Today we’d like to introduce you to Josh Adams.
Hi Josh, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I was nineteen, halfway through a six-month solo trip across Asia, when I watched a cataract surgeon diagnose and offer to restore a stranger’s sight over breakfast on a houseboat in India. Seeing how one act of medical generosity transformed an entire family opened my eyes to the kind of real-world impact I would eventually strive to create through business and biomedical engineering.
I grew up in southeast Iowa, spending most of my time outside of school in my dad’s woodshop or extracurricular activities. The religion I was raised in shaped much of my early worldview until, around that same trip, I began questioning all forms of dogma in my life and rebuilding trust in my own judgment. That period gave me something invaluable: the instinct to think for myself and verify whatever I can firsthand—a mindset that still defines how I approach engineering and business today.
After returning from Asia I started an importing business with a couple of my best friends. Over the next three years, we experimented with retail and wholesale models selling the shawls and silk scarves that became our core product lines. After 3 years of importing I realized I wanted to do the design and creation of products myself. I went back to college to study engineering, fueled by a vision to lead teams of designers and engineers to create beautiful, high-performance products. I began flight training and enrolled in Aerospace Engineering at Iowa State University—later shifting to Industrial and Manufacturing Systems Engineering, where I focused on product design, prototyping, and digital manufacturing.
My twenties were defined by experimentation—quitting my first job to renovate a four-plex with my girlfriend (now wife), attempting an independent design engineering practice, and eventually purchasing a manufacturing business founded in the 1990s. The pandemic brought some steep challenges: losing key customers, and running on fumes financially while making payroll from my dwindling personal account to support our small team. That period forced me to double down on creative resilience and on the medical manufacturing work that felt most meaningful.
In my thirties, I have focused almost entirely on medical device innovation. I earned a Master’s in Biomedical Engineering here at SLU, co-founded a Biogenerator-funded surgical device startup, and recently acquired Medical Innovations International and Innovative Animal Products, a company with two brands focus on surgical and veterinary devices. My work now centers on developing products and businesses in the domain of surgical tools, wearables, and bone implants through additive and precision manufacturing.
Beyond business, my wife Lynn O’Brien and I co-created the Women’s Health Research & Innovation Scholarship this year to support students using science and engineering to make a meaningful impact in foundational research and product development serving women’s health—a cause that aligns deeply with both our personal and professional values.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It hasn’t been a smooth road—but I think that’s made it more worthwhile and interesting. Most of my challenges have been self-chosen: taking ownership of renovation projects and businesses that require development, learning in public, and putting myself on the line for projects I believe in.
I’ve felt the stress of watching my bank accounts drop to zero with a team counting on me for their salary during the pandemic. I’ve spent late nights building a university course from scratch while running a company. And I’ve wrestled with burnout and doubt when my energy couldn’t keep up with my ambitions.
But every one of those experiences have built capacity. The same instincts that formed years ago—verifying things firsthand, staying curious, taking responsibility—have helped me stay grounded and trusting myself through uncertainty. I’m grateful that my toughest seasons have also been ones that strengthened my ability to lead, communicate effectively, innovate, and keep learning.
Today, I’m focused on building products and business systems that are both innovative and sustainable—where experimentation, integrity, and craftsmanship can coexist with human well-being.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about I serve as the engineer and owner/co-founder of three small businesses: Prototyping Tech, Silent Surgical, and Medical Innovations International.?
I’ll focus on Medical Innovations International here. Since the 1970s—when we were originally founded as Gauthier Medical—our company has partnered with medical doctors and veterinarians to develop and commercialize surgical instruments, bone fixation systems, and silicone airway devices for use in and out of the operating room.
Some of our most recognized products include the Barton Button, which helps patients maintain the stoma after a laryngectomy, and the Original Interlocking Nail System, introduced in the 1970s as the first interlocking fracture-repair nail for veterinary use.
We’re currently rebuilding our website and expanding production capabilities, and we welcome partnerships with doctors and veterinarians who have deep insight into their domain within health care. Our team specializes in taking concepts from prototype to production and then to market.
What does success mean to you?
To me, success means living life in the proactive pursuit of an evolving vision I choose for myself—questioning assumptions, testing ideas, and taking responsibility for what I choose to build. It’s about bringing my best to the commitments I make, including the ones I make to myself, and continually pushing the boundaries of what I’m capable of and able to affect in the world.
Ultimately, it’s about contribution: using my skills in engineering and business to create products, partnerships, and opportunities that make people’s lives better.
Pricing:
- If anyone would like to contribute to next year’s Women’s Health Research and Innovation Scholarship that can happen here: https://bold.org/funds/medical-innovation-scholarship-fund/ 100% of all donations will go to the recipient.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.joshadams.io/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adams8/
Image Credits
Ben Molina Margaret O’Loughlin
