Entrepreneur Of The Year 2009
Road to Palm Springs
Alex V. Lukianov
NuVasive, Inc.
San Diego, Calif.
NuVasive, Inc., a medical device company that designs, develops and markets products for the surgical treatment of spine disorders, was a struggling startup when Alex Lukianov took the reins of the company in 1999. Today, NuVasive is shaping the future of spine surgery.
With more than a decade of senior management experience in the orthopedic industry when he joined NuVasive, Lukianov worked side by side with the original surgeon founder of the company and established a culture based on exceeding market expectations and responding to customer demands “at cheetah speed.” He led NuVasive through several rounds of venture capital financing and public offerings, raising more than $500 million.
NuVasive is currently focused on developing applications for spine fusion surgery that reduce collateral nerve damage, invasiveness, recovery time and cost. It is best known for the XLIF procedure, a revolutionary way to approach the spine that dramatically reduces recovery time. Other applications include a minimally disruptive surgical platform called Maximum Access Surgery; a revolutionary nerve avoidance monitoring system; a product used in lateral access surgery; and a line of biologics, cervical and motion preservation products.
Under Lukianov’s leadership, annual sales have swelled to $250 million at year-end 2008 and more than 100,000 spine surgery patients have benefited from the techniques and technologies developed by NuVasive.
