LightForce Orthodontics
LightForce Orthodontics has raised $50 million in a Series C funding round led by Kleiner Perkins.
It follows a Series B round in September 2020 that was worth $14m. Previous investors, including Matrix Partners, Tyche Partners and AM Ventures have all contributed to the latest round of funding, which will be used by LightForce to train orthodontists and scale its go-to-market efforts.
LightForce Orthodontics uses 3D printing technology to provide a patient-specific alternative to traditional teeth braces. Its Light Bracket offering is a line of translucent braces that blend in with the colour of the patient’s teeth, reducing the visibility of the bracket.
With 3D printing, the company is able to produce brackets that fit the unique tooth morphology of each patient, fine-tuning each tooth movement down to a micron. This level of personalisation and accuracy, LightForce says, helps to achieve shorter treatment times, fewer appointments and better outcomes compared to traditional braces.
In offering these capabilities, LightForce has posted a 500% growth in revenue over the past year and has now attracted more than $50m in investment.
“The investment from Kleiner Perkins allows us to continue creating mass-customised braces that enable orthodontists to provide a personalised patient experience within an industry that has not evolved the use of braces in the last 25 years,” commented LightForce CEO Dr Alfred Griffin III, DMD, PhD, MMSc. “In fact, without LightForce, patients today would likely be wearing the same sort of braces their parents did back when they were teenagers. With these new funds, LightForce will further champion the unmet needs of the modern teen market by complimenting aligner cases and allowing orthodontists to take their practices fully digital, while capitalising on the advancement of 3D printing technology, modern materials, and advanced application-specific CAD software. We are excited to continue implementing 3D printing technology in orthodontics in new and innovative ways to create a new standard of care for all braces patients.”
“LightForce’s innovative approach to an industry that has lacked technological disruptiveness for the past 25 years is what initially attracted us to this investment opportunity,” added Wen Hsieh, Partner, Kleiner Perkins. “Having previously invested in the first digital revolution of orthodontics decades ago through Align Technology, Kleiner Perkins is excited to invest in the second-wave of orthodontics digitisation through LightForce. We’re excited to partner with Co-Founder-CEO Alfred Griffin and the LightForce team to leverage the latest 3D printing technology to further enhance the doctor and patient experience with bracket-based orthodontics.”
LightForce Orthodontics will feature at the upcoming TCT Conference @ Formnext. Director of Hardware Engineering Kelsey Fafara will deliver a presentation titled ‘Mass customised 3D printed end-use products for healthcare on Wednesday 17th at 11.15am. Tickets for the TCT Conference @ Formnext are available now.
The TCT Conference @ Formnext is your best opportunity to find out how AM is impacting the world today, and how it will develop in future. Buy your tickets now!
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