Meet Stuart Grant

Stuart Grant is the driving force behind Archetype. Few individuals in the MedTech sector can claim the innovation, product design, engineering, regulatory, and project management expertise required to take complex Medical Devices to market. Stuart is one of them. We talked with him about his background, his passions, and his vision for the future of MedTech and Archetype.

Q: Can you introduce yourself and your role at Archetype?

Certainly. I’m Stuart Grant, the Principal Consultant and driving force behind Archetype. After 25 years at Johnson & Johnson, I left to start Archetype because I could see the world of MedTech was advancing at a rapid rate. Large companies like Johnson & Johnson MedTech are often risk averse and too established to truly push boundaries. Archetype is aimed at start-ups and scale-ups. I’m here to spend the next 25 years on the side of the idealists, visionaries, and revolutionaries.

Q: What is Archetype’s mission?

Archetype’s mission is to give patients the opportunity to access the most life-changing medical devices available today. We provide strategic solutions, guidance, hands-on support and training to MedTech entrepreneurs and visionaries to ensure their innovative products successfully get to market.

Q: And what is the company’s overarching vision?

Our vision at Archetype is to build a company with a legacy for putting good into the world through radical, cutting-edge and innovative MedTech products - for the advancement of our clients, their patients, and ourselves.

Q: What makes your expertise so unique in the medical device field?

Very few people can claim to have the diverse innovation, product design, engineering, regulatory, and project management expertise required to take complex medical devices all the way to market. I’m one of the rare individuals with this comprehensive cross-functional skillset honed over my career.

Q: Can you highlight some of your most notable career accomplishments?

I’m the named inventor on multiple patents for market-leading medical device products. I established a medical device R&D facility in China that went on to introduce a pioneering knee-replacement instrument kit. I’ve managed very sensitive product recalls in emerging markets and navigated extremely complex FDA regulations for engineering projects in the US. I’ve also conducted due diligence on MedTech acquisitions.

Q: Your passion for innovation seems to extend quite broadly?

Innovation is truly in my blood. For fun, I actually lecture on the History of Innovation at two leading universities here in the UK. I’m an inveterate tinkerer and inventor at heart - if I was around 100 years ago, I probably would have been one of those eccentric guys strapping a rocket pack to my back! I’m also an exhibited artist, creating landscape paintings that depict narratives around industrial demise and decline.

Q: How does Archetype aim to work with clients in a different way?

When clients engage Archetype, we want them to buy into our vision and values. We strive to make it feel like more of a creative relationship rather than a typical consultancy relationship. My ambition is for clients to feel they are part of an innovative journey with us as we push boundaries.

Q: What is your educational background and qualifications?

I’m a Chartered Engineer with the Institute of Mechanical Engineers. I have a BSc in Product Design, an MSc in Project Management, and a PhD in Technology and Innovation Management.

Q: Finally, can you describe the core values that guide Archetype's work?

Absolutely. It was important for me to establish a strong set of values that underpin everything we do at Archetype. We're pioneers, not mavericks – that means we’re responsible out-of-the-box thinkers always looking for innovative solutions. We have a "computer says yes" can-do attitude to tackle any challenge. We're just as invested as our clients and their patients in going the extra mile. Our social contract of doing the right thing is equal to any commercial contract. And we focus on output over input, promoting a healthy work-life balance. I feel very strongly that these values ensure we approach projects with integrity, creative thinking, and a drive for excellence in improving lives.