Shockwave Medical leaders participated in a Build-A-Bike® charity team building event in Santa Clara, CA. With fourteen participants from the engineering department’s leadership team, the event provided an opportunity for team bonding during a company-wide transition period. The team successfully built four bicycles, which were donated to Shop With A Cop Silicon Valley and promptly distributed to unhoused children in San Jose as part of their holiday toy drive on December 19th.
Shockwave Medical is revolutionizing the interventional treatment of advanced cardiovascular disease by developing innovative technology that targets calcified plaque. Inspired by 30 years of safety and efficacy in kidney stone treatment, their Intravascular Lithotripsy (IVL) family of catheters delivers localized lithotripsy at the site of cardiovascular calcium. This groundbreaking approach enables gentle balloon dilatation of calcified, stenotic arteries. The IVL catheters use sonic pressure waves to preferentially impact hard tissue, disrupting calcium while leaving soft tissue undisturbed. An integrated balloon catheter then dilates the calcified lesion at low pressure, effectively restoring blood flow.
Shockwave Medical Engineering Leaders Unite for Build-A-Bike® Event in Santa Clara, California
The Build-A-Bike® event brought together Shockwave Medical’s engineering directors and leaders during a significant period of transition for the company. This timely gathering provided an opportunity for the leadership team to strengthen their bonds and collaborate outside of their usual work environment. The team enthusiastically engaged in the bike-building challenges, demonstrating the same innovative problem-solving skills that drive their medical technology development.
During the event, the Shockwave Medical team successfully assembled four bicycles, showcasing their teamwork and commitment to precision—qualities that mirror their approach to developing life-saving medical devices. Darrell Cortez from Shop With A Cop Silicon Valley attended the event to accept the bicycle donations. In a heartwarming turn of events, these bicycles were distributed to unhoused children in San Jose the very next day as part of the organization’s holiday toy drive. This immediate impact highlighted the meaningful connection between the team’s collaborative efforts and tangible community benefits during the holiday season.
We extend our sincere gratitude to Shockwave Medical for taking time during their transition period to give back to the community. Special thanks to Shop With A Cop Silicon Valley and Darrell Cortez for their dedication to helping unhoused children and for ensuring the bicycles quickly reached those who needed them most.