This summer, NASS will launch the first Innovation NetWORK Summit, a two-day summit designed to connect clinical insight with entrepreneurial drive. Scheduled for June 20–21 in Rosemont, Illinois, the event brings together spine professionals, medtech developers, venture capitalists, and health care investors for a forward-looking exploration of innovation pathways in spine care.
Unlike traditional scientific meetings, the Innovation NetWORK Summit offers a business-forward lens on spine innovation. Programming will center on the end-to-end lifecycle of medtech development: intellectual property protections, early funding, FDA pathways, clinical testing, adoption by health systems, and payer coverage.
“Innovation has been on the radar for the last five years,” said NASS CEO Eric Muehlbauer. “The current Board members are all very much in favor of this effort, so we decided it was a good time to launch it. Also, we’ve evolved on the ethics side of things, and see the need to work with industry in very intentional ways to stimulate innovation in the field.”
The target audience includes early- and mid-stage device companies, physicians interested in commercialization, investors, and regulatory experts—anyone invested in accelerating spine innovation responsibly and successfully. “We are making excellent connections within the field and are uniting entrepreneurs, medtech developers, and those who are willing to invest to help move the field toward newer, more innovative products,” Muehlbauer noted.
“[NASS is] creating an environment where participants can engage in meaningful conversations about innovation and problem-solving. We will limit registration to ensure that we have the right mix of stakeholders and to allow time for deeper interaction and real solution development.”
Eric J. Muehlbauer, MJ, CAE, NASS CEO
Programming will include keynote presentations from leading voices in device innovation, targeted panel discussions, and interactive Q&A sessions. Attendees can also expect ample time to have discussions with other innovators, companies, and VC representatives.
“[NASS is] creating an environment where participants can engage in meaningful conversations about innovation and problem-solving,” he said. “We will limit registration to ensure that we have the right mix of stakeholders and to allow time for deeper interaction and real solution development.”
The event is designed to spark relationships that can translate directly into product development pipelines. With spine innovation moving fast, NASS sees a need to convene diverse stakeholders to align their goals and help move good ideas forward. Muehlbauer sees this becoming the destination event for people who want to develop medtech products.
“This is the right event. The program committee has worked hard to bring together the right mix of people to provide the most relevant education,” said Muehlbauer. “Each presenter was chosen based on their experience in product development. The people on this agenda have a track record of success and of collaborating with those who have the ideas that need to be brought to life.”
For professionals at the intersection of innovation and spine care, the Innovation NetWORK Summit offers a one-of-a-kind environment to learn, collaborate, and accelerate progress. Registration is open at spine.org/ins.
Program Highlights: Friday, June 20
Morning Sessions
The meeting opens with a morning of strategic-level insights.
- Mike Evers (ORTHOWORLD, OmTech) provides an overview of current spine market conditions, offering perspective on where growth may occur in 2025 and beyond.
- Greg Banker (Vensana Capital) and Marc Viscogliosi (VB Spine) present back-to-back sessions exploring the medtech innovation lifecycle and the decision-making process behind venture capital investment in spine.
An industry case study follows with Eric Major and Dr. John Kostuik (invited) sharing the evolution of K2M, including its 2018 acquisition by Stryker and the implications of VB Spine’s recent acquisition of that business.
Legal protections for innovation are addressed by Cole Duncan and Dave Perry (BlankRome), who provide a straightforward guide to intellectual property protections in medtech.
Clinician Innovation and Entrepreneurial Models
Later morning sessions explore the clinician’s role in innovation:
- Paul Slosar, MD, differentiates between physician entrepreneurs and entrepreneurial physicians, with discussion on aligning professional identity with business goals.
- Isador Lieberman, MD, shares lessons learned from two decades as a clinician innovator, product adopter, and researcher working at the intersection of medicine and technology.
- Michael Fehlings, MD, covers technology gaps and needs within the framework of NASS Sections.
A panel featuring Evers, Slosar, Lieberman, Banker, Viscogliosi, Duncan, and Perry concludes the early morning with a broader conversation about innovation pipelines and institutional barriers.
Mid-day Sessions
Section Innovation and Cross-Industry Insights
Mid-day programming includes the Section Innovation Panel as well as Roundtable Discussions, with NASS section leaders identifying unmet needs, current gaps, and future priorities in areas such as:
- Spinal Trauma and SCI (Michael Fehlings, MD)
- MIS Surgery (Michael Wang, MD)
- Cervical Spine (Zoher Ghogawala, MD)
- Robotics (Isador Lieberman, MD)
- Biologics (Zorica Buser, PhD)
- Deformity (Chris Shaffrey, MD)
- Digital Health (Jeff Krauss, MD)
- Patient Continuum of Care (Matt Smuck, MD)
- Artificial Intelligence (Scott Kreiner, MD)
This is followed by cross-industry presentations featuring new technologies in AI, biomechanics, surgical planning, and device development from organizations including Agada Medical, Intrinsic, Intelligex, and others.
Afternoon Sessions
Afternoon sessions address funding models, pitch development, equity structuring, and FDA regulatory strategy.
Topics include:
- Funding spine technologies (Banker)
- Building investor-ready financials (Huffman)
- Understanding TPLC and FDA pathways (Ferrara)
Evening Reception
“Fail Tales & Cocktails” Networking Reception
Friday concludes with an open-mic-style networking event where participants share lessons learned from missteps in the innovation process. The session offers a candid, collegial environment for knowledge sharing across clinical and business domains.
Program Highlights: Saturday, June 21
Morning Sessions
The second day focuses on what follows innovation: payment models and adoption.
Sessions include:
- CMS and coding guidance (Bill Mitchell, Christopher Kauffman)
- Industry perspectives on successful reimbursement (Jeff Zigler, April Spillane)
- Value analysis pathways and hospital adoption strategies
Chondri Cove Pitch Competition
The meeting closes with a high-energy pitch competition. Participants present new spine, neuro, and MSK innovations before a panel of surgeons and investors. Each pitch includes Q&A, and panelists vote on standout concepts based on clinical relevance, feasibility, and market potential.