Legacy Spine Companies Retreat While KIC Ventures Builds New Markets in Outpatient Interventional Spine Surgery, Regenerative Biologics, and Viscoelastic Disc Replacements

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., Oct. 15, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- As legacy spine and orthopedic companies divest from their core device portfolios and retreat from innovation, Harvard-trained orthopedic spine surgeon and CEO Dr. Kingsley R. Chin has demonstrated consistent leadership in guiding KIC Ventures to advance a bold new vision — building sustainable global markets in outpatient interventional spine surgery, regenerative biologics, and motion-preserving viscoelastic disc replacements.

KIC Ventures is defined by its physician-led model, featuring Chief Medical Officer Dr. Erik Spayde, a Harvard-trained orthopedic spine surgeon, and Chief Technology Officer Vito Lore, who has worked alongside Dr. Chin for over 15 years driving innovation in Less Exposure Spine Surgery (LESS) technologies. Supported by a seasoned executive team and a network of physician investors — many participating through self-directed IRAs (SDIRAs) via the IRA Club — KIC Ventures continues to lead where others have retreated.

The past decade has marked a wave of spine industry divestitures, as traditional giants exit innovation-heavy markets to consolidate and protect profits:

• NuVasive, the leader in lateral interbody cage fusion, was assimilated into Globus and effectively exited as an independent spine innovator.
• Biomet was acquired by Zimmer, which later divested its spine business into ZimVie, and then ZimVie was sold to Highbridge — completing a full exit from spine.
• Stryker divested Stryker Spine, walking away from decades of development.
• Integra divested SeaSpine, another exit from spine.
• Aesculap divested its ActivL articulating disc replacement program.
• DePuy Synthes divested its ProDisc articulating disc replacement.
• Orthofix divested its M6 disc replacement after widespread osteolysis concerns.

These moves follow the Vertiflex recall by Boston Scientific and broader orthopedic restructuring at Johnson & Johnson, signaling a systemic withdrawal from the innovation-intensive spine sector.

"While others are exiting spine, we're expanding it," said Dr. Kingsley R. Chin, CEO and Founder of KIC Ventures. "We see what's coming next — a shift to regenerative, motion-preserving, and outpatient treatments. Innovation doesn't disappear; it migrates to those willing to lead."

• AxioMed  Viscoelastic Disc Replacement The only total disc replacement to complete a U.S. IDE study with over 10 years of published outcomes, AxioMed restores natural disc motion instead of eliminating it. Global commercialization is planned for 2026, marking the new standard for motion preservation in spine.
• NanoFuse Biologics Combining synthetic 45S5 Bioactive Glass with demineralized bone matrix (DBM), NanoFuse delivers a regenerative therapeutic platform with a five-year shelf life. KIC Ventures is extending NanoFuse's capabilities beyond bone regeneration into therapeutic biologic applications, positioning it as a next-generation regenerative medicine solution.
• ELID (Endoscopic Lumbar Intralaminar Decompression) ELID represents a breakthrough in endoscopic decompression, enabling targeted intralaminar distraction and decompression for both spine surgeons and interventional pain specialists. Paired with NANISX's LESS Exposure Spine Surgery (LESS) portfolio — InSpan, FacetFuse, and Sacrix — ELID anchors a new interventional outpatient market, moving spine surgery from the hospital to physician-owned ambulatory centers.

"Cardiology evolved by shifting from open-heart surgery to interventional cardiology," said Dr. Chin. "Spine is undergoing the same transformation. The future belongs to physician-led outpatient care — earlier treatment, preserved anatomy, and faster recovery. This is how real innovation scales."

Dr. Erik Spayde, CMO and Harvard-trained orthopedic spine surgeon, highlighted the physician-led foundation:

"Our clinical insight drives our innovation. We know where the bottlenecks are because we've lived them. That's why our solutions are practical, evidence-based, and built to last."

Vito Lore, CTO, reinforced KIC Ventures' product philosophy:

"Our innovation strategy is guided by our LESS treatment philosophy — Less Exposure Spine Surgery. We build best-in-class technologies that deliver superior outcomes with less trauma, less cost, and less complexity."

Aditya Humad, President and CFO, emphasized the company's physician-investor model:

"Our investors are doctors who understand the clinical and economic value of what we're building. Through partnerships with the IRA Club, many have invested using tax-free retirement capital via SDIRAs — turning their savings into ownership in the future of spine."

Every KIC Ventures technology is supported by peer-reviewed research published in top spine and orthopedic journals. Through the LESS Society VET Tour, KIC Ventures and its physician faculty are training surgeons globally to achieve standardized competency in interventional and outpatient spine techniques.

Join us and invest.

Visit the website: www.KICVentures.com or call us at +1(855)411-LESS

KIC Ventures is a physician-founded private equity healthtech group driving innovation in spine and orthopedics. Guided by the REP principles — Restore Function, Early Intervention, Preserve Anatomy, KIC Ventures acquires, develops, and commercializes technologies that transition spine care from hospital-based fusion to regenerative, motion-preserving, and outpatient solutions.

The KIC Ventures portfolio includes AxioMed, NanoFuse Biologics, and NANISX, each advancing the next generation of Interventional Spine Surgery and Regenerative Therapeutics worldwide.

SOURCE KIC Ventures