Alumni from the Rady School of Management share how they used their degrees to disrupt their industries to bring innovative ideas, products and programs to the market.
Byron Myers – Changing the Face of Oxygen Delivery
More than 15 million Americans use oxygen therapy to assist with a range of health complications. But traditional oxygen therapy is cumbersome – patients have historically received their portable oxygen therapy from large and heavy oxygen tanks that deliver a limited supply. Inspired by a close relative struggling with the complications and restrictions of traditional oxygen therapy delivery systems, Byron Myers (MBA ’10) and his team developed Inogen, a company that aims to ensure mobility and freedom for oxygen therapy patients.
“Inogen is innovation in oxygen therapy – we are a medical technology company that develops, manufactures and markets oxygen concentrators used to deliver supplemental long-term oxygen therapy to patients suffering from chronic respiratory conditions,” Myers said. “Inogen’s technology generates oxygen from room air so the patient never needs to worry about running out of oxygen in a tank.”
Gone are the days of lugging a hefty tank with a finite oxygen supply. Inogen’s disruptive design combines portability with recyclable air filtration technology to provide a constant supply of oxygen. But the technology is not the only disruptive aspect of Inogen – the unique business model is also shaking up the industry.
“As the only manufacturer in oxygen therapy with a true direct-to-consumer business model, Inogen is creating patient awareness of our technology and the benefits it can provide to increase freedom and independence,” Myers said. “Our technology innovations made us successful; the distribution strategy was a complete game changer.”
Lessons on innovation and challenging the status quo helped Myers establish the $2.5 billion company – lessons Myers credits the Rady School of Management for helping launch and sustain his flourishing business.
“My time at Rady helped me establish a mindset that there is no room in a competitive market for complacency, there is no other option than forward progress and it must be actively sought.”