Breathing is something most of us take for granted. But for millions living with asthma, each breath can be a struggle. Filipp Egorov knew this battle all too well. After years of trying countless treatments that only masked his symptoms, he wondered: what if there was a way to strengthen breathing muscles instead of just treating symptoms? With no background in engineering or medicine—despite both his parents being doctors—Egorov faced what seemed like an enormous task.
In 2021, after 15 years building a successful career in PR, Egorov made a bold move. He stepped away from his role as partner at a European PR agency to create Oumua, the world’s first AI-powered breathing trainer. The device now helps users in over 100 countries strengthen their respiratory muscles through daily exercises. For Egorov, the switch from PR to product development wasn’t easy, but his personal need drove him to persist through the challenges.
Egorov’s story shows that you don’t need specialized training to create something meaningful—you need a problem you care about solving. Whether you have a health issue that needs a better solution, or you’ve spotted a gap in your industry, your unique perspective might be exactly what’s needed. As you read about how Egorov turned his struggle into a business that helps thousands, think about the problems you’ve faced that might be waiting for your solution.
Finding the Problem and Building the Solution
In 2006, Egorov started as a PR manager for tech companies like Nuance and Juniper. Over 14 years, he worked his way up to partner at a European PR agency, developing and protecting big-tech brands.
“It’s funny how 15 years later I still got dragged into the medical field.”
This unexpected return to healthcare came from a personal struggle. As a lifelong asthmatic, Egorov had tried countless treatments without finding lasting relief.
“I used every drug, method, tool and device that would (claim to) alleviate the symptoms.”
His search eventually led him to respiratory muscle training (RMT), a method that strengthens breathing muscles. This approach finally allowed him to reduce his dependence on inhalers and medications.
The market potential was substantial. Egorov recognized that in the U.S. alone, there are 30 million people with asthma and nearly 50 million with various respiratory conditions. The U.S. government spends more than $170 billion annually managing this respiratory “pandemic.”
Egorov named his device “Oumua” as a tribute to Oumuamua, the first interstellar object to pass near Earth from outside our solar system.
Creating Oumua was an intensive process. “It took around 3 months to ideate, design and work out the first generation of the prototype,” Egorov explains. But that was just the beginning. The team went on to make four more iterations, adjusting everything from overall size and form-factor to resistance levels and component placement. “It is a slow, intense, and somewhat draining, but very important stage of the development, building the foundation for a scalable mass production unit.”
One of the biggest technical challenges was fitting all the electronic components into a compact device. “Definitely compacting and inventing the 3D, double-layer topology of the electronic components so that they fit in the tiny space on the middle of the device (which we initially didn’t even plan to be electronic),” Egorov says of his biggest engineering hurdle.
Another challenge was fine-tuning the physical components. “Making the micro-adjustments of the plastic and silicone components; when the engineering tolerances are measured in tens of microns, any further twitching is almost a game of guess. Is it going to improve the air-tight seal of the difficulty slider? Maybe, we’ll see in 2 weeks. If not, maybe removing another 10 microns will help. Iterations take time, and the result is implied, but never guaranteed.”
The finished device provides adjustable resistance when you breathe in and out, similar to how weights create resistance for muscles at the gym. This resistance gradually strengthens your breathing muscles, making them more efficient over time.
What makes Oumua unique is its smart features. The device connects to an app that guides users through 10-15 minute daily exercises. The app shows your breathing patterns in real time, tracks progress, and adjusts the training level as you improve. It can even estimate your lung age and breathing capacity.
Egorov designed Oumua with a form factor similar to a vape device, making it familiar and discreet. Interestingly, some users have reported that exercising with Oumua helped them quit smoking and vaping.
The applications extend far beyond asthma. The different training programs can help with anxiety, depression treatment, sleep apnea, ADHD, and sports performance in activities ranging from swimming to basketball.
“Switching from a mostly humanitarian job to hardcore engineering/programming/factory management was stressful, and I probably paid a total worth a very expensive MBA in business errors I made.”
Despite these challenges, Egorov persisted. His dedication has paid off with multiple certifications (CE/FCC/RoHS/REACH/Ca65/TSCA), patents in the U.S., EU, and China, and the prestigious Red Dot award for best engineering product design in 2024.
Testing the Market
Before diving in completely, Egorov used his PR experience to test market interest.
“I did a prelaunch traffic test, analyzing the standard stuff like CPC, CPA, ROI/ROAS metrics, as well as something called ‘$1 pledge’ mechanics, which I think is the best way to determine if someone really wants to purchase your product.”
Egorov also carefully evaluated the pricing strategy. “We actually quantified it long before the start by making an iterative pre-launch market fit test. Tested different pricing tags, various texting and storytelling angles through a customizable prelaunch website page. Figured out that anywhere between $99 and $149 is our sweet spot, although the demand elasticity was indicating a potential for anything up to $350 per unit.”
With promising results, he launched crowdfunding campaigns that secured about $200,000 in pre-sales in just 55 days. He funded this initial phase primarily through personal savings, though he later added angel investors and additional crowdfunding.
For the initial production run, Egorov’s team manufactured about 5,000 units. “We made close to 5k units — enough to cover all the crowdfunding pledges, and test the global market,” he explains.
“The only fear that matters should always be ‘nobody wants this product’.”
Growing a Sustainable Business
Headquartered in Wilmington, Delaware, Oumua sells internationally to more than 100 countries. While 80% of sales still come from the U.S., the company continues to expand globally through Amazon, their website, and retail partnerships.
Since its hard launch in early 2023, Oumua has sold approximately 40,000 units. But Egorov isn’t stopping there. He’s developing eight more products to create an ecosystem of smart health devices.
What’s remarkable about Oumua’s business model is its early profitability. “We have been profitable since batch #1, because we really, really did our best in the R&D phase to lower the bill of materials and price per unit as much as possible without, of course, compromising on the quality,” Egorov shares. “Oumua unit economy allows us to reinvest into the next product runs without a need for external capital.”
Even so, no business journey is without setbacks. When faced with manufacturing issues, Egorov and his team responded quickly. “Our business model accounts for the possible manufacturing mistakes — we just recalled part of the batch, changed the faulty part, thank God it did not require any soldering/PCB work — and returned the fixed units back to the warehouse. Financially, it was a disaster, of course, but not a fatal error.”
Working with hardware products requires a specific mindset. “Mostly patience and tolerance to errors; hardware is much slower than software in both production and development, and this is something you cannot hack, it just takes time to produce, assemble, ensure the quality, pack, deliver, etc.,” Egorov explains.
Despite having no formal background in engineering, Egorov found that his determination and willingness to learn were sufficient to overcome technical challenges. This demonstrates that passion for solving a problem can sometimes be more valuable than traditional expertise.
Startup Stories
Real Impact and Lessons Learned
Perhaps most rewarding for Egorov are the stories from users whose lives have been changed by Oumua. “There are lots of them – we get thank-you letters (along with the not-very-thank-you ones, mostly wrapped around the app functionality and IT bugs) almost every day. People weaning off the inhalers and even oxygen tanks, improving their athleticism and sports results, increasing sleep quality, getting rid of bad habits like smoking/vaping — mostly that.”
These success stories validate Egorov’s initial vision. “I am personally touched by the stories of users with asthma who reduced or quit their medication by exercising their breathing muscles with Oumua, as it validates and reinforces my initial guess about the medical potential of guided RMT for asthma and COPD. Which is pretty cool for a guy with no medical background and no technical education, and just overall emotionally gratifying.”
Egorov’s path from PR expert to medical device creator offers clear takeaways for anyone looking to start a business. First, your personal struggles can point to market gaps. If you need a solution, others likely do too. Second, test your ideas before going all-in. Egorov’s approach to market testing helped him confirm real interest before investing heavily.
His experience also highlights the importance of patience and persistence in product development. The multiple iterations of Oumua weren’t just about perfecting the device; they were about creating a foundation for scaling production.
Perhaps his most valuable advice comes from his biggest regret: “Not spending enough time on research and development.” For physical products especially, rushing to market can backfire. “The cost of product errors is huge,” Egorov notes, “and the timeline for any fix is usually ‘the next product run’.” Take time to perfect your offering, build a solid team who understands your vision, and develop expertise within your company rather than relying solely on outside help.
What began as one person’s search for better breathing has grown into a business helping thousands worldwide. You don’t need all the answers to start—you just need to take that first step toward solving a problem you care about.
Learn more about Oumua at www.oumua.me
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