Scaling Beyond Your First Win: Leveraging One Adoption to Unlock Many

**Scaling Beyond Your First Win: Leveraging One Adoption to Unlock Many** For many health technology companies, landing that first customer feels like crossing the finish line. In reality, it's often where the real work begins. In this episode of **Wired for Change**, Amy Yee is joined by **Matt Head**, Innovation Adoption Lead at CORE Innovation at the CHEO Research Institute, and **Blake Daly**, Director of Innovation at Bruyère Health and lead of the CAN Health Long-Term Care Innovation and Scaling Network, to explore what it really takes to move from a single adoption to meaningful scale. Together, they discuss why healthcare adoption is fundamentally different from other industries, the role of clinical champions and trusted partnerships, why promising technologies often stall after early success, and how founders can better understand the realities of organizational readiness, procurement, and implementation. The conversation also looks beyond individual organizations to ask a larger question: **How can healthcare systems learn from one another so successful innovations spread faster—and more effectively—across the ecosystem?** Whether you're building a health technology company, leading innovation within a healthcare organization, or working to strengthen Canada's health innovation ecosystem, this conversation offers practical insights into the people, processes, and partnerships that turn promising ideas into lasting impact. **In this episode, you'll hear about:** - Why the first customer is only the beginning - Building trust through partnership, not just technology - Clinical champions and organizational readiness - Moving beyond pilots toward sustainable adoption - Measuring outcomes that matter - Why innovation ecosystems are essential to scaling healthcare solutions This episode was recorded as part of the **Advancing MedTech Together: From Idea to Impact** series in partnership with **CORE Innovation at the CHEO Research Institute** and **Velocity at the University of Waterloo**. Chapters00:00 Welcome & Why Healthcare Adoption Is Different02:20 Meet the Guests: Matt Head & Blake Daly03:00 Matt Head's Journey from Clinical Care to Innovation Adoption07:45 Blake Daly on Scaling Innovation Across Canada's Health System10:00 Why Healthcare Needs Innovators15:15 Why the First Win Doesn't Automatically Scale20:00 Building Trust, Partnerships & Clinical Champions24:10 Procurement, Pilots & Proving Value29:00 Creating the Conditions for Successful Adoption32:30 Building Innovation Ecosystems Across Canada38:15 Audience Q&A: Earning Trust in Healthcare40:30 Looking Ahead: The Future of Health Innovation43:15 CORE Innovation Showcase & Closing Remarks