CRF merges with Fogarty Innovation to take healthcare innovation to the next level
The Cardiovascular Research Foundation (CRF) is merging with Fogarty Innovation, a California-based medtech incubator, to create what they are calling a “unified platform for advancing transformative healthcare technologies.” The two organizations made the news official Monday, Oct. 27, at TCT 2025 in San Francisco.
CRF has had its finger on the pulse of cardiovascular care for decades now, employing many of the field’s biggest names and hosting multiple conferences each year. Fogarty Innovation, meanwhile, specializes in big-picture healthcare innovations. The company helps early-stage companies grow, educates healthcare providers and works with a wide variety of industry and government organizations.
According to CRF, the two organizations will now be able to provide young companies in the cardiovascular care space with immediate access to veteran executives, expanded business opportunities and much more. The goal is to help ensure innovative ideas flourish and improve care for heart patients everywhere.
CRF’s founder, veteran interventional cardiologist Martin B. Leon, MD, announced the merger on the TCT stage with CRF President and CEO Juan F. Granada, MD, and Fogarty Innovation CEO Andrew Cleeland.
“Our healthcare system, particularly cardiovascular care, is truly at a crossroads,” Leon said. “Costs are rising. Outcomes remain uneven. Access to advanced therapies is still limited in many regions. And even in places with the best technology, our system often rewards volume and not value. If we stay on this path, we simply won’t be sustainable.”
“This is a defining moment for our field, for us at CRF and for our community,” Granada added. “One thing that has been a little frustrating for us is that we work in innovation and we help innovators move forward, but we can’t control the destiny of where we want innovation to go. We took this very seriously … and started thinking about creating a platform that allows us to shape the future.”
The three executives emphasized that this partnership did not develop overnight; CRF and Fogarty Innovation have been working together for years, developing a strong working relationship built on respect. They collaborated on developing and hosting the TCT MedTech Innovation Forum, for example, and hope to replicate the success of that event again and again in the years ahead.
CRF and Fogarty Innovation are keeping their own names, but Fogarty Innovation will officially act as CRF’s “West Coast innovation hub” going forward.
Michael has more than 19 years of experience as a professional writer and editor. He has written at length about cardiology, radiology, artificial intelligence and other key healthcare topics.