Structural heart robotics startup Capstan Medical is hiring engineers

Capstan Medical is looking for engineers as the startup scales its new technology for robot-assisted transcatheter heart valve replacements.

“We’ve got lots of fun stuff to work on,” Capstan Medical CEO Maggie Nixon said in an interview with Medical Design & Outsourcing.

Capstan recently announced its first-in-human cases using its nitinol-enabled mitral valve implant, delivery catheter and robotics platform, with work ongoing for its tricuspid system. The startup also has a new facility open near Natural Bridges State Beach in Santa Cruz, California, and its new head of R&D, Greg Dachs, is settling in.

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“We’ve got a really amazing core group of engineers, but we’ve got a lot going on and so we’re scaling that capability,” Nixon said. “… Our next-gen is already in development. The tricuspid is ramping very quickly. All of that needs capable engineers to drive that.”

Capstan’s looking to hire employees in software engineering, controls engineering and manufacturing engineering, mostly for on-site or hybrid work. The company is also hiring for clinical roles, with remote opportunities for field specialists.

“We’re actively seeking talented individuals who are passionate about transforming healthcare through innovative medical device design,” the company says on its careers page. “At Capstan Medical, we foster a vibrant work culture that blends professional excellence with a Santa Cruz vibe. Local trails refresh our minds and bodies, good waves can be a morning surf or the backdrop to a walking brainstorm session and the neighborhood breweries aren’t bad either. These elements contribute to our dynamic work environment, fuel our creativity, foster collaboration, and a shared sense of adventure among our team.”

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What engineers need to know before interviewing at Capstan Medical

Capstan Medical uses a two-stage interview process, Nixon said. The first is focused on three Cs: character, capacity and capability.

“It’s who you are, how you work, and what you do,” she said. “The first two are the most important. You can always train what you do, but the who you are and how you work are really important.”

That first stage is usually a half day spent meeting with a few people to determine whether a candidate and the company are a good match for each other culturally, followed by a project-based second stage.

“Especially for our engineering roles, we give them a piece of a problem that we’re grappling with and they come in and work with our team, because we want candidates to be able to assess what it’s like to work with us, just like we want to see how candidates would work,” Nixon said. “We’re a very hands-on organization at every level.”

“The excitement is tangible at Capstan right now,” she later continued. “This is when it all comes together and you see things in in real life.”