NCA Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year
Life Sciences
Finalist
Jeffrey Dunn
President and CEO
SI-BONE, Inc.
In 2008, Jeffrey Dunn founded his seventh company SI-BONE Inc., which developed an innovative, less surgically invasive implant to treat patients with sacroiliac joint pain.
As president and CEO of SI-BONE, Dunn and his team work to train health care providers to diagnosis sacroiliac joint pain and to offer health providers an alternative and less invasive way to treat that pain.
He works to change the lives of his patients, many of who have been confined to a wheelchair for years. His passion and persistence has helped him recruit 125 employees.
When Dunn first started SI-BONE, he did not know if the implant would functionally work or if people would be interested. He spent nine months working at home with no pay to start up the business.
He had to learn what works and what didn’t work with the physician-training program. At one point, one of his people told him that the company had just hired 25 distributors, and it could implode with the costs and the uncertainty of sales. Dunn replied, “Let’s just be brave together,” which has become a common saying at the company.
The company has a no vacation policy, which allows employees to take as many vacation days they would like after they work details out with their respective managers. This demonstrates Dunn’s trust in his people to keep themselves accountable for finishing their work. He also sets large goals for his teams to give his people the opportunity to think big and achieve big dreams.
Every six months, Dunn also invites his managers and vice presidents to gather in a meeting and share their concerns and problems.
The core of what SI-BONE does is help people, and Dunn works to see that patients come before financial motive. The company funds academic research that will help advance the knowledge and diagnosis of sacroiliac joint pain.
How to reach: SI-BONE, Inc., www.si-bone.com
