Among many doctors who perform Endovenous Laser Ablation (EVLA) – a common procedure for treating varicose veins – neoLaser has become synonymous with superior, high-quality performance, and it is rapidly becoming the platform of choice in clinics around the world. This is a field where quality is of utmost importance. During these invasive procedures, vascular surgeons use infrared lasers to seal off varicose veins, typically in patients’ legs, in order to reroute the blood flow to healthy veins.
Most laser systems offer a power output precision rate of around 80%, whereas neoLaser’s platform enables a precision rate of 95% – which is a very substantial improvement. “It used to be that for every 100 patients there could be 5-6 failures. Now there are much fewer, because neoLaser ensures that it’s done right,” says Gil Shapira, the company’s Founder, President and CEO.
Not surprisingly, as soon as it was introduced eight years ago, neoLaser was warmly welcomed by doctors who perform EVLA. The company initially focused on Germany and within just one year, neoLaser captured a 10% share of that quality-driven market. The brand soon became entrenched throughout Europe, and today it is a global leader, with distributors in 40 countries throughout North and South America, Asia, and Australia, in addition to Europe.
Profitable from the start
NeoLaser is a rare bird: it is an Israeli start-up that was profitable from a very early stage. Gil Shapira founded the family-owned company in 2012. By then, he had over 20 years of experience in the surgical laser and technology industry as an engineer, product developer and manager. He previously served as an officer in the Israeli Air Force, where he managed advanced technology projects and headed product development at OmniGuide, an MIT medical device spin-off. Shapira holds an M.Sc in Electrical Engineering from Tel Aviv University and an MBA from MIT’s Sloan School of Management.
“We started out ten years ago and were profitable from a very early stage. Our vision was to create a super high-quality product that fits into existing markets. We funded the first stages ourselves and bootstrapped the operation. Revenues grew organically with a CAGR of over 40% since the launch of sales,” the CEO and Founder reveals. All of the R&D and manufacturing for the EVLA system takes place in neoLaser’s facilities in Caesarea, Israel.
The secret to neoLaser’s success lies in its meticulous design. The company’s engineers and designers insist on using only the highest quality materials and components, including full aluminum housing and the most advanced optical technologies. “From the beginning, we were committed to providing the highest quality platform and we wanted it to be extremely reliable and easy to operate,” says Shapira. For example, from day one neoLaser used fused caps for securing the fibers’ glass caps, rather than using glue to connect them – as do many other brands – since fusing is much safer and more stable.
NeoLaser’s EVLA system is also considerably smaller and more elegant than other models. Weighing just 3.5 kgs., it doesn’t take up much space and is easy to ship and transport. “We are proud of our design excellence, both externally and internally,” notes Shapira. Another advantage: it has a user-friendly interface so that doctors don’t require any special training; they simply need to adjust their settings.
Groundbreaking treatments
In recent years, neoLaser also launched a series of state-of-the-art laser systems for proctological procedures. Unlike the EVLA market, where lasers have long been the leading technology, lasers were not previously used for treating proctological conditions such as mid- to high-grade hemorrhoids. Traditionally, the prevailing approach for patients in this category was to subject them to full-out surgery involving a long and painful recuperation process, or other techniques with high recurrence rates. NeoLaser’s laser system for hemorrhoids is revolutionary in that it makes it possible to treat patients with Grade 3 (medium-high grade) hemorrhoids in a safe and efficient manner that is much less painful and entails almost no downtime with excellent symptom resolution.
In the short time since its launch in this market, neoLaser has become a leader all over the world, with sales of the device doubling last year. “This product is the largest growth engine for us. Its success has been phenomenal,” confirms Shapira. Since this is a completely new type of treatment, doctors need to be educated and trained. Therefore, neoLaser offers courses and webinars for professionals, and operates training centers in different regions around the world.
The company has also introduced other groundbreaking products for proctologists: laser probes to treat pilonidal sinuses as well as anal fistulas. A pilonidal sinus is a small cavity above the buttocks area that becomes inflamed, while an anal fistula is an abnormal channel between the inside of the anus and the outside skin around the anus. Although these conditions are less common than hemorrhoids, their usual surgical treatment techniques often entail either long down times or high risks of serious long-term complications. Using lasers rather than aggressive surgery, neoLaser has devised a treatment that mitigates these horrible side effects, is much less painful, and involves a substantially shorter recuperation time. With products that have such obvious benefits, the sky is clearly the limit for neoLaser.
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