Bolder Surgical is manufacturing robotic tools for surgery

A decade after its founding, Bolder Surgical's products are in more than 200 hospitals across the U.S. and many more globally.

Eric Peterson //March 1, 2020//

Bolder Surgical is manufacturing robotic tools for surgery

A decade after its founding, Bolder Surgical's products are in more than 200 hospitals across the U.S. and many more globally.

Eric Peterson //March 1, 2020//

Bolder Surgical | Louisville | Product: Medical

Founded in 2010 as JustRight Surgical, the company has broadened from robotic tools for minimally invasive surgery in pediatric patients. A decade later, its products are in more than 200 hospitals across the U.S. and many more globally.

“The company’s technology has evolved, as well as the company,” says Robert Kline, president and CEO of the company since 2017.

Bolder Surgical had an eventful 2019, closing on a $27 million investment round after partnering with California-based Intuitive Surgical, a leader in surgical automation. “We’re starting to make some really good progress,” Kline says.

The big move for 2020? Bringing manufacturing in-house. As of February, Bolder Surgical is making all of its new products in Colorado. “Up until now, we have outsourced our manufacturing, primarily to a contract manufacturing firm on the East Coast,” says Kline, who previously founded Colorado med-tech startups Medivance and Virocyt and was an early JustRight investor.

The main driver? Bolder Surgical could not only do it better, but the company could also deliver a much lower-cost product. “The financial benefits are pretty straightforward,” Kline says. “Overwhelmingly, I think the benefits of manufacturing your own product outweigh any of the challenges in getting started.”

Now 40 employees, the company invested in both infrastructure and people to make the move.

“There’s a real pride and connection to your product you get when you see it all the way through from concept into development and actually into production and into the hands of the customer,” Kline says. “You also get to know your product much, much better than if somebody else is making it for you.”

 

This article is part of the 2020 Made in Colorado feature. To learn more about the Colorado companies changing manufacturing in the state, click here