Lessons in Innovation: Clark Turner’s Impact on Medical Imaging

May 29, 2025

Imagine a future where 3D imaging and artificial intelligence (AI) revolutionize medical diagnostics. Clark Turner, CEO of Turner Innovations, is fulfilling that dream through his ongoing commitment to innovation and passion to develop technologies that improve healthcare, solidifying his position as a driving force in medical imaging.

With a Ph.D. in analytical chemistry from Brigham Young University, Turner’s early career spanned 20 years at companies including Signetics and MOXTEK, shaping his approach to business and technology. During this time, he honed essential skills in project management, financial analysis, and team leadership, which later proved invaluable in his entrepreneurial ventures. This period equipped him with a practical understanding of the intricacies of technology development and market dynamics. It also introduced him to the SBIR/STTR programs, which provide non-dilutive R&D funding, setting the stage for his successful transition into entrepreneurship in 2004 with the founding of Aribex.

Inspired by a conversation with his dentist, he developed the groundbreaking NOMAD, a battery-powered dental X-ray device.

Turner shared that he told his dentist about his NASA project, developing miniature x-ray tubes the size of a human finger for x-ray spectrometers. The dentist wasn’t interested in analyzing rocks, but was interested in a battery-powered portable dental X-ray machine.

In eight short years, the NOMAD became the number one dental X-ray machine. The company, acquired by Danaher in 2012, demonstrated Turner’s ability to identify and translate a market need into a commercially viable product.

Next, Turner established Turner Innovations in 2013 as a technology incubator focused on early-stage proof-of-concept development. The company successfully spun off several subsidiaries, including Turner MedTech in 2014, Turner Imaging Systems in 2016, and 3Dio in 2019, each dedicated to specific applications of advanced imaging technology. Notably, in 2024, Turner Imaging Systems continued to make significant strides in medical imaging by developing a portable, full-body imaging device for military and commercial use, thanks in part to a $1.7 million grant from the Department of Defense’s Military Prototype Advancement Initiative (MPAI).

Lessons Learned

Throughout his career, Turner leveraged Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs to fund and validate his innovative concepts, being awarded 3 Phase I SBIR/STTR, 2 Phase II SBIR, and 1 Phase III with the Department of Defense. He learned along the way that despite challenges with the process, these programs can be critical to developing technology and funding a company, but you need to have a strategy.

“Because the success rate is something like 20%, you have to do five proposals to get one funded, so you spend as much time doing proposals as you do the Phase I work. You only want to do it if you think you’ll get a Phase II because there’s not enough money in a Phase I to justify the five proposals you had to submit.”

Despite not receiving funding on his first submissions, he always takes the reviewer’s feedback and resubmits, emphasizing SBIR/STTR’s importance in bridging the gap between basic research and commercialization.

“From my experience, getting investors to fund applied research is difficult. You have basic research being done at the universities, and then applying those techniques to a commercial prototype is tough to get outside investors to fund it without a proof of concept or market validation. So, you either have to fund it yourself or find one of the funding agencies interested in that technology to get seed capital. The SBIR/STTR grants fill this crucial funding gap in applied research,” he shared.

Turner advises entrepreneurs to meticulously align their proposals with the funding agency’s needs and to persevere through the rigorous application process because being awarded the grants can be crucial to the technology’s success.

Reflecting on his entrepreneurship journey, Turner shares valuable insights for aspiring entrepreneurs. He stresses the importance of gaining industry experience before venturing alone. He’s even told his children to think of the business they want to start and then work for somebody else for five years in that field, learn what works and what doesn’t, how the business model is set up, and meet people in the industry. Turner has seen how valuable industry experience was to his entrepreneurial success.

He also highlights the need to understand the intricacies of the business, especially the finances, often to his CFO’s chagrin. Despite not having a business degree, Turner placed special emphasis on learning the business side of his companies. He shared his learned rule of thumb for project planning: whatever an engineer tells him, it will be pi (3.14) times more than expected, whether that is time, cost, or staffing. So far, this mantra has served him well.

Turner acknowledges that not all projects lead to success, viewing “failure” as a valuable part of the entrepreneurial process. He emphasizes the importance of learning from these experiences, citing a project where a lack of customer input led to its commercial failure. This experience taught him a crucial lesson about market validation and ensuring that a product meets a genuine customer need. Turner also learned that technical risks are often involved in innovation, recounting a favorite NASA project where the technology did not perform as expected despite initial promise. These experiences have shaped his approach to product development and business strategy, underscoring the need for realism and adaptability in facing challenges.

Turner’s leadership style, characterized by others as humility, mentorship, and a focus on empowering his team and partners, has earned him widespread respect and admiration.

Brandon Johnson, CEO and Founder of KyphoLift, who partnered with Turner MedTech, said this about Clark Turner, “My vision for KyphoLift—improving MRI access for challenging patients—found its ideal partner in Turner MedTech. Clark Turner’s approachable nature and his team’s expertise made the journey seamless. His leadership delivered a product I trust and a collaboration I deeply value.”

And while Turner has studied management styles and books he defines his leadership style as, “An accumulation of experience over the years. You’ve got to do some things wrong to learn what doesn’t work and what demotivates people. But in general, I’ve tried to find good people and get out of their way because they know their job better than I do.”

As Turner looks to the future, he remains steadfast in his mission to bridge groundbreaking technology with real-world application. His story is a testament to the power of perseverance, the value of experience, and the critical role that federal funding programs like SBIR/STTR play in advancing innovation. For Utah entrepreneurs and startups inspired by Turner’s journey, the path to commercialization is challenging—but with the right support, it’s entirely within reach.

Companies interested in pursuing non-dilutive R&D funding through the federal SBIR and STTR programs can contact the Utah Innovation Center at innovationutah@utah.gov.