Nicholas Curtis, CEO of LENSAR, got some of his entrepreneurial spirit seeing his grandfathers (“pappous” in their Greek homeland) and father own and operate bars and restaurants. A football scholarship took him to Northwestern University in Chicago, and the rest has been what he calls “a circuitous route, with some serendipity.”

Curtis traces his route in this episode of the OIS podcast, through his first job, at IBM, where he was trained in the company’s philosophy of a needs satisfaction approach to selling. He said, “It was all about building a relationship, and ultimately earning the right to ask for the business.”

That position led to one with American Hospital Supply, where Curtis met Bill Link, (now Managing Partner of Flying L Partners), who became president of American Medical Optics (AMO) and recruited Curtis to join him. Curtis later joined Lensar as chief commercial officer, and was named “interim” CEO in 2012. 

Lensar is currently developing the Ally system, which Curtis says is “the first femtosecond laser for cataract surgery that integrates a next-gen laser with a Swiss-engineered phaco-emulsification device in a very small compact cataract treatment removal system.” The company is looking to file a 510K early in 2022, and hopes to bring the product to market in the 2nd part of 2022. 

Curtis also discusses tips for being successful including:

• Teamwork is important, members should share corporate values
• Surround yourself with good people
• Have respect for different points of view
• Always have integrity
• Be customer focused, meet customer need
• Treat customers as partners
• Don’t be afraid of making a mistake, but moving on is critical

Click play to hear Nick Curtis describe his ongoing business path!