Leading 20+ Years of Investments in Differentiated Innovations for Spine Surgery
Who We Are
We are a private equity healthtech investment firm with the world's largest portfolio of majority-owned, differentiated spine technology companies
At KIC Ventures, we don’t follow trends—we shape them. As physician-founders and technology pioneers, we invest in scalable innovations that shift traditional spine surgery toward Interventional Spine Surgery (ISSU) in the outpatient setting through our proprietary Less Exposure Spine Surgery (LESS™) solutions. Our technologies are designed to follow the REP™ treatment principles: Restore function, Early treatment, and Preserve anatomy—delivering better outcomes while reducing cost, risk, and recovery time.
Real Stories
Patient Testimonials
“As a practicing physician, I needed to stay active and mobile. I had a four-level AxioMed cervical disc replacement seven years ago, and I still have full range of motion in my neck. I’m grateful I avoided the large fusion surgery that many patients have undergone and not done well with.”
Patient, 63 year old practicing physician
“I was told I needed a traditional spine fusion with rods and screws. Determined to find a better option, I did my research and came across the LESS Institute. There, I was offered InSpan to treat my L3-L4 problem. The procedure was done outpatient, my recovery was just two weeks, and I still have motion in my spine. My husband also had his L5-S1 treated—without fusion. We avoided a long hospital stay, and we’re both living pain-free.”
Patient, 67 year old retired teacher
“I just wanted to go back to my gardening without pain. I did not qualify for traditional spine surgery”
Patient, 80 year old retiree
Physician Testimonials
“I believe that the AxioMed disc is the best prothesis that you can use for the patient. We have had excellent results with our surgeries and it is very easy to use, it's a very straight forward disc.”
Dr. Robert Pfugmacher, Orthopedic Spine SUrgeon
“The advantage of the AxioMed disc is that it is a more stable or constrained device. It's a much better device in mimicking the patient's normal disc and gives us better results in the short and long term.”
Dr. Erik Spayde, Orthopedic Spine Surgeon
"I believe the viscoelastic implant is the way of the future"
Dr. Raymond Yip, Orthopedic Spine Surgeron
These are not just testimonials—they’re a call for change from both patients and physicians.
Patients are seeking motion-preserving, anatomy-sparing solutions. Physicians are choosing technologies that deliver better outcomes with fewer complications. At KIC Ventures, we respond to both. Our investments are guided by real needs, real people, and real results.
The Need
A Growing Spine Health Crisis
Each year, over 266 million people worldwide suffer from degenerative spine disease. As people live longer and more active lives, the demand for motion-preserving, long-lasting spine treatments continues to rise.
Yet today’s standard of care is falling behind:
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Traditional spine surgery often involves removing the natural disc and inserting rigid metal cages, screws, and rods that limit motion and lead to complications, long recoveries, and repeat surgeries.
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Interventional Pain Management (IPM) physicians frequently rely on spinal cord stimulators, injections, or opioids—temporary solutions that don’t treat the root cause.
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Patients are seeking outpatient procedures that avoid major reconstruction and offer faster, safer recovery.
KIC Ventures exists to answer the need to lead the new era of outpatient interventional spine surgery—worldwide—making it simpler, more affordable, and more effective.
The Answer
Delivering the New Standard in Outpatient Spine Surgery
At KIC Ventures, we are answering the global demand for a smarter, safer way to treat spine disease by developing and commercializing LESS™ Exposure Spine Surgery technologies that enable early, outpatient intervention without compromising long-term outcomes.
Our platform is powered by:
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LESS™ Exposure Advanced Spine Technologies (LEAST™) — a portfolio of innovations engineered to avoid the complications of traditional open surgery by preserving motion, minimizing tissue disruption, and reducing hospital stays.
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The REP™ Philosophy — our guiding principles: Restore function, Early treatment, and Preserve anatomy, which together define a modern approach to treating spine disease at its source.
We invest in and lead the growth of proprietary, patented solutions including:
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NANISX™ – delivering differentiated technologies like InSpan™, Sacrix™, and FacetFuse™ for LESS™ invasive stabilization and decompression in ASCs
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AxioMed™ – offering the only FDA-submitted viscoelastic disc replacement platform to restore natural motion and reduce the need for fusion
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NanoFuse Biologics™ – combining synthetic Bioglass and DBM for natural bone growth and structural fusion when needed
As outpatient spine surgery accelerates around the world, our companies are positioned to lead — making treatment simpler, more effective, and more accessible for patients and physicians.
Key Solutions
Focus Areas
At the core of our strategy is an urgent but disciplined approach to selecting niche areas where our strengths lie, aiming to develop best in class solutions with significant market growth potential over the next decade.
The Proof
Proven. Profitable. Positioned to Scale.
KIC Ventures has spent over two decades proving that long-term value is created through vision, persistence, and performance. Since conceiving our first patented solution in 2000 and selling the MANTIS™ percutaneous pedicle screw system to Stryker in a multimillion-dollar deal, we’ve consistently delivered results—clinically and financially.
We’ve reinvested that early success to build a portfolio of differentiated spine technologies designed for the future of outpatient surgery.
Highlights of our proven track record:
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💰 100x return on our first innovation, the MANTIS™ system, sold to Stryker
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💼 Over $350 million in cumulative revenues across our portfolio
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📈 10x+ value growth for early investors
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📚 90+ peer-reviewed research publications validating our technologies
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🔒 Dozens of issued and pending patents supporting long-term IP strength
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🧠 20+ years of physician-led innovation, with direct input from practicing spine surgeons
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🏥 Hundreds of surgeons trained in LESS™ and REP™ techniques worldwide
This is not theory—it’s execution. We have built and sustained a capital-efficient, insider-led investment model that creates multiple exit opportunities, from strategic acquisitions to public offerings, while delivering real-world patient outcomes.
200,000+
DEVICES IMPLANTED
100+
GLOBAL PATENTS
35+
US FDA APPROVED DEVICES
80+
INVESTORS: 50 US
30 INTL | 14 COUNTRIES
$85M+
INVESTED CASH:
$60M+ FOUNDERS |
$8M+ INVESTORS|
$17M+ PHYSICIANS
$300M
PORTFOLIO REVENUES
90+
RESEARCH PAPERS
10+
ACQUISITIONS & SALE
13+
COUNTRIES TECHNOLOGIES BEEN USED
$20M+
INVESTED DEBT
Featured Studies
Spine J . 2025 May 16:S1529-9430(25)00243-8. doi: 10.1016/j.spinee.2025.05.014.
Kingsley R Chin^, Jason A Seale, Carl A Bruce, Warren D Yu, Steven C Anagnost, Vivek P Kushwaha, Roger D Sung, Josue Gabriel, Craig S Meyer, Neil R Crawford, Vito Lore
Kingsley R. Chin^, Jason A. Seale, Erik Spayde, William M. Costigan, Nishant Gohel, Daniel Aloise, Vito Lore.
InSpan Slim
VET Tour:
Visit. Educate. Train
Join us in Fort Lauderdale for our VET (Visit, Educate, Train) Tour—a unique opportunity to experience our company culture, technologies, and future vision firsthand. Designed for physicians and potential investors, the tour gives you direct access to our leadership, our innovations, and our LESS™ Exposure Spine Surgery philosophy. You’ll gain clinical insight, hands-on training, and a clear understanding of how we’re transforming spine care.
