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Entrepreneur Rx

Entrepreneur Rx

By: John Shufeldt MD JD MBA FACEP
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What does it take to build something that matters? Hosted by John Shufeldt, Entrepreneur Rx features conversations with founders, investors, executives, and innovators who are building the future. From entrepreneurship and venture capital to technology, healthcare, defense, and leadership, each episode explores the stories, challenges, and lessons behind creating impactful companies and driving meaningful change. Learn more at www.XcellerantVentures.comJohn Shufeldt, MD, JD, MBA, FACEP Economics Leadership Management & Leadership
Episodes
  • Visar Berisha: Proving What’s Real in the Age of Deepfakes

    Visar Berisha: Proving What’s Real in the Age of Deepfakes
    Jun 30 2026
    How do you prove that the person speaking to you is actually human? In this episode of Entrepreneur Rx, host John Shufeldt sits down with Visar Berisha, founder and CEO of OriginStory, to explore one of the most urgent problems emerging in the age of artificial intelligence: how to verify reality when voice, video, and identity can be convincingly replicated. Visar shares how today’s AI tools can clone a person’s voice in seconds, why deepfakes are becoming a serious threat in financial transactions, hiring, healthcare, and everyday communication, and how OriginStory is working to create a new layer of “proof of personhood” for digital interactions. Rather than trying to detect fake content after the fact, OriginStory’s technology verifies human speech at the source by pairing audio with radar-detected biomechanical signals from the body. The conversation also explores Visar’s journey from Kosovo to Arizona, his academic path through ASU and MIT, his earlier work using speech and AI to track neurological disease progression, and the lessons he learned building and exiting his first company. From synthetic identities to AI-driven scams, enterprise security, entrepreneurship, and the future value of human connection, this episode looks at what it may take to build trust in a world where seeing and hearing are no longer enough. About Visar Berisha: Visar Berisha is a Professor at Arizona State University, with a joint appointment in the College of Engineering and the College of Health Solutions; and founder and CEO of OriginStory. Berisha's main research interests reside at the intersection of AI and the human voice. He has developed and commercialized new speech AI models for healthcare and cybersecurity. This work is primarily funded by the National Institutes of Health, the Department of Defense, and the National Science Foundation. This work has led to many academic publications, several patents, and two VC-backed companies. Berisha's work has been featured in the New York Times, on ESPN, National Public Radio, the Wall Street Journal, and a number of other international media outlets. He was the 2023-2024 ISCA Distinguished Lecturer. About OriginStory: OriginStory is a proof-of-personhood company building the trust layer for human communication in the age of AI. OriginStory verifies that a real, live human is behind any conversation or recording. Its edge technology captures speech alongside human biosignals in real time, confirming the two align in a way only a genuine person can produce, and delivers continuous proof of personhood through a hardware-software platform. The approach is privacy-first (no biosignal data leaves the user's device) and validated to authenticate human-generated content, restoring trust in high-stakes moments like financial approvals, medical sessions, and executive communications where deepfakes and AI impersonation pose real risk. About Xcellerant Ventures: Xcellerant Ventures is a venture capital firm that invests in innovative companies across healthcare, technology, defense, and other emerging industries. Through multiple funds and investment vehicles, including the Jetstream Venture Fund ($5,000 minimum interval fund), the firm partners with visionary founders, provides strategic guidance, and helps connect investors with opportunities in the private markets. Its portfolio includes companies developing solutions that have the potential to transform industries and improve lives. Disclosure for Jetstream: Investors should carefully consider the investment objectives, risks, charges, and expenses of the Fund before investing. The prospectus contains this and other information about the Fund and can be obtained by emailing ⁠⁠jetstream@sweaterfunds.com⁠⁠ or by visiting the ⁠⁠Fund's website⁠⁠. Please read the prospectus carefully before investing.
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    30 mins
  • Nishant Doctor: Reimagining Autoimmune Treatment Through Ultrasound Neuromodulation

    Nishant Doctor: Reimagining Autoimmune Treatment Through Ultrasound Neuromodulation
    Jun 23 2026
    What if autoimmune disease could be treated without another injection, infusion, or daily pill? In this episode of Entrepreneur Rx, host John Shufeldt sits down with Nishant Doctor, founder and CEO of Surf Therapeutics, to discuss his journey from medtech engineer to healthcare entrepreneur. Nishant shares how nearly two decades in neuromodulation, R&D, clinical development, and commercialization led him to build Surf Therapeutics, a Stanford spin-out developing a breakthrough ultrasound neuromodulation platform for autoimmune disease. The conversation explores the science behind Surf’s at-home, non-invasive ultrasound therapy device for rheumatoid arthritis, the role of the spleen and inflammatory pathways, what it takes to build and test medical technology in a startup environment, and why speed, data, accountability, and solution-oriented thinking matter so much in early-stage innovation. John and Nishant also discuss leadership, technical founders, the future of AI, and what it means to build something that may feel non-consensus today but could change how patients are treated tomorrow. About Nishant Doctor: Nishant Doctor is the founder and CEO of Surf Therapeutics. He has more than 18 years of experience leading R&D and commercial efforts at medtech and neurotechnology companies, including Medtronic, Abbott, and LivaNova. Trained as an engineer, Nishant has helped build multiple implantable Class III medical devices and has also been closely involved in the sales and commercialization of those technologies. His career has focused on neuromodulation, medical device innovation, and translating complex science into technologies that can improve patient care. About Surf Therapeutics: Surf Therapeutics, a Stanford spin-out, is building a breakthrough ultrasound neuromodulation platform to treat autoimmune disorders, like Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) —conditions that leave over 2 million Americans without effective or tolerable treatment options, even with blockbuster drugs like Humira and Rinvoq. After years of foundational research at Stanford, they've developed the first of its kind, at-home non-invasive ultrasound therapy device that is used just for a few minutes a day and validated to be clinically safe and effective for treatment of RA. About Xcellerant Ventures: Xcellerant Ventures is a venture capital firm that invests in innovative companies across healthcare, technology, defense, and other emerging industries. Through multiple funds and investment vehicles, including the Jetstream Venture Fund, the firm partners with visionary founders, provides strategic guidance, and helps connect investors with opportunities in the private markets. Its portfolio includes companies developing solutions that have the potential to transform industries and improve lives. About Jetstream Venture Fund: Jetstream Venture Fund is an interval fund managed by Xcellerant Ventures and Sweater Industries LLC, that seeks to provide investors access to early-stage, high-growth companies with flexible terms, lower minimums (⁠$5,000 minimum investment⁠), and no carried interest. Jetstream is one of the first funds of its kind, bringing venture-style investing opportunities to a wider professional audience. Back-end administration is provided by Sweater Ventures a ground-breaking turnkey fund management company. Note: The Jetstream Venture Fund has invested in Surf Therapeutics. Disclosure for Jetstream: Investors should carefully consider the investment objectives, risks, charges, and expenses of the Fund before investing. The prospectus contains this and other information about the Fund and can be obtained by emailing ⁠⁠jetstream@sweaterfunds.com⁠⁠ or by visiting the ⁠⁠Fund's website⁠⁠. Please read the prospectus carefully before investing.
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    25 mins
  • Dom Messerli: Reinventing Spine Surgery with Lenoss Medical

    Dom Messerli: Reinventing Spine Surgery with Lenoss Medical
    Jun 16 2026

    What does it take to challenge decades of conventional medical practice?

    In this episode of Entrepreneur Rx, host John Shufeldt sits down with Dom Messerli, founder and CEO of Lenoss Medical, to discuss his journey from medical device executive to entrepreneur. Dom shares how listening to surgeons led him to develop a biological alternative to traditional bone cement used in spinal fracture procedures, the challenges of building a medical device company, and the lessons learned scaling a healthcare innovation from concept to commercialization.

    The conversation explores entrepreneurship, risk-taking, leadership, company culture, fundraising, and what it takes to bring meaningful innovation to patients and physicians alike.

    About Dom Messerli: Dom Messerli is the founder and CEO of Lenoss Medical. With decades of experience in the medical device industry, including leadership roles at Synthes, Dom has dedicated his career to developing innovative solutions that improve patient outcomes. Drawing on years of collaboration with spine surgeons, he founded Lenoss Medical to address longstanding challenges in the treatment of vertebral compression fractures through biologic, patient-focused technologies.

    About Lenoss Medical: Lenoss Medical is a medical technology company focused on advancing the treatment of vertebral compression fractures. Its flagship product, OsteoPearl®, is a biologic implant designed to provide an alternative to traditional bone cement used in spinal procedures. By leveraging natural bone-derived materials, Lenoss aims to improve patient outcomes while reducing risks associated with conventional treatment approaches.

    About Xcellerant Ventures: Xcellerant Ventures is a venture capital firm that invests in innovative companies across healthcare, technology, defense, and other emerging industries. Through multiple funds and investment vehicles, including the Jetstream Venture Fund, the firm partners with visionary founders, provides strategic guidance, and helps connect investors with opportunities in the private markets. Its portfolio includes companies developing solutions that have the potential to transform industries and improve lives.

    About Jetstream Venture Fund: Jetstream Venture Fund is an interval fund managed by Xcellerant Ventures and Sweater Industries LLC, that seeks to provide investors access to early-stage, high-growth companies with flexible terms, lower minimums ($5,000 minimum investment), and no carried interest. Jetstream is one of the first funds of its kind, bringing venture-style investing opportunities to a wider professional audience. Back-end administration is provided by Sweater Ventures a ground-breaking turnkey fund management company.

    Disclosure for Jetstream: Investors should carefully consider the investment objectives, risks, charges, and expenses of the Fund before investing. The prospectus contains this and other information about the Fund and can be obtained by emailing jetstream@sweaterfunds.com or by visiting the Fund's website. Please read the prospectus carefully before investing.
    Show More Show Less
    29 mins
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