Innovation in spinecare is our passion

Together with our network of proven partners we align all our activities in pursuit of differentiation AND lowering cost to make an impact on the global spine market.

Guntmar Eisen is a serial entrepreneur and experienced CEO in the orthopaedic and spine industry. He takes creative product ideas to visionary business concepts  – and develops a comprehensive strategic gameplan from early development to strategic sale of a business. Over the years he has built his proven network of best in class partners and leading KOL surgeons in the US and Europe.  As a strong teamleader he runs Blue Ocean Spine with a small core team of seasoned medtech experts.

His expertise is the combination of strategic and visionary product development, including tactical regulatory, reimbursement, IP, and market access strategies, addressing the needs of a potential buyer:  Innovative product solutions on highest quality standards, scaleable manufacturing combined with solid clinical data, and focused commercialization to prove product safety and clinical efficiency as well as market acceptance.

Prior to founding Blue Ocean Spine, he was the founder (2014) and CEO of EIT Emerging implant technologies and was the first company worldwide with a full 3D printed cellular titanium cage portfolio with CE and FDA approvals. The company was acquired by Johnson & Johnson in 2018.

Diener Implants GmbH, a German contract manufacturer for orthopaedic and spinal implant systems with a strong focus on metal 3D printing (SLM) was cofounded by Guntmar in 2009.

Guntmar was cofounder and COO of Paradigm Spine (2004), a global leader in the field of motion preservation. The company was acquired by RTI Surgical in 2018. (Now Surgalign)

Guntmar was the leader of the International business and led the design team of Spine Solutions (2000) with the PRODISC technology. (Acquired by Synthes in 2003)

He started his career as a product manager for spine, trauma and biomaterials at B.Braun Aesculap.

Guntmar has a bachelor in product engineering at the Hochschule Furtwangen University.

He is a passionate sailor and loves outdoor activities.

René Pröll is an experienced corporate finance and operations professional, having served in financial and managerial leadership roles in the spine industry throughout his professional career, working side-by side with Guntmar Eisen at different companies since 2 decades.

While acting as CFO for Blue Ocean Spine, René is Managing Director of Diener Implants. He joined Diener Implants in 2019 to develop the Germany-based company to be a leader in contract manufacturing for 3D printed orthopedic implant systems, focusing on SLM direct metal (titanium) printing as well as additive manufacturing of implant-grade high-end polymers.

Before, René spent 15 years at Paradigm Spine, a medical device company specialized in motion preserving spinal implants that has been acquired by RTI Surgical Holdings, Inc. (now Surgalign). In his last role he served as Executive Vice President for Operations & Finance and Site Lead for the companies' outside-US operations. Being part of Paradigm’s management team since 2005, René was responsible for setting up logistics, customer service, HR, and IT functions as well as establishing processes and leading the finance and accounting team to successfully pass 13 consecutive Big-Four financial audits.

René started his career in the medical device industry at Synthes Inc.'s Spine Solutions, now Johnson & Johnson DePuy Synthes as Financial Analyst. He holds a bachelor's degree in finance from Indiana University Bloomington, USA, as well as a diploma in International Management from the ESB Business School in Reutlingen, Germany.

He spends his free time with his family, loves motorsport and enjoys the vast outdoor activities that the Lake of Constance region has to offer.

Markus is an exceptional, dynamic R&D executive with extensive project and design experience of medical devices, in particular with complex instruments and implant systems. Markus has vast OR experience and has worked on many projects like the DSS and the coflex system of Paradigm Spine, or the first flexible video endoscope of B.Braun Aesculap.

He is a creative designer and 3D printing expert – he thinks “out of the box”. Markus creativity is combined with high project management skills, strategic thinking and planning, manufacturing knowhow, regulatory and QA expertise and deep understanding of the IP environment and process.

Before he started at Blue Ocean Spine, he was director of engineering at Paradigm Spine.

Ingenieurbüro Prodesign GmbH, a German contract R&D service provider for medical devices was founded by Markus in 2006.

Markus was project manager for the development of all production lines to manufacture endoscopes according to the Kanban-principle at Karl Storz.

He began his career as a design engineer for endoscopic spine and cardio instruments at Karl Storz. Markus has a bachelor in mechanical engineering at the Hochschule Konstanz University.

He is an avid mountain biker and windsurfer and likes to go on tour with his off-road campervan.

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