Brenda Acosta
President
Altair Instruments / StrenuMed
Today’s world of ever-changing technology has made “going out on your own” and the entrepreneurial spirit much more commonplace. Brenda Acosta, an Asian woman in the male dominated field of Neuro Power Surgical Instruments, was an individual rarity and progressively ahead of the curve when she founded StrenuMed in 1995.
After graduating from UCSD, Acosta held numerous jobs in the surgical equipment field, including roles at Kendall Devon Industries, Zimmer Hall Surgical and Bristol-Myers Squibb. Twenty-three years ago, she created StrenuMed. Today the company has 22 U.S. patents and is an international leader in the design and manufacturing of aesthetic medical devices. She still serves as StrenuMed’s Chief Marketing Officer.
While this might seem like more than enough for one person to accomplish, Acosta runs another company as well. In 1999, Steve Waldron, a former colleague, recruited her to head the global marketing effort for his company, Altair Instruments. Altair was just completing a new way to provide facials for medical and cosmetic uses and Acosta joined to help promote the new technology and grow the company. In 2010, she acquired the company from Waldron and now serves as CEO at Altair, which alone employs 30 people.
Always looking for new opportunities and continuing to innovate, Acosta recently created a third company. She, along with her team, developed a tool that is currently the only effective, safe and painless way to brighten permanent tattoos. Acosta is now the driving force behind three companies and continues to make quite a difference in the skin care industry.
