COLIN SULLIVAN, who in 1981 invented a device which treats heavy snoring and
blocked nasal passages during sleep, has not been forgotten. And that
according to Sullivan provides an important lesson for business. Rescare, the
company which markets Sullivan鈥檚 invention, has maintained a close association
with him. The result, he says, has been a second series of patents which will
play a vital role in the next generation of devices.
But this need for on-going collaboration is not well understood, says Sullivan
who is head of the sleep disorders centre at the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital
in Sydney. He recently told an Industry Commission Inquiry: 鈥淎 major failing
of business entrepreneurs is to recognise and understand how close and
continuous collaborative effort is necessary with the innovators if the
venture is to be a long-term success.鈥�
Sullivan鈥檚 device uses an air pump to constantly apply low pressure to
airways.
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