Company Stats

• Name: Endiatx
• Industry: MedTech, Robotics
• Flagship Product: Pillbot – a swallowable, piloted robot for internal diagnostics
• Stage: Pre-market, clinical development
• Mission: Making advanced medical care radically more accessible through micro-robotics

Episode Highlights

✅ Torrey breaks down the journey behind Pillbot—a swallowable robot that doctors can pilot inside the human body.

✅ He shares how grief and aerospace roots led to a bold mission: merging high-tech robotics with healthcare innovation.

✅ This is not about quick exits or hype—Torrey reveals why his company only chases “impossible” ideas.

✅ He opens up about facing over 1,000 VC rejections, battling internal doubt, and what it really means to lead through chaos.

✅ A powerful take on inspiration vs. ego, building with grace, and why meaningful tech doesn’t need Silicon Valley's approval.

Episode Summary

In this unforgettable episode, Darnell Perkins sits down with Torrey Smith, co-founder of Endiatx, to talk about building robots that literally swim inside your stomach—and the emotional and technical rollercoaster of bringing that sci-fi dream into reality.

Torrey doesn’t sugarcoat the journey. From driving prototypes in bathtubs to swallowing the robot himself during live pitches, he shares what it’s like to chase a vision that most called “impossible.” You’ll hear about the grit behind innovation, what it means to inspire a team with nothing but an idea, and the power of saying no to mediocrity.

This episode isn’t just about tech. It’s about resilience, purpose, and how staying weird might just change the world.

Notable Questions We Asked

Q: What inspired the idea of Pillbot?

A: “I just couldn’t stop thinking—what if camera pills could move? What if they could actually do something?”

Q: What’s been your biggest challenge as a founder?

A: “Getting out of my own way. I waited 10 years too long because I didn’t think I was good enough.”

Q: What advice do you have for aspiring founders?

A: “You don’t have to be invincible. If your idea inspires even one person—you—it’s worth building.”

Q: What keeps you going after 1,000+ rejections?

A: “We’re not chasing money. We’re chasing the work—and the work is glorious.”

Chapters

00:00 – Welcome & Intro

00:51 – Meet Torrey Smith & the Pillbot Mission

02:07 – Sci-Fi Dreams Become Tech Reality

04:10 – Aerospace Roots & Medical Reinvention

06:37 – From Idea to Prototype to Startup

10:11 – Mental Health & Founding a Company

11:33 – Overcoming Rejection (1000+ VC No’s)

16:25 – Leadership, Ego, and Staying the Course

20:26 – Radical Accessibility in Healthcare

24:27 – Does Location Matter for Founders?

28:55 – Lessons from Crashing the Sequoia Party

31:27 – On Heroes, Elon, and Power

38:33 – A Vision for Unity Through Innovation

43:56 – Leadership, Inspiration & Building with Grace

50:49 – How to Connect with Endiatx

52:35 – Final Reflections & Sign-Off

Links & Resources

• Learn more: https://endiatx.com
• Torrey’s YouTube: Search "Torrey Smith"
• Connect on LinkedIn: Torrey Smith

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