By any measure, Mann, who generally puts in an 80 to 90 hour workweek, appears tireless in his pursuit of challenges, motivated by a deeply-held desire to do good and a relentlessly curious mind. After he and his team at Advanced Bionicscochlear created implants that allow the deaf to hear, he posed the question, “Now what can we do for the blind?”
So among Mann’s latest ventures is the development, manufacture and marketing of a visual prosthesis. But the company’s primary focus is on a pulmonary inhalation delivery system for insulin to treat those with Type 2 diabetes.
“This is a unique approach that could restore function to those suffering from a terrible disease,” he says. “It represents a totally new treatment paradigm. There is such great potential, and I feel that I must move this along before I leave this Earth.”
Mann also has a talent for seeing opportunity, turning ideas into business plans and motivating others to join him.
“I expected to spend my life in a laboratory, not a boardroom,” he says with a laugh, “but that’s not quite what happened. I guess I’ve always had an entrepreneurial spirit. I sold lemonade, Liberty magazines and newspapers when I was a kid. It requires a risk-taking psyche to start and build a business, and by nature, I’m a very daring guy.”
Taking risks has paid off. Mann was named one of the country’s 400 richest men in 2004 by Forbes, with a net worth of $1.4 billion. He has been honored by Arthur Andersen, NASA and the National Academy of Engineering. Ernst & Young dubbed him Master Entrepreneur Of The Year (1996), the Los Angeles Times listed him as “One of the 10 Most Influential People on the Tech Coast,”(1999) and a local business journal named him Business Person of the Year, (2003).
Other than a short stint at Harvard Business School’s Advanced Management Program, Mann’s prodigious expertise in running companies has been gathered on the job. And he is an encyclopedia of practical wisdom.
“Entrepreneurs think that if they’ve got a good idea, then they will surely take the world by storm, but a lot more is required to build a thriving business,” he says.