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Stephane Sallmard, Chief Executive Officer,
Optos Plc, United Kingdom
1) Briefly tell us what it is about your company/project that makes it so special?
Optos is a medical technology device company which designs, develops, manufactures and markets the first and unique instrument which allows the vision of 200° inside of the retina of the eye with no necessary dilation. The vision of Optos is to help improve the healthcare of each individual through retinal images.
2) What country best facilitates starting a tech company?
My experience is limited to Scotland. I must say that Scotland has a great track record of inventors and the most famous one is maybe Graham Bell. Scotland was great for us. We have found lots of very solid investors who stayed with the company for the last 10 years as well as fantastic staff who have been able to develop this product.
2b) What single thing can a government do to encourage Technology Pioneers?
Give to its technology developers the necessary environment. This environment is made up of a good education system which we have in Scotland with great universities as well as developing their spirit to take risks.
3) What makes an innovator?
First and probably the most important thing is to have a vision. Second is to be resilient enough in order to resist the difficulties of any development. And thirdly to be a leader or to be able to bring with you all the people who are necessary to develop a product or a technology.
4) How does your company directly contribute to improving the state of the world?
Optos' vision is to be able to detect early eye conditions as well as non-exe condition, systemic condition such as high blood pressure, cancer, diabetics, allthrough retinal imaging. I think that by doing so we have a double advantage: one for the patients through early detection they can have a better chance to be treated. Secondly for the society preventive medecine is probably cheaper than heavy medecine and early detection, preventive medecine will help reduce the deficits of the health systems of the world.
5) What value do you hope to gain from being a Technology Pioneer?
First and foremost it is very prestigious and important for our staff to be recognized by the World Economic Forum. Secondly I think that will help to make Optos better known worldwide because our vision is to be present worldwide and through preventive medecine to help improve the medical status of the world.
6) What do you think the role of technology should be in society?
Technology was from the very beginning the instrument, the tool to open new ways of doing things. This is what it is going to continue to be and I think that will enable new pathways and imrpove the way of doing things in the world, in all domains.
7) What is the right balance in society between scientific interest and ethical concerns?
This is a long standing debate which probably started 2500 years ago in ancient Athens and it is going to continue probably. I think that each side of the balance, the technology and the ethical will have their role. Technology will have to show new potentialities and the ethical aspect consists of putting boundaries. Boundaries should be put into the capacities of the technology in line with what a society wants to be.
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