OEN Member Profile: Celeste Bonham of Uro Concepts
Q. Name/Name of company (if applicable)
A. Celeste Bonham, President Uro Concepts Inc.
Q. Please provide a brief description of your company. How long has your product/service/company been in the market?
A. UCI develops and markets proprietary, Medicare-reimbursed, consumer-driven disposable urology medical devices that improve the quality of life for persons experiencing urinary incontinence (UI) and bladder and kidney dysfunction. UCI has been offering our first product for over three years.
Q. What business opportunity or challenge led you to develop your product or service? How does your product or service meet that need?
A. UI affects approximately 5% of US population and continues to grow with the aging Baby Boomers. Our products have been proven to be the better solution for holding leg bags for persons with UI who use an external collection system.
Profile O&A
Q. What are your impressions of the entrepreneurial community in the Northwest? How would you like to see it grow/change?
A. The investment community in the Portland area appears to have a high tech/gadget tech/textile focus. UCI is a medical device company and found that very few people understood the basic fundamental and high growth of the urinary incontinence market. For changes and growth, it would be advantageous to the entrepreneurial community to recruit more medical related investors from the medical community, such as physicians.
Q. How are you involved in the entrepreneurial community and how has it helped shape your business?
A. It has not. Initial funding was through private investment outside of Portland.
Q. How does OEN assist you/how are you specifically benefiting from the organization?
A. OEN gave UCI an opportunity to have the investing members preview our investment opportunity.
Q. What are your favorite websites/magazines/events/ organizations that you read/attend to keep yourself informed about the business community/your specific market?
A. WSJ, Urology Times, The Funded.com.
Q. Do you have any advice for aspiring entrepreneurs?
A. Be honest and network with as many people you can reach.