build a good product 𝗥𝗲𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗘𝗽𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗱𝗲𝘀 𝗬𝗼𝘂’𝗹𝗹 𝗟𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡𝐓𝐞𝐜𝐡 𝐅𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐍𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐊𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐅𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐂𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐈𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐒𝐮𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬 - Explains why strong technology is not enough, the product must solve the right problem, fit real clinical workflows, involve clinicians, reduce friction, and have commercialization built into the strategy from the beginning. 👉 https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast... 𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐎𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡 𝐈𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐌𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐋𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐢𝐧 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐈𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 - Discusses why founders need workflow alignment, pilot validation, strategic partnerships, and operational infrastructure before scaling. 👉 https://open.spotify.com/episode/6O9m... 𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐀𝐠𝐞𝐓𝐞𝐜𝐡 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐩𝐬 𝐖𝐢𝐧 𝐇𝐨𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐓𝐫𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐖𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐖𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝-𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐏𝐢𝐥𝐨𝐭𝐬 - Shows how an overlooked clinical problem can become a scalable healthcare opportunity when founders combine evidence, clinician trust, workflow integration, pilots, and strategic partnerships. 👉    • How AgeTech Startups Win Hospital Trust Wi...   𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐀𝐫𝐞 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐅𝐨𝐜𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐑𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐍𝐨𝐰? 1️⃣ 𝐍𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐌𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐏𝐢𝐥𝐨𝐭𝐬, 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩𝐬, 𝐨𝐫 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐮𝐞? You're building momentum, having conversations with investors, developing partnerships, and growing your team. The next stage of growth often comes down to knowing where to focus, which opportunities to prioritize, and who can help open the right doors. Our integrated advisory board helps founders accelerate growth through strategic introductions, leadership support, and expert guidance across fundraising, operations, and revenue growth. Schedule an Alignment Call: 👉 https://PulsePointPath.com/Chat 2️⃣ 𝐑𝐚𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐂𝐚𝐩𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐥? Most founders don't need more investor meetings—they need a stronger investor story. Submit your pitch deck for feedback through our free Pitch to Yes Workshop and learn how to communicate what investors actually fund. Get started: 👉 https://PitchToYes.com 3️⃣ 𝐖𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐌𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐕𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 & 𝐈𝐧𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐎𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬? Have a compelling founder journey or healthcare innovation story to share? Apply to be featured on Provider's Edge, our Top 100-ranked entrepreneurship podcast where founders build authority, attract partnerships, and create new opportunities. Apply here: 👉 https://PulsePointPath.com/Providers-...