Serial entrepreneur examines the risk-to-reward ratio balance in GI innovation

“The products we developed were just from brainstorming on unmet needs, and we had several successes. That was a chance to learn new areas of the business, including building a sales force and learning how to get involved in international distribution, which were separate from trying simply to produce a viable clinical tool,” he said.

Creating companies, rather than licensing ideas, trades higher risk for greater reward, but Dr. Thompson emphasized that these rewards are not just financial.

“It is exciting to develop a team you trust, get a successful company off the ground, and watch it grow,” Dr. Thompson said. He indicated that the risk-to-reward calculation should not be undertaken independent of the value of the learning experience.