Global Health Innovation Insight Series
Stories from the Field Highlight Challenges and Solutions in Global Health Innovation…
One of the first deliverables from the Global Health Innovation Project is the Global Health Innovation Insight Series—vignettes that capture interesting issues, learnings, and ideas that we’ve uncovered through our exploratory research. This collection will expand in each of the six focus areas of our research:
Identifying/Validating Needs
"What people tell you the problem is up front is almost never the actual problem."
-Joel Sadler, ReMotion Designs
Consure Medical I-Translating a Need into an Actionable Path Forward
DtM-Designing Contextually Appropriate Products
JaipurKnee I-Getting the Need Right
Understanding Market/Stakeholder Dynamics
"They saw that there was a need. They didn’t see the demand, which is completely different."
-Marc Koska, SafePoint
CycleBeads I-Building Acceptance for a Simple Idea
Diagnostics for the Real World I-Addressing Stakeholder Resistance
d.light II-Market Research and Prototyping
Life Force Kiosks II-Engaging Local Talent
PlayPumps International-Gaining User Buy-In
Getting to a Market-Ready Product or Service
"To get a factory set up, to have the right sort of drawings and quality documents and inspection criteria ...there’s a lot of hard work that goes into making something consistent and high quality at a low cost."
-Robert Miros, 3rd Stone Design
AdaptAir-Developing and Commercializing an Accessory Versus a Stand-Alone Product
Brilliance I-From Prototype to Product Company
Consure Medical II-Developing a Regulatory and Clinical Strategy to Support Global Growth
DoseRight I-Moving Out of the Lab
Doseright II-Transitioning to High Volume Production
EMW-Expanding Organizational Capacity
Inspire-Evaluating a Transition to Product Development
KickStart II-Overcoming Manufacturing Challenges
Respira Design-Complex Requirements for a Simple Solution
Sales, Marketing, and Distribution
"All of this stuff takes time. You need to have the right team in place. You need to have the right marketing and the right brand support, the right product portfolio, the right pricing set, the right scale capability. All of the pieces have to be there, and you really have to claw your way up."
-Ned Tozun, d.Light
CycleBeads III-Implementing Too Much, Too Soon
d.light III-Building Credibility and Trust
Gradian II-Marketing to Multiple Stakeholders in a Complicated Field
Life Force Kiosks I-Reporting and Accountability
KickStart III-Marketing to Hard to Reach Consumers
Maternova-Bringing Together Buyers and Sellers
PATH I-Building a Direct Sales Force
PATH II-Demonstrating Products in Rural Areas
Phoenix I-Generating Preliminary Sales
SafePoint I-Stimulating Adoption
SafePoint II-Sustaining Adoption
Defining a Viable Business Model
"The challenge is that when you want to serve the poorest of the poor, there’s only so much you can do in terms of cost recovery."
-Jeremy Farkas, Life Force Kiosks
Anacor-Neglected Disease R&D Within a For-Profit Model
Brilliance II-Achieving Impact Through Licensing
CycleBeads II-Creating a Dual Market
Gradian I-Spinning Out a Commercial Entity from a Nonprofit Foundation
IDRI-Neglected Disease R&D with a Nonprofit Model
Impact Review-Sustaining a Good Idea without a Standalone Business Model
JaipurKnee II-Scaling Up the Business
KickStart I-Delivering Enduring Solutions
PATH III-Addressing Affordability Issues
PSI-Taking a Service Model to Scale
Securing Adequate Funding
"If you don’t have the big bucks, then it’s going to take time."
-Geno de Hostos, OneWorld Health
Diagnostics for the Real World II-Raising Funds for a Nice Solution
d.light I-Securing Early Funding
KickStart IV-Measuring Impact
LifeStraw Carbon for Water-SustainableFunding for a Public Health Intervention
Gradian I: Spinning Out a Commercial Entity from a Nonprofit Foundation
Globally, 2 to 3 billion people lack access to adequate surgical care and 35 million surgeries are performed with substandard anesthesia every year.
After observing too many unnecessary injuries and deaths linked to the unavailability of anesthesia, Dr. Paul Fenton, a British anesthesiologist working in Malawi, designed a machine that could deliver safe, reliable anesthesia even in the midst of a power outage. The device, which he called the Universal Anaesthesia Machine (UAM), also offered many other benefits common to low-resource health facilities.
Fenton began using the prototype in his hospital in Malawi. When he saw how well the device performed, he sought to make it more widely available. Unfortunately, he was unable to secure funding and was also unsuccessful in identifying a buyer or licensee to bring the idea forward. Fenton retired in 2001, and it was not until several years later that he found an alternate model for bringing the UAM to market.
This vignette describes the unique agreement Fenton entered into with The Nick Simons Foundation to establish a commercial entity with preliminary funding from the foundation. It also explores the hybrid business model the new company—known as Gradian Health Systems—would use to maximize its impact.
Read the complete story and share your comments on the Global Health Innovation blog.