The Future Is Now: Kirk Huntsman Of Vivos Thereapeutics On How Their Technological Innovation Will Shake Up The Tech Scene
An Interview With Fotis Georgiadis
Don’t be afraid to take a risk. Sure, everything you invest in may not pay off as much as you expect or desire, but you’ll never know until you take the plunge and go for it. I’ve never regretted taking a chance on something that I felt passionate about and that I believed could change my life or others’ lives. When you take those risks, the payoff can be especially rewarding.
As a part of our series about cutting edge technological breakthroughs. I had the pleasure of interviewing Dr. T. Edwin Chow is an associate professor in the Department of Geography at Texas State University. His research interests focus on geocomputation and human dynamics. He has published dozens of empirical and theoretical articles in peer-reviewed journals, book chapters and moderated conference proceedings. Edwin received contracts/grant funding from National Science Foundation (NSF), American Association of Geographers (AAG), and Census Bureau. His recent projects investigate the potential of big data, including web demographics and social media, to unearth spatial patterns of human movement in dynamic events, e.g. disaster response, protests, etc.
R. Kirk Huntsman is a co-founder of our company and has served as our Chief Executive Officer and a director since September 2016. In June 2020, he was elected Chairman of the Board by our board of directors. In 1995, he founded Dental One (now Dental One Partners), which, as President and Chief Executive Officer he grew to become one of the leading DSOs (dental service organizations) in the country, with over 165 practices in 15 states. After a successful sale of Dental One to MSD Capital in 2008 and subsequent merger in 2009 with Dental Care Partners, Mr. Huntsman was appointed in 2010 as Chief Executive Officer of ReachOut Healthcare America, a Morgan Stanley Private Equity portfolio company. In 2012, he founded Xenith Practices, LLC, a DSO focused on rolling up larger independent general dental offices, which were sold in 2015. From January 2014 to September 2015, Mr. Huntsman founded and served as the Chief Executive Officer of Ortho Ventures, LLC, a US distributor of certain pediatric oral appliances with applications for pediatric sleep disordered breathing. Since November 2015, he has served as the Chief Executive Officer of First Vivos, Inc., which is now our wholly owned subsidiary. He was also a founding member of the Dental Group Practice Association (DGPA), now known as the Association of Dental Support Organizations (ADSO). He is the father of Todd Huntsman. He holds a BS degree in finance from Brigham Young University.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?
I have always been drawn to entrepreneurship. I love creating businesses and serving customers. Back in 1988, a close friend told me about an opportunity to broker dental practices in Texas. By 1991, I was running the top dental practice broker in America. From there, I began buying and managing practices, and by 1995, I had formed one of the first large corporate group rollups in dentistry.
After I eventually sold the group to a private equity firm, I started looking for my next big opportunity. That’s when I met Dr. Dave Singh, DMD, PhD, DDSc. We met in 2016, and I was blown away by his amazing technology and what it could mean for the future of sleep apnea and healthcare. Together, we formed Vivos Therapeutics. Today, we are a rapidly growing public company listed on the NASDAQ as VVOS.
Can you tell us about the cutting-edge technological breakthroughs that you are working on? How do you think that will help people?
There are two separate but complementary technologies that Vivos brings to the market. The first is a diagnostic product called VivoScore, powered by SleepImage, which represents the easiest-to-use and most affordable home sleep test form factor available. With this technology, medical-grade individual sleep tests can now be administered at home to children and adults for as low as $3 per test, down from nearly $3,000 for an in-lab polysomnogram. The more people get tested, the more people we can identify with sleep disorders and begin their much-needed treatment. In fact, once they are tested, over 50 percent of patients test positive for obstructive sleep apnea.
The second technology is our Vivos treatment protocol. The journey begins with a comprehensive sleep wellness assessment. This will include a complete health history, a series of photographs and measurements and an in-home sleep study using VivoScore. From there, a multidisciplinary healthcare team will compile the data to arrive at a diagnosis. Finally, with the help of a sophisticated algorithm, a Vivos-certified doctor arrives at a specific treatment plan and prescribes one of our custom, proprietary oral appliances, which is worn in the evening and overnight for approximately 12–24 months.
Once complete, the patient’s airway is typically larger and less prone to collapse at night. Patients report sleeping better, dreaming more, and waking rested and ready to take on the day. Unlike CPAP machines — which are obtrusive, only a temporary fix and require lifetime use — the Vivos treatment is truly groundbreaking. In one independent survey from June 2021, 97 percent of respondents said that Vivos has helped them achieve their desired treatment outcome.
How do you think this might change the world?
There are approximately one billion people globally with a sleep disorder such as OSA, and an estimated 87 percent don’t know they have it. OSA is comorbid with virtually every chronic condition known to mankind — everything from heart disease and diabetes to Alzheimer’s and depression. If we can get this treatment to those who need it, we could transform peoples’ lives and drastically improve their well-being. Sleep is important, and we want to eliminate as many barriers to excellent sleep and health as we can.
Was there a “tipping point” that led you to this breakthrough? Can you tell us that story?
When I heard the statistics about how many people had OSA and how it affected nearly every area of their health, I knew I wanted to help people get access to a solution that would genuinely help them solve the core of the issue — not just address the symptoms. Then, after talking with Dr. Singh about his technology, I knew that dream was attainable — even more attainable than I might have originally imagined. We sat together and talked for hours about OSA and its connection to so many serious, life-changing conditions, and I knew this was a cause I was passionate about.
What do you need to lead this technology to widespread adoption?
We have taken a very methodical approach to our go-to-market strategy. First, we educate and train independent general dentists and DSO group practices throughout North America, both via virtual learning and in-person at the Vivos Institute in Denver, CO. Second, we participate and market to the medical community through virtual and in-person events, utilizing our medical key opinion leaders to advance adoption within the medical community. Third, we have strategically aligned the Company with top dental and medical suppliers in the industry, showing the marketplace advanced third-party adoption and endorsement. And lastly, we are instituting a direct-to-consumer model that will deliver even more accelerated adoption for the end user. All our strategies continue to build momentum for the growth of the Company.
What have you been doing to publicize this idea? Have you been using any innovative marketing strategies?
As a company, we utilize one of the top PR firms in the industry to help us publicize our message. We also enjoy hosting events and conferences where we can form true connections with medical providers around the country and provide hands-on training and courses that will help them provide better care for their patients. Vivos is about more than just providing dentists and doctors with a great product to treat OSA: It’s about offering continuing education and exposing healthcare providers across the spectrum to a vision of what is now possible using our unique technology and protocols. We make sure that all our marketing efforts reflect these ideals because, at the end of the day, that’s what it’s about: forming genuine connections that will improve lives.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?
Absolutely. I can think of so many important people in my life who inspire me every day to not only work hard and prioritize my business goals but also improve the lives of people around the world. The passion and dedication what I see every day from our Vivos team constantly reminds me why we’re working so hard to get our treatment technology and protocols out there. Their determination, drive, and expertise are essential to our success as we work to impact and even save lives.
We set the bar high for everything we do here — something that is reflected in our daily customer service efforts as well as our monthly and annual events and conferences. Seeing our Vivos team working closely together to ensure every aspect of an event is perfect — regardless of each of our individual departments or priorities — is really something special. It’s rare to find so many people that are not only hardworking but also willing to help each other in areas they aren’t familiar with to achieve success. I truly believe being united around such a meaningful mission makes that possible. The cause is bigger than any one person.
How have you used your success to bring goodness to the world?
I truly believe that Vivos Therapeutics has already brought so much good to the world and will continue to improve millions of lives. My success with previous businesses has been gratifying, but to be able to contribute in a meaningful way to something that will reduce suffering and bring positivity to people who need it is a rare opportunity. When the world sleeps well, we can reduce health concerns, be happier and more productive in our daily lives, and even form healthier relationships.
Moving forward, I would like to get our message out there and reach those who may not have as much access to these solutions all over the world. People shouldn’t suffer in silence anymore.
What are your “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started” and why? (Please share a story or example for each.)
- Building a great and reliable team is a must! You can’t do anything alone; investing in a team that is as passionate about your vision as you are can drastically improve your company’s success. I am so grateful for my team because they believe in Vivos as much as I do.
- Learn about yourself as a leader and an individual. The more you know about yourself, the more effectively you can manage your energy and make sure you’re on track to best serve yourself and others. There are things that will drain your energy and things that will refill it — make sure to prioritize the work and leisure that motivate you so you can show up and get the job done.
- Don’t be afraid to take a risk. Sure, everything you invest in may not pay off as much as you expect or desire, but you’ll never know until you take the plunge and go for it. I’ve never regretted taking a chance on something that I felt passionate about and that I believed could change my life or others’ lives. When you take those risks, the payoff can be especially rewarding.
- Take a break when you need to. This is another reason why it’s important to know yourself. Nobody can possibly work on full drive at all moments of the day. I’ve heard many people say that you can’t run a business without sacrificing your free time, but I believe that you can’t fully give yourself to your work without allowing yourself to recharge. Otherwise, you’re going to burn out and negatively affect your business.
- Surround yourself with people who are smarter than you are. Be open to being wrong and learn from others. You can’t know everything, so use your support system to learn as much as you can. It’s perfectly fine to not know the answer to every question — that’s when you grow and learn the most. Avoid the drain of people who consume your time and energy and prevent things from truly moving forward.
You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be?
I clearly feel very strongly about spreading the word about the OSA epidemic and informing people about the dangers associated with the disorder. Completely eliminating OSA throughout the world is our mission at Vivos.
Every day someone remains undiagnosed and doesn’t have access to treatment options for their OSA is another day one suffers without knowing why. There are so many people out there that are exhausted and ready to give up because of their sleep apnea, and they don’t even realize that there’s a very real answer to their problems.
Some very well-known VCs read this column. If you had 60 seconds to make a pitch to a VC, what would you say? He or she might just see this if we tag them 🙂
Vivos has provided treatment to nearly 22,000 patients in our mission to rid the world of OSA, and people have seen life-changing results. That’s why 97 percent report Vivos has helped them achieve their desired outcome in treating the sleep disorder. People are in dire need of treatment that is noninvasive, nonsurgical, nonpharmaceutical, and low cost — which is exactly what Vivos provides. Our technology will not only improve the lives of individuals with OSA, but it could also transform the healthcare industry forever, providing lifelong benefits for dentists as they transform their practices. Dentistry is already a $156 billion industry and is expected to grow at an annualized rate of 2.8 percent. Moving forward, it could grow at an even higher rate if dentists continue to adapt their practices and provide more solutions to their clients.
How can our readers follow you on social media?
You can connect with me on LinkedIn, where I am most active, or connect with Vivos through our site at vivoslife.com.
Thank you so much for joining us. This was very inspirational.
The Future Is Now: Kirk Huntsman Of Vivos Thereapeutics On How Their Technological Innovation Will… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.
