Meghan Alonso
Have you ever had an idea for something that you thought might be the next million-dollar invention of the year? If you or someone you love faces difficult medical issues, you might have an idea for something that could improve the life of people who require medical intervention. But then you might stop yourself and think, who am I to invent a new medical device? I'm just an ordinary person, not some kind of biomedical engineer working in R&D at a pharmaceutical company. How could I possibly bring a new medical device to market all by myself?
Well that is exactly what Meghan Alonso from Imua Services helps both start-ups and individuals do. Why is Meghan so passionate about helping bring the best new ideas in medical devices to fruition? In her own life Meghan has overcome a number of medical setbacks, starting with being born with a folded retina which was eventually replaced with a prosthetic eye, an extra vertebra which required multiple surgeries including a hip replacement, and Hepatitis C which her mother likely contracted from a blood transfusion in the 70's and unknowingly passed on to both Meghan and her brother in utero. In spite of all of these medical challenges and setbacks, Meghan was a gymnast all through college, a big wave surfer in Hawaii, and even fulfilled her childhood dream of dancing on TV with the Ooh La La salsa dancing troupe, and toured all over Europe and the US. She also was part of America’s Got Talent in Season 6.
Meghan started her company Imua Services in 2015 after she had been working in medical product development. The company she was working for was predominantly an engineering firm that innovators used to take care of the engineering component of the device idea. She soon found herself being contacted by passionate people who had great ideas, but no idea how to get started. Initially, she offered them resources to help them get started, and soon, it became a business. The word Imua is a Hawaiian word that means "to advance forward with passion despite rough waves". Meghan has certainly surfed some rough waves in her life, but has definitely advanced forward with passion in spite of all the difficulties.
Meghan now helps her clients navigate the complicated process of bringing their ideas to the marketplace. Whether they move towards actually manufacturing and marketing their product, or selling the idea to a company who can do so, Imua’s mission remains to become the world leader in helping entrepreneurs, scientists, students and inventors bring their life changing ideas to fruition.
You can hear my entire conversation with Meghan Alonso here, and can get more information on her company and what she can do to help you on her website here.