Barry Sendel - Innovative Product Called Determine

Barry Sendel, in the mid-80s, purchased a German manufacturing company that produced an artificial monitoring device for breeding horses. The monitoring device offered the optimum time for artificial insemination for mares and/or fillys with the sperm from thoroughbred horses.

Witnessing the invaluable potential of the unique device, Barry decided to purchase the European manufacturing company which produced the device and develop the monitoring unit into a compact product designed for women to determine the optimum time of conception.

The innovative product called Determine was developed to predict the optimum time for conception as a response to the growing need for married couples who were planning families and who had spouses having difficulty in conceiving. During the 80’s, the need of this birth control invention was especially prevalent in North America where many women were finding trouble to become pregnant. Their fertile time was out of whack due to the pressures of life that gave rise to a needed product that could determine the optimum time of conception. The device is a monitor with a probe, this probe is made of high density, molded plastic with gold implanted on the tip of the probe along with chromium wrapped around the sides of the probe. By inserting the probe into the female’s vagina, up to the uterus, the monitor was able to determine the level of uteroglobin in the uterus, hence when the uteroglobin level was high the monitor needle would hit the green line indicating to the user that she had an eight hour window for conception.

Barry worked with reputable American Universities and conducted many impact studies to evaluate the Determine monitor and probe for acceptance by the FDA. During this time Barry’s company, Innovatech, decided to demonstrate howDetermine was to be used and therefore made a big splash at the Home Healthcare Show in Atlanta, Georgia.

Determine was being offered for a minimal price of $249 per unit and was a major hit at the Atlanta show where women were willing to pay much more to get their hands on the device. Determine was the main word throughout the entire show which had more than a quarter million visitors attend.

During the show in Atlanta a woman begged Barry so much for the product she was willing to pay a thousand dollars just to try it. However, Barry knowing he could not sell any unit without FDA’s certification. He was unable to sell her the monitor. However, Barry instead gave her a Determine on the basis if she got pregnant to let him know if it worked and if so to donate her offer of $1000 to a well-known charitable group. After a couple of months Barry received a letter from the lady to whom he gave the Determine to, saying she was happy with the device and is a future mom and she would follow Barry’s wishes by donating the thousand on behalf of Determine to a charitable organization.

The satisfaction in the endorsement was worth more to Barry than any advertising campaign could buy.

During Barry’s tenure, Determine sold over 2 million units until the company went public and Barry eventually sold his holdings in the said group and moved on to other interesting ventures.