Founder, Chairman, Chief Executive Officer & President, Inspire Medical System
Search every verified Timothy Herbert interview, podcast appearance, and on-the-record quote — each transcript cross-checked by AI and human review to confirm speaker identity. In a July 2025 interview on NYSE TV, Tim Herbert discussed the origins and development of Inspire Medical Systems, which he founded in 2007. He stated that the company was created to address obstructive sleep apnea in patients who cannot benefit from CPAP therapy, citing limited adherence to that treatment. Herbert described the company's technology as an implanted neurostimulator that stimulates the hypoglossal nerve to keep the airway open during sleep. He noted that the company uses artificial intelligence to analyze patient data and improve treatment outcomes. Herbert also spoke about Minnesota's role as a hub for medical technology, referencing companies such as Medtronic, Boston Scientific, Abbott, and St. Jude that originated in the Minneapolis area. He said that Inspire Medical Systems was spun out from Medtronic and that the region's engineering talent and resources support the company's development. Herbert highlighted the recent launch of the company's fifth-generation device and stated that the company is working on future generations, with a focus on improving outcomes for patients and experiences for surgeons and sleep physicians.
“We knew that the adherence to that therapy was limited. So there are so many people not being properly treated with a serious disease like obstructed sleep apnea. So, we set out to develop a new technology to be able to address that.”
“The key to it, it works inside your body. So it acts as an implanted device or a neuro stimulator that stimulates the hypoglossal nerve that's just underneath your chin that holds your airway open while you sleep thereby preventing the obstructive sleep apnea and allowing you to get a restful night sleep.”
“Every employee focuses on patient outcomes and the best way to monitor those outcomes is to collect that data and we use AI as a means to be able to help identify what areas are having the greatest success. Are there other areas that we can improve upon and so it's actually helping us develop our technology to be even...”
“Minnesota has always been a high-tech hub. There's always been a very strong engineering core to this area. Over the last 40-50 years it's really been focused on medical technology. Some of the big names like Medtronic, Boston Scientific, Abbott, St. Jude have originated and reside here in Minneapolis.”
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