January 10, 2025

Success and Distress

Impressed, inspired, reassured are all words I can use to describe my experience at Rise Bionics today. We began our afternoon walking through the wooden doors that led us into Rise. From just looking at the logo and the design of the door, I could tell that a lot of thought was put into the work that was being done. Over the next few hours, Arun showed us what he and his team had been building over the past few years.

Arun walked us through the design process of his company. From the 3D scanning of the limb, to the virtual editing on the computer, to the 3D fabrication, to his proprietary recyclable foam technology, we got to see most of the technological aspects of the company. Clearly, Rise’s 4+ years of innovation had produced something fruitful.

But what was most intriguing to me were the factors that went into Arun’s success. It is not easy to start a company, hire employees, and work towards a goal in a cut-throat market. It’s even harder when you have the social stress of a potential PhD degree weighing down on you and doing it at a time when your own investors are telling you to give up. When you have to meet the demands of your employees, of your investors, your family, and ultimately yourself.

But Arun was able to do it all. Persevere through the worst pandemic he has probably seen in his lifetime. Downsize while still being profitable and working towards his goal. Getting funding and researching at some of the best institutions in the world. But what was his secret?

Sadly, time prevented me from getting the answers I wanted. As a graduating senior that needs to figure out what to do in my future, I was hoping that Arun’s life story would be able to give me some guidance in my own life. But one thing Arun said at the very end of his talk stuck with me. And I felt like this quote embodied Arun’s ideology at Rise Bionics.

To put it crudely, any idiot can find a solution. But finding an elegant solution is what it truly means to solve a problem.

By
Amay