How A Day Job Annoyance Launched A Medical Innovation S12 Ep8

25 May 2016 — 2 min read

We all have experienced that regular work annoyance. That thing that is like finger nails on a chalk board. When you ask why, you typically hear back that "its always been done this way". True innovators don't settle and keep asking "why" -- and then go out and innovate a solution. In this example, go our and create a medical innovation.

In this weeks show, Mike Kobneck of Novum Concepts, took an annoyance from his job as a paramedic to create an innovative solution that is having real impact on the hospitals who are his clients.

In the show, we cover a wide range of topics including:

How to see and use an annoyance as inspiration for innovation.
Why should you look at established processes as a place for annoyances.
How to avoid industry traditions when trying to innovate.
How a quick ugly prototype validated the idea.
Don't be afraid to scrap your prototype and start over.
How to find your first beta customer.
Should you give your beta away for free.
How to collect feedback from you beta.
Should you self-fund or raise money.
Get ready for misery. Perseverance is a must have.
How important is alignment with your significant other when launching a new innovation.
How important is it to show monetary impact in your beta.

About Mike Kobneck

Mike is Certified Paramedic with the State of Colorado and holds various industry certifications (CPR, BTLS, PALS, ACLS, OSHA) and have been trained to respond to medical calls, as well as emergencies (general, and aircraft).

After working in the field for a number of years, he shifted his focus to improving the quality of systems, tools, and processes used by paramedics, and fire departments so that they can better serve the needs of the public. While the current methods may be 'acceptable', his mission is to help drive change and increase productivity, efficiency, responsiveness, and the accuracy of calls, information flow, and overall performance.