Harvard Surgeon to HealthTech CEO | Dr. Kingsley R. Chin Partners with Physicians to Grow KIC Ventures: Transforming Spine Surgery
- DoctorpreneurNews
- Aug 27
- 4 min read
Updated: 7 days ago
From Harvard-trained spine surgeon to HealthTech CEO, Dr. Kingsley R. Chin is leading a physician-led movement in healthtech investing — one that began when he and fellow physicians co-founded KIC Ventures and invested millions of their own capital to reshape the future of spine surgery.
Dr. Jason Seale MBA
The Rise of the LESS™ Movement
The LESS™ (Less Exposure Spine Surgery) Movement is reshaping spine care with a philosophy rooted in REP™: Restore Function. Early Intervention. Preserve Anatomy.
For too long, spine surgery has relied on invasive approaches that sacrifice healthy tissue to stabilize the spine. The LESS™ Movement calls on physicians to unite around a new vision: intervene earlier, preserve anatomy, and restore function with technologies designed to fit outpatient settings.
This movement began when Dr. Kingsley R. Chin, a Harvard-trained spine surgeon, founded KIC Ventures after the success of his MANTIS percutaneous pedicle screw system (acquired by Stryker in 2005). What began as his vision is now strengthened by physician partners who invested alongside him to create the world’s largest portfolio of majority-owned, physician-led spine technology companies. Today, KIC Ventures is expanding the LESS™ Movement and inviting more physicians to lead.
Physicians Investing in Physicians
Most private equity firms in healthtech are run by financiers. KIC Ventures was built differently. From its beginning, physician investors played a central role in guiding strategy. Their belief was simple: doctors, not just Wall Street, should lead the innovations that define their specialty.
Together, this physician-led approach has built a portfolio that reflects one principle: created with physicians, for physicians.
From Harvard to HealthTech CEO
Dr. Chin’s journey illustrates why physician leadership matters. A graduate of Harvard Medical School and the Harvard Orthopedic Residency, and later Chief of Spine Surgery at the University of Pennsylvania, he distinguished himself as a clinician, researcher, professor, and entrepreneur.
In 2000, he filed his first patent and determined to scale his vision, he pursued training at Harvard Business School and drew on prior consulting experience at Accenture New York City including experience at Goldman Sachs, preparing him to grow KIC Ventures into a sustainable physician-led firm.
Fueling the Next Phase of Growth
KIC Ventures has raised $5 million toward its $15M Series A round and is now inviting additional physicians to join. With this capital, the firm is positioned to achieve major milestones:
AxioMed → Bringing its motion-preservation total disc replacement to market by early 2026 as a real alternative to fusion.
NANISX → Scaling globally to support the shift to outpatient spine surgery in ASCs, with supporting technologies including:
Sacrix – SI joint fusion without pedicle screws
InSpan – interspinous fixation designed for outpatient use
FacetFuse – direct transfacet stabilization that avoids adjacent segment damage
NanoFUSE Biologics → Accelerating natural bone healing with next-generation biologics.
This momentum reflects more than just capital — it reflects KIC Ventures’ predictive approach to spine surgery. Dr. Chin calls it the 3 P’s of entrepreneurship: Identify the Problem, Predict the need for a better solution, and build the Product that drives global adoption and lasting value. These principles guide not only KIC Ventures’ investments but also the LESS™ Movement itself — ensuring physicians stay ahead of change rather than reacting to it.
A New Specialty: Interventional Spine Surgery (ISSU™)
Just as cardiologists evolved into interventional cardiologists, treating patients earlier with catheter-based solutions and avoiding open-heart surgery, spine surgeons and interventionalists are poised for a similar transformation.
The LESS™ Movement and ISSU™ (Interventional Spine Surgery) envision a future where physicians deliver earlier, anatomy-preserving interventions in ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) instead of hospitals.
This shift mirrors the interventional cardiology revolution — less invasive, more effective, and driven by physicians who refused to wait for industry to define their specialty’s future.
The LESS™, LEAST™, REP™, and ISSU™ Frameworks
The innovation strategy is anchored in four physician-led frameworks:
REP™: Restore Function. Early Intervention. Preserve Anatomy.
LESS™ (Less Exposure Spine Surgery): Reducing exposure and protecting tissue.
LEAST™ (Less Exposure Advanced Spine Technology): Advanced tools built around LESS™ principles.
ISSU™ (Interventional Spine Surgery): Establishing a new specialty for earlier, outpatient, anatomy-preserving interventions.
Together, these frameworks unite physicians globally under one mission: make spine surgery safer, faster, and more patient-centered.
A Quote from Dr. Chin
“When physicians lead innovation, patients win. We started KIC Ventures by putting our own capital to work, and now we’re inviting more physicians to join us in shaping the future of spine surgery. Together, we’re not just investing — we’re building solutions that will outlast us.” — Dr. Kingsley R. Chin
Final Word
KIC Ventures began with one surgeon’s vision and grew stronger with physician investors who shared it. Now, the LESS™ Movement is expanding, inviting doctors worldwide to become leaders, investors, and innovators in reshaping the future of spine surgery.
👉 Physicians who want to join the LESS™ Movement and participate in KIC Ventures’ Series A can learn more at www.kicventures.com.
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