Clyde Pratt Co-Founder, Chairman and Investor

Clyde Pratt, J.D., began his career in orthopaedics with Richards Manufacturing Company in 1973. He assumed full responsibility for the manufacture of all of Richards’ reconstructive products prior to the company being acquired by Smith & Nephew.

In 1981, he formed Techmedica Inc., which was dedicated to producing patient-specific implants for all areas of the musculoskeletal system. The company was the first in the world to produce implant devices custom-formed to match patient anatomy using CT image data sets and computer-integrated manufacturing. The company was acquired by Sulzer Brothers AG in 1987.

In the early nineties, he consulted with a number of organizations, including Sisters of Mercy Midwest and a number of small orthopaedic companies.

He and a small group of investors purchased Kinamed Inc. from Kyocera Corporation in late 1993. Subsequently, the company developed its product lines of highly differentiated, proprietary implants for a variety of orthopaedic and neurosurgery applications. Currently, it offers its products in more than 38 countries throughout the world.

In 2007, he met Dr. Jin and was introduced to the research that his lab had undertaken in the area of designed biological interfaces for in vivo and in vitro applications.

Nanovation Partners LLC was formed to fund and further develop the lab’s nanotechnology efforts. The results of the collaboration have been gratifying: a profound investigation into the effect of nanotubes on cell development at the implant interface. The company is now dedicated to bringing this exemplary technology to the clinical community.