Sidney Collin – Wild Business Growth Podcast #326: NexStride for Parkinson’s, De Oro Devices Co-Founder

Try it out. That’s the story of this week’s Wild Business Growth podcast guest, Sidney Collin. Sidney is the Co-Founder & President of De Oro Devices and their first product, NexStride. Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and your other favorite podcast platforms, and watch on YouTube.

• Episode Summary & Player
• Full Transcript
• Show Notes
• Wild Business Growth podcast Summary

Episode 326: Sidney Collin – NexStride for Parkinson’s, De Oro Devices Co-Founder

Sidney Collin, the Co-Founder & President of De Oro Devices, joins the show to share her journey from studying the brain to creating NexStride to help people with Parkinson’s and other mobility disorders walk safely. Hear how the brain works, how Parkinson’s disease affects the brain & mobility, what you can learn from a failed pitch, how to pivot from B2C to B2B, and the best tacos in Austin. This episode covers everything from Parkinson’s disease to quantum mechanics. Here’s a small sample of what you will hear in this episode:

• What’s a fun fact about the brain
• How does NexStride work
• What’s been the biggest challenge building De Oro Devices
• Egyptian Ratscrew
• Pet Llamas around Berkeley

Connect with Sidney at GetNexStride.com and on LinkedIn.

Enjoy the shoooooow! Check out the show notes below for much more detail. You can also find the full transcript here.

Show Notes

• Intro & Brain Research
  • [0:24] Email me at to save time with your high-quality podcast and use it as a business-building tool
  • [0:35] Connect with Sidney at GetNexStride.com and on LinkedIn
  • [2:32] Why does she geek out about the brain
  • [3:12] Todd Kuiken: A prosthetic arm that “feels” | TED Talk
  • [3:31] Shoutout, Ms. Haber & all the Habers!
  • [4:47] California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo aka Cal Poly
  • [5:20] St. Jude Medical aka Abbott
  • [6:37] What’s a fun fact about the brain
  • [7:35] Theoretical Physics, Quantum Mechanics, Newtonian Physics

• The De Oro Devices & NexStride Story
  • [9:03] How does Parkinson’s disease (PD) work
  • [11:12] Why did Sidney start researching Parkinson’s
  • [13:14] Arduino
  • [15:24] How does NexStride work
  • [18:39] Is it like a bypass in heart surgery
  • [18:58] Is Parkinson’s similar to Multiple Sclerosis (MS)
  • [19:18] Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP), Cerebral Palsy (CP)
  • [19:51] How did Sidney turn De Oro Devices into a real business
  • [20:54] Shoutout, Jill Joe!
  • [21:38] Innovation Quest (iQ)
  • [23:04] Stroke
  • [23:15] What can you learn from a failed pitch
  • [24:54] What’s driven the growth of De Oro Devices & NexStride
  • [25:21] StartUp Health, Capital Factory
  • [26:05] How do you pivot from B2C to B2B
  • [26:10] LTV/CAC Ratio (Lifetime Value to Customer Acquisition Cost)
  • [27:32] Prudential Inspires a New Model to Support Wellness Programs for Older Adults
  • [28:06] What’s been the biggest challenge building De Oro Devices
  • [28:28] Fundraising Round
  • [28:55] The Wild Business Growth podcast is on YouTube! Subscribe @MaxBranstetter to watch full video interviews with Wild entrepreneurs like Sidney
  • [28:57] Sign up for the Podcasting to the Max newsletter at MaxPodcasting.com/Newsletter and receive How to Edit Your Podcast in Audacity. It’s where podcasting meets entrepreneurship – and terrible puns
  • [28:58] Such an honor speaking at Podcast Movement ’23 in Denver! Sign up to grab the slides from my session at MaxPodcasting.com/PM23

• The Unusual: Pet Peeves, Quirks, and Weird Talents
  • [29:18] What’s a quirk Sidney has
  • [30:43] What’s her biggest pet peeve
  • [31:28] What’s a Weird Talent she has
  • [31:31] SET
  • [32:31] Slapjack, Egyptian War aka Egyptian Ratscrew
• Rapid-Fire Q&A
  • [32:48] What’s Sidney’s favorite memory from living in Paris, France
  • [33:38] What do you learn from ballet
  • [35:05] Why should you move to Austin, Texas
  • [35:32] Las Trancas, Veracruz, Granny’s Tacos
  • [35:42] It was Discada!
  • [36:45] What’s an example of a bird mating call
  • [37:16] Pet Llamas around Berkeley
  • [37:41] Connect with Sidney at GetNexStride.com and on LinkedIn
  • [38:20] What are Sidney’s Final Thoughts
  • [38:50] NIH Funding (National Institutes of Health), SBIR (Small Business Innovation Research), STTR (Small Business Technology Transfer)
  • [39:12] Follow the Wild Business Growth podcast and tell a friend about the podcast. And show love (or roast me) by leaving 5 stars on Apple Podcasts and/or Spotify
  • [39:20] The Wild Business Growth podcast is on YouTube! Subscribe @MaxBranstetter to watch full video interviews with Wild entrepreneurs like Sidney
  • [39:24] Check out the Wild Business Growth podcast on Goodpods, where you can see what your favorite people are listening to
  • [39:28] Connect with me on LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter (aka X), and Threads @MaxBranstetter and TikTok @WildBusinessGrowth
  • [39:37] Save time with your high-quality podcast. Email me at to bring your podcast to life and use it as a business-building tool
  • [39:40] Sign up for the Podcasting to the Max newsletter at MaxPodcasting.com/Newsletter and receive How to Edit Your Podcast in Audacity. It’s where podcasting meets entrepreneurship – and terrible puns
  • Theme music: Freestyle Percussion Magik – “Jungle Tribe” – provided by Jamendo

What is the Wild Business Growth podcast?

Wild ideas. Wild growth. Every Wednesday morning a new entrepreneur joins the Wild Business Growth podcast to share the wildly creative and unusual ways they grew their business – and teaches you how to do it, too. Hear the minds behind WordPress, Stacy’s Pita Chips, Drybar, NFL RedZone, Big Mouth Billy Bass, the voice of Bart Simpson, and more Wild stories. Hosted by Max Branstetter (that’s me), Founder and Podcast Producer at MaxPodcasting.

How do you start a podcast?

Interested in starting a professional-sounding and professional-looking podcast for your brand, but don’t want to deal with the time commitment of all those behind-the-scenes details? I’ve got you covered. Email me at to save time with your high-quality podcast and use it as a business-building tool.

Thanks for listening to Sidney Collin on the Wild Business Growth podcast. To hear more Wild stories like this one every Wednesday morning, follow the Wild Business Growth podcast and tell a friend about it. And support Parkinson’s research. Until next time, Let your business Run Wild…and Bring on the Bongos!!