Profile: Alex Frommeyer of Inven

Founder Profile: Alex Frommeyer of INVEN LLC
 
How did you come to be an entrepreneur?
 
I have always been very independent. As soon as I began interning while an engineering student, I realized that I wanted to be in the driver's seat of a business, not somewhere in the back row.
 
Why did you start your business?
 
My co-founders, Dan Dykes and Alex Curry, and I were working in healthcare/medical devices and saw a disparity in the technology available in medicine versus the tech used by dentists and oral care professionals. Our mission continues to focus on bringing innovative products and technology to oral care.
 
What resources here did you take advantage of and how did they help?
 
Being a Kentucky company, we have leaned heavily on the Innovation and Commercialization Center (ICC) to help guide our initial business development. The 2010 Cincinnati Innovates contest was a catalyst for us, as we won the Northern Kentucky Commercialization Award and gained incredible exposure for our company.
 
Where did you find your first employee?
 
Interestingly, my partners and I are all from Northern Kentucky though we did not find one another until we started our engineering program. In fact, Alex Curry and I lived right next to each other in our dorm as freshman.
 
Can you share a funny or amazing entrepreneurial experience with our readers?
 
Our company won a new high-tech business award earlier this year and we were to be recognized as part of a breakfast event. The venue for the event was right next door to medical device business that our company did some consulting work with, so I thought nothing of it to park in one of their reserved spaces as we always did on visits to them. Unfortunately, the building owner was on alert that morning because of the event next door and towed all unauthorized vehicles from the lot. We came out two hours later with award in hand…and no ride home.
 
What inspires you?
 
My partners. We had no idea what we were getting into when we started our business, but they have continued to make the sacrifices necessary to have great success. It is very difficult to find two brilliant young engineers willing to forgo other opportunities and pursue a new business venture; especially when they also happen to be two of your best friends. I am a lucky guy.
 
What companies or founders do you admire and why?
 
In my mind, few well-known entrepreneurs have ridden the roller coaster like Steve Jobs. Apple is a tech leader today, but has gone through some tumultuous times. Jobs was voted out of the company he started by his own Board, only to get bought back in with an incredible twist of fate. Couple that with some major health issues, and Steve deserves every entrepreneur's respect for his sheer guts, creativity, and commitment to clearly doing something he loves — no matter if you own a Mac or not!