Business Builders

Originally Published September 1999

BUSINESS PLANNING & TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT

Cliff Henke

What a long strange trip it's been."Those who have been at the helm of a medical device company start-up, especially one that is involved in breakthrough product R&D, can relate to the Grateful Dead's famous song. After all, this is an industry regularly known for companies whose forthcoming products promise to change the world—next decade. In some cases the reality doesn't quite match the hype. Sometimes the future never comes.

How do the leaders of device companies keep it all together, and keep everyone aboard the train, in these uncertain times? That is the rarefied path walked by the CEOs interviewed for this article. And as one puts it, "For anyone who hasn't done it, it's hard to even imagine."

The Faith of a Revolutionary