About SMART Teams

We build exceptional teams to create meaningful lives.

SMART Teams is the complete talent operating system for growth-stage MedTech and Life Sciences companies. We don't just fill roles, we build the engine that turns talent into your competitive advantage.

Why We Exist

The era of "figure it out" is over.

Most companies wait until hiring breaks to build a talent function. They patch together recruiters, trainers, and consultants who never work in sync, and end up with zero alignment and a hiring engine no one owns.

SMART Teams was built to change that. We bring strategy, recruiting, and training into one connected system, so talent becomes a driver of growth, not a constraint.

Margin compression is real.

Buyers, GPOs, and payers are forcing more value out of every commercial dollar. There's no room for talent waste.

Capital is harder to raise.

Investors are demanding capital efficiency. Founders need to stretch every dollar and prove it.

What We Believe

Built on a clear mission and a higher standard.

Our Mission

To build exceptional teams to create meaningful lives.

Our Vision

To be the go-to strategic partner for growth-stage companies in the markets we serve.

"We build the business for our people, not hire people to build the business."

Others Focused

We put clients, candidates, and each other first.

Abundant Giving

We give more than we take, with clients and each other.

Intellectual Curiosity

We ask better questions before we offer answers.

Optimistic Outlook

We believe the best team wins, and we build like it.

Our Difference

We don't disappear after the deck.

We're not a recruiting firm. We're not a training vendor. We're not a consultant who delivers a strategy and leaves. We build the whole engine, and we stay until it runs.

1

Comprehensive

Strategy, people, and training in one model. Not multiple vendors and multiple invoices.

2

Experienced

Years of executive leadership, talent acquisition, and commercial training in MedTech and Life Sciences.

3

Proven

A process that's been built and refined, not improvised.

4

Capital-Efficient

Predictable monthly pricing built for growth-stage economics. No per-hire surprises.

5

Aligned

We win when you win. And we'll step back when our model no longer adds value.

Leadership

Built by operators, not theorists.

SMART Teams is built by people who've led commercial teams, owned recruiting outcomes, and trained sellers in the field, not from the sidelines.

Karen McClung

Karen McClung

CEO & FOUNDER
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Joe McClung

Joe McClung

FOUNDER
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Karen and Joe McClung, Co-Founders of SMART Teams, each bring 25 years of Life Science and MedTech leadership experience, a passion for sales excellence, and a talent for building teams that consistently outperform.

Our Model

One framework. Five connected pillars.

Every engagement runs through the SMART Framework: a connected system, not a menu of services.

Strategy pillar mark
Strategy
Talent planning aligned to stage, capital, and growth.
Mechanics pillar mark
Mechanics
The hiring infrastructure that makes growth repeatable.
Attitude and aptitude pillar mark
Attitude & Aptitude
Defining the people profile required to win.
Recruiting pillar mark
Recruiting
Embedded recruiting without full-time overhead.
Training pillar mark
Training
Protecting enterprise value after the hire.
Talent Operating System

Build the team before the market forces you to.

Let’s start with a conversation about where talent is holding your growth back, and what it would take to fix it.