An Innovative Mind, A Generous Life A Profile of Josh Makower
written and designed by katie dillon
he bell rings for lunch and a stampede of children rushes towards the playground where they will spend the next forty-five minutes swinging on monkey bars and sliding down slides. But little Josh Makower peels off from this stampede and runs to a small private room where he turns on the lights. Exposed in the now lit room is his professional camera setup with lighting and a tripod. Josh sits down and hunches over a collection of little clay figures that he had molded - the characters in his claymation film. For months, Josh would go into this secluded room and spend the full forty-five minutes of his lunch inching the characters forward, and taking another shot. Inching them forward, and taking another shot. Josh’s rampant determination for the things he does never fails to amaze me. Josh has dabbled in every activity under the sun, many of them, he’s probably doing as I write, but he never seems to be spread too thin. When Josh is making music, his entire self is dedicated to making music: he
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is constantly thinking, but he isn’t thinking about medical devices, or food, or wine (unless he’s writing music about one of those things, that is). Some people, like his friend and coworker John Chang, wonder how he has time to do everything that he does with such enthusiasm and such drive. I wonder that too. Josh is like the little engine that could. He thinks he can, he thinks he can, and usually he does. But Josh “does” for a reason: his engine is powered by a desire to help people and reinforced by the tremendous rewards that he gets by seeing that he’s made a difference in other people’s lives. Many of Silicon Valley’s innovators claim to be “making the world a better place”, but most of these claims are insincere. Unlike o t h e r innovators, Josh’s contribution to the world is clear. Josh’s creations tremendously affect the people who use them. One of his most
widely used inventions is a device called balloon sinuplasty. It’s a device that can be used to treat chronic sinusitis without the bloody, invasive surgery. Jen says, “My very good friend...suffered from horrible sinus issues and she couldn’t even fly...She ended up having it done and I was just talking to her yesterday about it how her life has completely changed and she doesn’t even have to think about it anymore” (Makower, Jen). I can say, with confidence, that not only Jen’s friend, but also millions of people around the world could come up to Josh and say, “You’ve changed my life”. Josh works mainly as an entrepreneur and medical device inventor, but he is also passionate about many other things like cooking, wine, photography, teaching, and making music. In fact, Josh entered college as a music major. He and his band, Still Trust, had been writing and performing together for years,
and Josh dreamed of eventually becoming a professional musician. Music was an extremely creative pursuit that was very rewarding for Josh. He loved writing music and “putting a sound into the air that wasn’t there before” (Makower, Josh) because he was creating something that other people could listen to and enjoy. Even though he ended up following a different path, music is still a very integral part of Josh’s life. You can still find Josh, hanging out in his music studio, playing his base and cutting tracks. Josh’s wife, Jen, says that although music is no longer his main focus, it is still a “happy, relaxing place” for Josh. Josh went from music school to engineering school where he discovered a connection between engineering and the human body. From there, he decided that he wanted to pursue biomedical engineering. For a while, Josh worked for Pfizer, but eventually quit when he realized he wanted to own his ideas. One important characteristic about Josh is that he gener-
ates ideas without even thinking about how feasible they are. He holds the belief that with enough effort, everything is possible. On my quest to understand Josh’s thought process, I read a book called The Innovative Mind. It was funny how accurate the book was in describing Josh. The author,
Gene Landrum, thinks that “innovative entrepreneurs tend to have their feet firmly planted in outer space” (Landrum xvii). Josh definitely fits into Landrum’s category of “innovative entrepreneurs” because his ideas are in no way limited by the current reality of what’s possible. When Josh designed the home that he and his family live in today, he had some very extravagant ideas for its design. According to Jen, “he wanted a pool, but he didn’t want an ugly
blue cover. He wanted a plexiglass cover that, with the push of a button, would slide over the pool so that during parties, it could double as a dance floor” (Makower, Jen). Apparently, this was not actually feasible because of corrosion, but Josh had seen something similar in a James Bond film—so naturally, it should be possible for his home! Many of Josh’s ideas don’t fall within the realm of possibility, but Josh thinks it’s important to just “throw stuff against the wall...crazy stuff ” (Makower, Josh). He thinks that if you don’t limit your ideas and you let them flow freely, it’s possible to whittle down a formerly unrealistic idea into something that’s achievable. Similarly, Paul Hsu, senior researcher at Harvard, thinks that “tinkering is a precursor to problem solving” and the only way to really solve a problem is though a process of trial and error (Hsu) even if the preliminary ideas are outlandish. Josh has a mindset that is perfect for an innovator, but he
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still struggles to overcome obstacles in his field. At some point in their innovating career, most innovators realize that “when you innovate, you’ve got to be prepared for everyone telling you that you’re nuts” (qtd. in Landrum xiv). Josh told me that “one of the most difficult challenges that [he’s] faced as an entrepreneur is how difficult it is for people to accept change” (Makower, Josh). He has had experiences where he’s created a great technology that, for years, is laughed at by physicians. The sad truth for many innovators, and especially for innovators in the medical device industry, is that the world is usually not ready to just embrace change (Abele). I remember when iOS 7 came out on the iPhone. The world seemed to be split into two groups: pro-iOS 7 and
anti-iOS 7. It was such a dramatic change to the look of the iPhone that people took very extreme stances. There were some people I knew who were violently opposed and who would get very argumentative if you’d mention the new operating system. Eventually, almost everyone switched to iOS 7, but it took a while for people to accept that change. Now imagine when there is so much more to lose than the shadows on your app icons. Taking a chance in the medical industry involves risking further injury and in some cases, a person’s life. Even though Josh’s devices are well tested, low risk, cheaper than alternatives, and beneficial to the patients and the doctors, the medical device industry usually grapples with the idea of switching over to a new procedure because
“One of the most difficult challenges that I’ve faced as an entrepreneur is how difficult it is for people to accept change.” 4
they are afraid of stepping into the unknown. John thinks that it’s sad “when people tell you [your technology is] better for the patients, better for the doctors, and cheaper, [and] you think you’ve got something” (Chang), but doctors can take years to warm up to the idea of introducing a new technology into their practice. Josh and John have faced multiple situations where their technologies were not readily accepted, but Josh has been able to look at the situation with optimism, “an essential ingredient to innovation” (Comstock). John says that even during the hard times, “for Josh it’s about handling the situation. It’s not about feeling bad for ourselves, it’s [about] what can we do?” (Chang). Josh is gifted with an innovative mind, but he is subject to the challenges of his industry. Still, he is somehow able to perse-
vere because of his optimism and his motivation to improve people’s lives. Eventually, Josh’s quests to improve his industry usually pay off. With time, the doctors do really come around. Josh explains, “I’ll have dinner with them and they’ll say ‘I like you, Josh, but I’m never going to use this thing’. And we spend the whole dinner talking about why it makes sense and still, adamantly, no no no. And maybe for the next few years they won’t do anything, but then a colleague starts using it. And the patients that used to be going to him are going over to that other guy and they say well maybe there’s something to it… Suddenly all the papers come and they change their mind, and suddenly they’re on the speaking tour where they’re talking about it at meetings” (Makower, Josh). Josh spends so much time and energy moulding ideas and con-
vincing physicians to accept them. Sometimes, because of the industry’s inability to accept change, it seems like a lost cause. But it is extremely encouraging to see that when you have a great technology, people’s love for it might start out slow, but then spread like a virus, making its way from physician to physician, and ultimately improving the way that the industry operates. Josh has already improved more people’s lives than most people do in their whole lifetime. Even so, Josh is not planning to stop helping people any time soon. However, he is going to be directing his efforts to help others in a different way. Josh is in the process of joining a venture capital firm so that he can play a part in helping other businesses start and succeed. By joining this firm, Josh is extending his innovative prowess towards other companies that have the potential to change
lives. John Chang believes that “Josh will have a legacy where through the companies that he’s founded and guided, so many people’s lives have been made better” (Chang). A desire to innovate and share his findings with the world will continue to be part of Josh’s legacy as he moves into the world of venture capitalism and he will never lose the passion that he has for helping other people or the excitement that he gets from seeing how his technologies have improved lives. Josh perseveres through his struggles with the medical device industry because he is ultimately rewarded with the ability to change lives. Josh says, “It’s encouraging to see that when you have something that really works and makes a difference, it will eventually get adopted as long as you work and you don’t give up” (Makower).
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Works Cited Abele, John. “Bringing Minds Together.” Harvard Business Review. N.p., 01 July 2011. Web. 29 Sept. 2015. Chang, John. Personal Interview. 4 September 2015. Comstock, Beth. “Innovation Is A State of Mind.” Forbes. Forbes Magazine, 25 Jan. 2012. Web. 29 Sept. 2015. Hsu, Paul. “Achieve the ‘Innovation Mindset’ With These 8 Keys.”Entrepreneur. N.p., 08 May 2014. Web. 12 Oct. 2015. Landrum, Gene N. The Innovative Mind: Stop Thinking, Start Being. Garden City, NY: Morgan James Pub., 2008. Print. Makower, Jen. Personal Interview. 18 September 2015. Makower, Josh. Personal Interview. 22 August 2015. Makower, Josh. Personal Interview. 4 October 2015. Rae-Dupree, Janet. “Innovative Minds Don’t Think Alike.” The New York Times. The New York Times, 29 Dec. 2007. Web. 29 Sept. 2015. Su, Tina. “7 Habits of Highly Innovative People.” Think Simple Now. N.p., n.d. Web. 5 Oct. 2015.
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