Why MedTech Investors Must Heed: Dr. Kingsley R. Chin's Historic Keynote in South Korea Spotlights the Next Wave of Spine Innovations

At the 32nd Annual Meeting of the Korean Spinal Neurosurgery Society in Seoul, KIC Ventures' Founder and CEO Unveils a Global Vision for Transforming Spine Surgery.

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., Sept. 30, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- As the spine industry today continues to double down on rigid fixation and hospital-driven procedures, orthopedic spine surgeon, professor, and KIC Ventures CEO & Founder Dr. Kingsley R. Chin stands out for having charted a different course years earlier. In his 2018 keynote at the 32nd Annual Meeting of the Korean Spinal Neurosurgery Society (KSNS) , Dr. Chin issued a bold and prescient call for change. Speaking on an international stage in Busan, South Korea, he predicted a future in which motion-preserving technologies and Less Exposure Spine Surgery (LESS™) techniques would move spine care out of hospitals and into outpatient settings.

Calling Out the Fusion Paradigm

In 2018, Dr. Chin highlighted how decades of industry-driven reliance on pedicle screws and interbody cages had resulted in costly, high-risk hospital procedures without meaningfully improving long-term outcomes. He argued that rigid fixation was an outdated model, dominated by hospitals and resistant to innovation. Instead, he championed a new era in which technologies are designed to preserve motion, respect anatomy, and move care from hospitals to ambulatory surgery centers — the foundation of KIC Ventures' REP principles: Restore function, Early treatment, Preserve anatomy.

"The fusion model—pedicle screws, cages, and rigid fixation—is failing patients and stifling innovation," Dr. Chin said in his address. "The future belongs to motion-preserving devices delivered with Less Exposure Spine Surgery techniques in outpatient settings."

Evidence of a Market Shift

Since Dr. Chin's 2018 keynote, his warnings have become reality. Several major players have exited or restructured their spine divisions, including Zimmer Biomet , NuVasive , and Stryker . Market caps for leading companies such as Orthofix and Globus Medical have also declined as traditional fusion-based models face increasing scrutiny. These market shifts underscore the validity of Dr. Chin's prediction that rigid fixation and hospital-centric approaches would struggle to sustain growth.

Why MedTech Investors Should Listen

While many medtech investors focus narrowly on short-term revenue targets and quarterly metrics, KIC Ventures has consistently looked ahead to where the market is heading. Dr. Chin's 2018 keynote was not only a prediction — it was a roadmap. Five years later, that roadmap is unfolding exactly as forecast. By trusting KIC Ventures' proven ability to anticipate and shape industry shifts — from motion preservation to Less Exposure Spine Surgery — investors can participate in the creation of entirely new categories rather than simply watching old ones shrink.

The Vision: Motion Preservation, REP Principles, and LESS™ Philosophy

At the center of Dr. Chin's keynote was AxioMed's viscoelastic total disc replacement—a motion-preserving device built on the REP principles and the LESS™ philosophy. Together with NANISX™, KIC Ventures' platform delivering differentiated technologies such as InSpan™, Sacrix™, and FacetFuse™ for LESS™ exposure stabilization and decompression in ASCs, these technologies embody the company's strategy of creating a full spectrum of motion-preserving and less-exposure spine solutions backed by global clinical evidence. NanoFUSE® complements this portfolio as the company's synthetic biologics and regenerative spine platform.

Acting on the Prediction

KIC Ventures has acted decisively on Dr. Chin's vision by advancing AxioMed's motion-preserving technology, expanding NANISx™ solutions for outpatient stabilization and decompression, and championing the Less Exposure Spine Surgery movement. Beyond disc replacement, KIC Ventures is opening new markets in interventional pain management and investing in the creation of a new interventional spine surgery specialty — redefining how spine care is delivered globally and offering investors a rare opportunity to participate in building these new categories from the ground up.

Global Momentum

In 2024, KIC Ventures attended EuroSpine in Austria, where the company showcased AxioMed technologies and deepened relationships with European partners. This year, KIC Ventures will participate in EuroSpine Copenhagen, reinforcing its global footprint and its leadership in motion-preserving spine solutions. Surgeon validation continues to grow internationally: AxioMed's cervical and lumbar discs have been validated by leading surgeons in Australia.

Global Engagement at KSNS

Dr. Chin's address at KSNS sparked significant interest among Korean neurosurgeons and orthopedic spine surgeons eager to explore how motion-preserving technologies could elevate patient outcomes. The keynote also underscored the importance of international collaboration to accelerate the transition from hospital-centric fusion to outpatient motion preservation.

"What we discussed in Busan was a turning point — we were showing the world that spine surgery does not have to be hospital-based and reliant on outdated fixation technologies," Dr. Chin reflected. "We could already see the future unfolding."

A Personal and Professional Milestone

For Dr. Chin, who was born and raised in Buff Bay, Jamaica, the keynote represented the culmination of years of dedication to advancing Less Exposure Spine Surgery and motion-preserving spine care:

"To stand in Busan as a professor, surgeon, and CEO — presenting a vision for outpatient disc replacement as the successor to traditional fusion — was deeply humbling," he said. "It confirmed our belief that spine surgery must evolve."

Looking Ahead: A Vision That Endures

Years later, Dr. Chin's predictions at KSNS remain strikingly prescient as the spine field continues its pivot toward outpatient care and motion-preserving technologies using Less Exposure Spine Surgery techniques. His 2018 keynote stands as an early marker of this global shift, showing that the move away from traditional fusion toward disc replacement in outpatient settings was not just possible but inevitable.

About KIC Ventures

Founded in 2013 as the venture arm of Kingsley Investment Company (KIC) LLC, KIC Ventures focuses exclusively on advancing outpatient spine surgery through its Less Exposure Spine Surgery (LESS™) philosophy. With a portfolio of innovative spine technologies and a commitment to empowering physicians, KIC Ventures has become the world's largest private equity firm with a majority-owned portfolio of differentiated spine companies focused on outpatient spine solutions.

SOURCE KIC Ventures