David Muller  -  Avedro

 

Interview with David Muller

CEO, Avedro
You have worked with Continuum since 1986. What makes you continue to collaborate with us?

The single most important quality is reliability. I’ve developed trust in our relationship through the years. When I bring a project to Continuum, I am confident that it will be completed on time. When we began the latest project—the biggest and most important to date—I felt confident presenting it to my investors and board members. Reliability is particularly important in a start-up setting.

How has the nature of your engagement with Continuum changed?
   
My projects have become more complex and wide-ranging. At the same time I’ve seen the expertise within Continuum grow. With each new project, I have been able to take better advantage of the capabilities Continuum offers and the efficiencies this provides me.

The Summit project in 1986, which received the first FDA approval for laser vision correction, was our first collaboration. We partnered with Continuum for the industrial design. My latest project, Avedro, is much more complex as is our involvement with Continuum. Industrial design was just the beginning. Continuum also conducted extensive user interaction studies and research. Designed the user interface. Developed a controlled-energy source as well as electrical, software, mechanical and systems engineering. Each project has become progressively more complex.
"The iterative interaction between us has improved and grown with each new project."
How has Continuum helped you become more innovative?  How has this impacted your business success?

I look for collaborations that get me where I want to go. I am a lead innovator. I have ideas at the top level and I trust a company like Continuum to provide innovative results. Continuum is sui generis in consistently coming up with innovative solutions. 

At the beginning of the process, I shared the end-result I was looking for with Continuum. Continuum offered me a range of approaches and all I needed to do was make a decision. I trust Continuum to deliver innovative solutions.

Avedro was a complex project.  However, I was confident that Continuum would seek any additional outside expertise if needed, so Avedro wouldn’t need to recruit outside intellect.  It was helpful to have access to the most cutting-edge technology and knowledge.  I relied on Continuum to access that information, without having to pay second-order consulting fees. This made working with Continuum much more efficient and economical for me.

In particular, the multidisciplinary expertise of Continuum was very important for the project’s success.  I interacted with Continuum in a similar way that I work with my own team. The team at Continuum was open and transparent throughout the process.
   
As my team grew, I was able to introduce them to working with Continuum at the right time and they collaborated well. This integration was about as seamless as it could be. We were happy with the results.

The expertise Continuum provided was a huge value-added to a company like ours. We went from an idea to having a device that was ready to treat patients in 12 months!


What would you tell others, particularly start-ups, about working with Continuum?

Anyone can be successful with Continuum. There was nothing I asked (that was within the limits of physics) that Continuum could not do. Our first agreement showed Continuum had a clear understanding of the project and were accepting of changes in direction. The team was always flexible.

Start-ups are often initiated by people who have great ideas, but limited business and management experience.  In a large complex project, Continuum is able to field a very large team that moves fast. Because of this, have a clear understanding of what you want from Continuum to get the best results and not pay for innovation beyond what you need. You’ll find that Continuum’s project manager can effectively serve as your advocate if you communicate clearly.
    
A word of caution to future start-ups: Have a proper definition of the project. It costs more if you don’t. Stay flexible in the process.
 
I wouldn’t consider starting a business without engaging Continuum. The “a-la-carte expertise” can’t be matched by a start-up. There is no way to develop a project faster or more cost effective – any other assessment is an illusion. It’s pretty incredible to go from an idea to treating patients in 12 months.
"It's pretty incredible to go from an idea to treating patients in 12 months."
 

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