The Southeast Medical Device Association (SEMDA) held their annual conference earlier this month. The conference was filled with thought-provoking seminars, fledgling company presentations, cutting-edge innovations, and great conversations. A highlight for us was the impressive showing of technology transfer professionals from throughout the southeast, an example of the increasing role technology transfer plays in the development of our regional industries. Emory OTT participated as an exhibitor; our booth provided a place for our team to interface with companies, entrepreneurs, and investors alike. In addition, during the first day of the seminar, there was a university technology panel with tech transfer professionals from University of Florida, Vanderbilt, Clemson, University of Alabama at Birmingham, and Emory. Our office’s Director Todd Sherer participated on the panel. The panel discussed hot topics such as training, support of inventors and entrepreneurs, and venture funding of medical device companies. It was no surprise to us, but perhaps a surprise to some in the audience, that the ultimate goal of tech transfer is not necessarily to make money. Although finances are of course a concern, our overarching goal is to promote the utilization of new innovations and get them into the marketplace while simultaneously supporting technologies and the people that license them. Many offices expressed that, in particular, medical devices are the most readily financed and investors are often the most interested in medtech, perhaps because these technologies tend to arrive at the office at a much later stage of development than pharmaceuticals and as such might pose less risk. Overall, both at the panel and during the conference as a whole, there was a sense of positivity and hope for the advancement and the immediate future of the medical device industry.