Our Mission
We aspire to provide every spine patient the freedom from pain through the creation and delivery of Ultra-MIS Solutions.
Stephen D Kuslich, MD
1943-2004
Stephen D. Kuslich, M.D.
1943-2004
Our Founder Story
Stephen D. Kuslich, M.D.
A serial entrepreneur, and incurable innovator, Dr. Stephen Kuslich had already tremendously impacted the spine market with the co-development of the BAK cage. Having completed thousands of discectomies and decompressions, he was seeking a solution to accomplish spinal surgical goals and deliver a larger implant through a smaller incision. Even though it meant obsoleting the design he had already brought famously to market, he was determined to miniaturize the working portal.
Our Founder
Stephen D. Kuslich, M.D.
A serial entrepreneur, and incurable innovator, Dr. Stephen Kuslich had already tremendously impacted the spine market with the co-development of the BAK cage. Having completed thousands of discectomies and decompressions, he was seeking a solution to accomplish spinal surgical goals and deliver a larger implant through a smaller incision. Even though it meant cannibalizing the design he had already brought famously to market, he was determined to miniaturize the working portal.
He resolved to find a buildable solution to restoring disc height, which would significantly decrease the access footprint to the spine. After many iterations, he still experienced challenges containing the bone graft within this new implant form.
Over lunch, he noticed his development partner holding a hackey sack in his knit-gloved hand. Watching the nature of this toy, immediately he knew- the bone material alone, if contained appropriately, could provide structural strength required to support fusion. They went straight back to the lab, and morselized a bone from the prior day’s lunch. They just needed a solution to contain the bone graft. A finger of his partner’s glove was cut off, filled with the bone material, and the rest is history.
Accomplishments
Spinal Surgeon
Medical Educator
- Disorders of the Lumbar
- Spine
- Origin of Back Pain
Inventor
- 44 U.S. Patents
- 5 Patents in Preparation
- Spine-Tech's BAK™ Implant
Entrepreneur
- Founder of Spine-Tech Inc.
- Founder of Spineology Inc.
We Took the Hard Road, and Emerged With Superiority
Backed with IDE Level data, OptiMesh stands alone in the Interbody fusion space with an IDE, De Novo grant. Only 16 Orthopedic medical devices have earned this level of FDA clearance, and Optimesh stands alone in the Interbody Fusion market as one of those technologies.
1993
Patent Work Began
1997
Spineology Founded
2003
FDA clearance for Stable Vertebral Body Defects
2004
First OptiMesh Clinical Cases
2013
Efforts Begin to Obtain De Novo, IDE Grant
2020
FDA De Novo Grant for Interbody Fusion
2021
OptiMesh® 2.0 Launch
2023
OptiLIF Endo Launch
2024
Under New Leadership
The Spineology Team
Our Executives
Brian Snider
Chief Executive Officer
Brian Snider
Chief Executive Officer
Brian Snider, CEO, joined Spineology in November, 2023 with nearly twenty years of progressive leadership experience in the medical device industry. Prior to joining Spineology, Mr. Snider served as Executive Vice President of Marketing for Alphatec Spine (NASDAQ: ATEC) as a member of the executive leadership team that was responsible for growing the company’s market capitalization from $20M to over $1.2B. During his tenure with ATEC, he had accountability for a variety of disciplines in marketing and product development. Prior to ATEC, Mr. Snider spent 9 years at NuVasive, Inc., a leader in innovative products and procedures for minimally disruptive spine surgery. During his tenure at NuVasive, he held senior level marketing positions in the Thoracolumbar business segment, including the flagship procedure, XLIF®. Mr. Snider received a BBA in Marketing and Information Systems from the George Washington University and an MBA from the Fuqua School of Business at Duke University.
Steve Nemitz
Chief Financial Officer
Steve Nemitz
Chief Financial Officer
Mr. Nemitz brings over 25 years of broad finance and cross-functional leadership experience to Spineology. Most recently he served as the Chief Financial Officer of Aldevron, a Fargo-based Biotech manufacturer that was a stand-alone Operating Company of Danaher Corporation. Prior to Aldevron, he held various roles of progressively increasing responsibility, including VP-Commercial Operations and VP-Global Integration at Wright Medical (acquired by Stryker), VP-Global Controller at Tornier Inc. (acquired by Wright Medical), and VP-Controller and Chief Accounting Officer at ADC Telecommunications (acquired by TE Connectivity). He began his career in the assurance and advisory services practice with Arthur Andersen LLC and graduated from the University of St. Thomas with a bachelor’s degree in Accounting.
Amanda Bloom
Executive Vice President, Marketing
Amanda Bloom
Executive Vice President, Marketing
Amanda Bloom joins Spineology with nearly twenty years of progressive leadership experience in the Medical Device and MedTech industry, building go-to-market product and commercial strategies, marketing awareness, clinical programs, and advocacy development for numerous first to-market technologies. She started her career at Depuy Spine, Johnson and Johnson®,and then joined NuVasive®, Inc., a leader in innovative products and procedures for minimally disruptive spine surgery, where she spent 9 years holding senior level marketing positions including management of the flagship procedure XLIF®. After leaving Nuvasive, she joined Zimmer Biomet® within its newly developed Robotic division, leading the expansion of the ROSA® Brain robotic and navigation technology into additional surgical spaces.
Most recently, Bloom served as Vice President of Marketing for two innovative start-up organizations; Avail Medsystems, and Radiaction Medical, both providing novel solutions to unique, unmet clinical needs across multiple surgical disciplines. Her experience launching products, technologies and procedures within numerous surgical spaces including spine, neurosurgery, orthopedics, and cardiology, as well as her success building and leading teams provide Spineology leadership experience that will position the organization for success. Bloom has a BS in Biopsychology, and a minor in Communications from Tufts University, and is currently obtaining an advanced degree through the Wharton Executive Leadership program.
Emory Rooney
Executive Vice President, Sales
Emory Rooney
Executive Vice President, Sales
Emory Rooney is joining Spineology with nearly two decades of medical device experience. Prior to joining Spineology, Mr. Rooney spent nearly six years with Alphatec Spine, where he served as the Vice President of Sales Channel Development and Area Vice President. Under his leadership his territory grew by 10x, achieving over $100 million in annual sales during his tenure. Prior to his time at Alphatec, Mr. Rooney had a successful ten-year career with Stryker, beginning with various sales representative roles at Stryker Navigation and Stryker Spine, he then stepped into numerous leadership roles as a Branch manager, Regional Sales Manager and Area Vice President. Mr. Rooney received his bachelor’s degree in Political Science from the University of Central Florida. Mr. Rooney also proudly serves as a board member for the International Spine Foundation, a non-profit that serves underprivileged spine patients in need of care.
Andrew Adams
Vice President, Regulatory, Clinical, Quality, & Compliance Officer
Andrew Adams
Vice President, Regulatory, Clinical, Quality, & Compliance Officer
Andrew Adams, Vice President, Regulatory, Clinical, Quality, & Compliance Officer, joined Spineology in October 2018. Mr. Adams received a Bachelor of Chemical Engineering from the University of Minnesota. Since then, he has spent his entire career in the medical device industry with expanding roles from Quality Intern to Vice President of multiple disciplines. Prior to joining Spineology he had progressive responsibilities and leadership experience of over 15 years with multiple early-stage MedTech companies - making him well versed in the support of startup technologies. This also includes spearheading the only FDA-granted De Novo interbody and several mission-critical 510(k)s that created the road map of success for Spineology’s flagship OptiMesh innovative technology.
Board of Directors
Meet the Board
Thomas Patton
Executive Chairman
Thomas Patton
Executive Chairman
Tom is a seasoned healthcare executive and board member with broad operational, strategic, legal, compliance and transactional experience, from start-ups to growth companies, both public and private.
He last served as Chief Executive Officer of CAS Medical Systems (NASD: CASM), a publicly traded developer and distributor of patient monitoring equipment, from 2010 until its sale to Edwards LifeSciences in 2019. His prior experience includes: Co-Founder, President and CEO of QDX, Inc., a developer of unique micro-fluidic diagnostic technology utilizing digital imaging techniques for hematologic analysis until its sale to Abbott Laboratories; President and Chief Operating Officer of Novametrix Medical Systems, Inc. (NASD: NMTX) until its sale to Respironics; and CEO of Wright Medical Technology, Inc. until its sale to Warburg Pincus. Tom has also served as Advisor to Ferrer Freeman & Company, a healthcare focused private equity fund manager.
Over the years, Mr. Patton has served on twelve Boards of Directors for both public and private medical products and services companies, and currently serves on the Board of Misonix (NASD: MSON), a publicly traded ultrasonic surgical tools and wound care company, and ElectroCore (NASD: ECOR) a provider of non-invasive vagal nerve stimulation products to address various patient conditions.
Tom started his career as a litigator at the renowned law firm of Williams and Connolly in Washington DC before joining Wright Medical as its General Counsel in 1993. He graduated from The College of the Holy Cross and magna cum laude from Georgetown University Law Center.
Craig Matturro
Board Member
Craig Matturro
Board Member
Craig Matturro joined 1315 Capital in 2016 after two years as an Analyst in the Investment Banking Group of Leerink Partners, LLC, where he worked on multiple M&A and private placement engagements for small to mid-cap public and private companies across all healthcare subsectors.
During his time at 1315 Capital, Craig went on secondment to serve as Director of Business Development for 1315 Capital portfolio company, JDS Therapeutics, where he led the divesture of the Company’s Nutrition21 division to Everwell Health, as well as the acquisition of patented nutraceutical assets by the Company’s Bonafide Health division (acquired by Pharmavite).
Craig currently serves on the board of Restorative Therapies and Triple Ring Technologies, is a board observer for Onkos Surgical, and previously was a board observer for Solsys Medical (acquired by Misonix) and Centurion Service Group (acquired by TRIMEDX).
Craig received a BSc from Carnegie Mellon University in Business Administration – Concentration in Finance with University Honors, and a minor in Engineering Studies.
Greg Madden
Board Member
Greg Madden
Board Member
Greg has accumulated over 20 years of healthcare investment experience while at SV.
He joined SV in 2002 as an Analyst and later transitioned to the role of Portfolio Manager with both portfolio and lead fundraising responsibilities. Following business school, Greg was promoted to Principal and became Partner in 2018. Greg is focused on medical device and healthcare services investments and is actively engaged in the financing, strategy, operations and acquisitions of portfolio companies.
Prior to SV, Greg worked at Testa, Hurwitz & Thibeault, in the Business Practice, Emerging Technology and Private Equity groups, supporting both venture capital funds and venture backed companies in business formations and financings, mergers and acquisitions, and venture capital fundraising.
J. Carter McNabb
Board Member
J. Carter McNabb
Board Member
J. Carter is the Managing Director at River Cities Capital Funds, where he leads the firm’s healthcare investing practice. Mr. McNabb has been instrumental in setting River Cities’ healthcare strategy and establishing the firm’s credibility within the healthcare vertical. He has achieved numerous highly profitable exits in healthcare services and medical technology, and he currently serves on the boards of Nico, OrthAlign, Bolder Surgical, and Catalyst Orthoscience. He is also an independent board member of Ischemia Care. Mr. McNabb obtained his BA in classical studies from Trinity College (Hartford, CT) where he was awarded the James Goodwin Prize, the oldest academic honor at the college, and he received his MBA from Vanderbilt University.
J. Robert Paulson, Jr.
Board Member
J. Robert Paulson, Jr.
Board Member
Bob is the President and CEO at Sonex Health. Bob previously served as President/CEO/Director at VentureMed, NxThera (acquired by Boston Scientific), and Restore Medical (acquired by Medtronic); CFO/VP Marketing at Endocardial Solutions (acquired by St. Jude Medical); Sr. VP/GM at Advanced Bionics; VP/GM of Surgical Navigation Technologies, VP of Corporate Strategy, and Director of Corporate Development at Medtronic. Prior to joining the MedTech industry, Bob held senior marketing, corporate development, legal and finance roles at General Mills, and practiced corporate, M&A, and securities law at Lindquist & Vennum.
Bob is a Director on the Boards of Sonex Health, Spineology, and the VentureMed Group, serves as Chair of the Luther College Board of Regents, and is a member of the Vanderbilt University Law School Board of Advisors.
Bob received a JD from the Vanderbilt University Law School; an MBA from the University of St. Thomas; and a BA from Luther College, with majors in Accounting, Economics and Political Science.
Brian Snider
CEO & Board Member
Brian Snider
Chief Executive Officer
Brian Snider, CEO, joined Spineology in November, 2023 with nearly twenty years of progressive leadership experience in the medical device industry. Prior to joining Spineology, Mr. Snider served as Executive Vice President of Marketing for Alphatec Spine (NASDAQ: ATEC) as a member of the executive leadership team that was responsible for growing the company’s market capitalization from $20M to over $1.2B. During his tenure with ATEC, he had accountability for a variety of disciplines in marketing and product development. Prior to ATEC, Mr. Snider spent 9 years at NuVasive, Inc., a leader in innovative products and procedures for minimally disruptive spine surgery. During his tenure at NuVasive, he held senior level marketing positions in the Thoracolumbar business segment, including the flagship procedure, XLIF®. Mr. Snider received a BBA in Marketing and Information Systems from the George Washington University and an MBA from the Fuqua School of Business at Duke University.
Our Investors
