Today's entrepreneur: Justin Barad, CEO and co-founder of Osso VR

It's a (fast) marathon, not a sprint

Today's entrepreneur is Justin Barad, MD, CEO and co-founder of Osso VR, a platform that allows surgeons to practice their skills in a virtual environment.

The Osso platform is used by both fully trained surgeons who are out of practice, as well as by surgeons who are early in their career, both of whom are trying to either master newer technologies or refresh themselves on procedures they perform infrequently. To use Osso, they just need a headset that they can use either in between surgeries, or at home, to perform whatever procedure they need to. Once they're done, they get an assessment of their workflow, their ability to do steps well with clinical satisfaction, and their efficiency. 

Surgeons can train by themselves, or they can do so with their team, including a surgical tech, circulating nurse, and radiology technician; they can also get coaching from experts all around the world who can give them tips and tricks.

The company recently raised a $27 million Series B round, bringing its total funding to $43 million. 

Barad is a board-eligible orthopedic surgeon with a Bioengineering degree from UC Berkeley, and an MD from UCLA, where he graduated first in his class. He completed his residency at UCLA and his fellowship in pediatric orthopedics at Harvard and Boston Children’s Hospital.

Originally interning to become a game developer at Activision-Blizzard, he decided to find a way to combine his passions and use his technology background to solve medical challenges after a personal family health incident introduced him to the world of healthcare. During his residency, he identified what could be one of the most pressing medical challenges of this century: how we are training our surgeons and proceduralists. With a strong interest in gaming and a first-hand understanding of the challenges facing residents and experienced doctors, he co-founded Osso VR with a mission to improve patient safety and democratize access to modern surgical techniques.

Barad has contributed as an editor at Medgadget for over a decade. He has spoken at multiple conferences including TEDMED, CES, Exponential Medicine, and Health 2.0. He also currently serves as a member of the Consumer Technology Association’s Health Technology Division Board of Directors.

He currently resides in sunny Northern California with his two great danes. In his freetime, you can find him enthusiastically singing karaoke and searching for the perfect slice of pizza.

I am a(n):

Entrepreneur

Companies I've founded or co-founded:

Osso VR

Companies I work or worked for:

ActivisionBlizzard, Boston Children's Hospital, Medgadget, Medgadget, UCLA Health

Achievements (products built, personal awards won):

GPU Tech Conference Early Company Summit Innovation Award 2016

If you're an entrepreneur or corporate innovator, why?

Serendipitously fell into it...

Why did you start your company or why do you want to innovate inside your company?

I was seeing a problem firsthand in my clinical practice that I could not ignore. When I realized I could do something about it I felt compelled to try and address it.

What's most frustrating and rewarding about entrepreneurship/innovation?

You don't ever 100 percent know what you're doing, but that's also one of the exciting parts in that you're constantly learning something new.

The most rewarding part is seeing the team and culture develop and take on a life of it's own, and then even better is start to see the impact you have on the world at an accelerating pace.

What's the No. 1 mistake entrepreneurs/innovators make?

Knowing when to trust your intuition and when to listen to others.

What are the top three lessons you've learned as an entrepreneur?

• Team trumps talent
• Look ahead
• It's a (fast) marathon, not a sprint