We're joined on OTW POD by Albert DaCosta, founder and former CEO of Paragon 28, who completed one of orthopedics' most impressive exits this April, selling to Zimmer Biomet for $1.2 billion.
DaCosta shares his remarkable journey from chemical engineering graduate to medical device sales rep to successful entrepreneur, revealing how his Portuguese upbringing and experience with his sister's spina bifida shaped his business values and deep commitment to serving patients with disabilities.
The conversation explores how DaCosta identified foot and ankle as the most neglected area of orthopedics, where surgeons were using trauma plates and screws borrowed from other body parts. On day one of founding Paragon 28 in August 2010, they documented 73 unmet clinical needs in the space. Together with co-founder Lee Rosenthal, they bootstrapped the company, starting in a basement, pooling their life savings, and initially partnering with German company, Normed, based on a handshake agreement.
DaCosta candidly discusses the strategic pivots that defined their journey, from changing their original distribution-to-R&D model to eventually going public in 2021. He shares invaluable advice for entrepreneurs about staying humble, embracing failure, maintaining fiscal discipline, and building authentic culture. Albert emphasizes his philosophy of spending every dollar as if it were your own and the importance of loving what you do, rather than just looking for what you'd love to do.
