10/07/2026
What makes an idea worth pursuing? 🔔 For Donald Gonzales ’95, that question has shaped nearly two decades as a medical technology entrepreneur.
His entrepreneurial journey began during his third year of residency at Tulane University, when he challenged himself to identify and submit one new idea each week. His third submission became the basis for his first startup. Since then, he has founded three medical technology companies built around identifying problems in patient care and finding better ways to solve them.
This fall, Gonzales returned to Gordon to receive the Entrepreneur of the Year Alumni Award. In our latest Q&A, he shares what experience has taught him about recognizing opportunities, learning from failure, navigating rejection, and the “relentless persistence” it takes to build something new.
Read more at the link in comments.
Photo 1: Donald and his wife, Shanna, married in 2007 at Gloucester City Hall, shortly before he left clinical practice to become a full-time entrepreneur. He credits Shanna’s support with making the transition possible.
Photo 2: Donald and Shanna in Salzburg, Austria, while he was interviewing sites for one of his company’s pivotal studies. Entrepreneurship gave him more opportunities to travel than clinical practice would have.
Photo 3: Donald in Panama City, Panama, during Cryosa’s initial clinical trials. He is pictured wearing the mask.
Photo 4: Donald with his family, from left: Shanna, Sebastian, Isaac, Seth, and Donald.
