The Next Quarter Podcast - Episode 11 - Ian Coyne with James Roberts

James Roberts shares the story behind mOm Incubators – and why he’s spent the last decade turning a final‑year design brief into a portable neonatal incubator now used across multiple countries. From falling in love with the problem of preterm birth (not the “startup idea”), to building a device that’s lighter, simpler, and more deployable than traditional incubators, James talks through product design, regulation, team-building, global deployment, and what it really takes to build hardware that saves lives.

Highlights:

• James’ path: Design engineering roots and a pull toward work that has visible impact - leading him from Loughborough University into medical device innovation rather than car design.
• The moment mOm began: A documentary on the lack of neonatal incubators - and the scale of prematurity—triggered his final‑year project, then became personal when he learned his mum was born preterm and relied on one of London’s early incubators.
• The problem, not the pitch: Why James believes founders should “fall in love with the problem,” using deep research to define the real constraints before designing solutions.
• The prematurity cliff edge: Preterm birth affects ~10% of babies globally; over a million deaths a year; and tiny temperature drops matter- hypothermia quickly compounds risk.
• Reimagining the incubator: A collapsible/portable system designed for modern, flexible healthcare- addressing bulk, maintenance, cleaning, cost, and usability issues that have persisted for decades.
• Usability as the differentiator: The “one‑button” philosophy - keeping complexity under the hood so clinicians can operate it simply, reliably, and fast in high‑pressure environments.
• From prototype to business: The leap after graduation, learning medtech the hard way, helped by early recognition (e.g., awards) and the grind of turning “get a patient into it” into a multi‑year regulatory and manufacturing journey.
• Recognition & visibility: Receiving an MBE and using it to raise awareness for the mission, engineering, and entrepreneurship behind the work.
• Diversity of thought: Why James prioritizes teams with varied backgrounds and perspectives—and how that shaped faster development decisions during COVID by running parallel product paths.
• Advisors, board, and credibility: How early investors pushed governance foundations (chair/NED) and how James built senior relationships over time through networks, pitching, and long-run trust.
• Founder lessons learned: Mistakes are inevitable, what matters is what you do next; startups are a marathon; and emotional volatility is real (the highs aren’t as high, the lows aren’t as low).
• Where mOm is today: Deployments across the UK (including NHS use cases) plus international settings where portability matters, standard of care in some regions and crucial in crisis contexts.
• What’s next: Expanding further into Europe, the US, and larger humanitarian partnerships, while exploring additional products built with the same “fit-for-purpose, human-centered” ethos.
• Hiring non‑negotiables: Good‑hearted people who buy into the vision—paired with backbone (“iron fist, velvet glove”) for constructive debate and decision-making.
• Advice to aspiring founders: If you want to do it - try. Don’t over-index on perceived risk, and don’t assume you’re alone; there are organizations and ecosystems (like engineering networks) that will help if you reach out.

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