MTEC SmartZone

Celebrating Women Entrepreneurs – Valerie Obenchain, Founder and CEO of Advanced Interactive Response Systems (AIRS).

Valerie founded AIRS in 2013 to bring oxygen solutions to the market. As a respiratory therapist who had a grandmother on supplemental oxygen therapy, she had first-hand experience with the lack of oxygen systems in the market. AIRS produces high-quality safety and monitoring products that improve patient health and caregiver performance.

As a women entrepreneur, Valerie expressed her biggest challenge has been raising funds for the regulatory verification and validation process. “Women have been known to have great leadership skills, including time management, prioritizing, and multitasking,” added Valerie. “However, when it comes to funding, most of the money goes to men.”

We need more investors to fund women-owned businesses and close that gap between men-owned businesses. Read Valerie's extended entrepreneur story on our Women’s Entrepreneurship Day Article that will be posted tomorrow on Women's Entrepreneurship Day!