Happy New Year!
As we ring in 2021, I have had a moment to reflect on this past year. In retrospect, 2020 was a year of transformation. It was a year that impacted eye care like no other. 20/20 vision is defined by visual acuity, or clarity and sharpness of vision; however, 2020 did not start out that way when the world realized the magnitude of COVID-19.
The year began and COVID-19 quickly threw everything out of focus. Careful planning turned into holding patterns and pivots. Travel, trade shows, meetings, and events—almost everything was canceled. The world seemed to stop—but not for long.
A new normal set in and the world learned to do things differently. For eye care professionals, who typically see many patients per day and provide vision-critical procedures, the pandemic presented complex challenges and safety risks. We saw our customers move quickly to implement new measures to safely keep their practices open so they could continue treating their patients. In-person visits were met with “No Vendors” signs and we knew we needed to adapt as well.
Like many, we embraced the power of the pivot, shifted the way that we were doing things, and continued to keep our doctors and their patients top of mind while growing our company. Unlike last year, we couldn’t share our technology and solutions in-person—so we quickly developed a program to support our customers and share new technologies—all remotely. We got creative, thought outside of the box, and stayed connected in support of our customers—and it was well worth it.
As I recount all of the challenges and learnings in 2020, Norlase also had tremendous growth with many reasons to celebrate. In spite of a global pandemic and uncertainty everywhere, 2020 was the year that we transformed a small laser company into a global player in eye care.
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Our flagship product, LEAF Green laser was granted CE Mark Approval. -
Our team grew with several key members, including Taoufiq (TJ) Jellal, VP of Global Distribution—who built our global partnerships in just 3 months!
-
To fuel our global expansion, we raised another $4.1 million in funding through West Hill Capital based out of London, United Kingdom.
-
We received FDA Clearance and launched our next-gen LION laser—a first of its kind LIO and Green laser system. That’s right—the laser is in the headset!
-
We established numerous strategic partnerships to quickly expand into new global markets, collaborating with reputable eye care distributors. -
We learned that LION is a finalist in the PRISM awards given to products that exhibit photonics innovation on NYE.
-
And not quite 2020 but no doubt very close – We rang in the New Year announcing the CE Mark clearance of LION. We can now bring LION to doctors in Europe and other global markets.
As we see the end of the pandemic on the horizon, our goal is not simply to return to the way things were. Even before COVID-19, eye-care providers worldwide faced ever-growing pressure; no medical specialty faced a greater lack of professionals and the prevalence of vision threatening disease was on the rise. We must build on the lessons of 2020 to meet the need for a new generation of better, safer and more efficient solutions in ophthalmology.
I am deeply thankful for my team and our partners that have inspired us. I am even more thankful for the healthcare heroes that have been the backbone of our world. Finally, I am beyond excited to continue our growth in 2021, to be advocates for innovation, partners to our customers and the pillars to their success.
Happy New Year from the Norlase team.
We’re fired up and ready for 2021.
Happy New Year!
As we ring in 2021, I have had a moment to reflect on this past year. In retrospect, 2020 was a year of transformation. It was a year that impacted eye care like no other. 20/20 vision is defined by visual acuity, or clarity and sharpness of vision; however, 2020 did not start out that way when the world realized the magnitude of COVID-19.
The year began and COVID-19 quickly threw everything out of focus. Careful planning turned into holding patterns and pivots. Travel, trade shows, meetings, and events—almost everything was canceled. The world seemed to stop—but not for long.
A new normal set in and the world learned to do things differently. For eye care professionals, who typically see many patients per day and provide vision-critical procedures, the pandemic presented complex challenges and safety risks. We saw our customers move quickly to implement new measures to safely keep their practices open so they could continue treating their patients. In-person visits were met with “No Vendors” signs and we knew we needed to adapt as well.
Like many, we embraced the power of the pivot, shifted the way that we were doing things, and continued to keep our doctors and their patients top of mind while growing our company. Unlike last year, we couldn’t share our technology and solutions in-person—so we quickly developed a program to support our customers and share new technologies—all remotely. We got creative, thought outside of the box, and stayed connected in support of our customers—and it was well worth it.
As I recount all of the challenges and learnings in 2020, Norlase also had tremendous growth with many reasons to celebrate. In spite of a global pandemic and uncertainty everywhere, 2020 was the year that we transformed a small laser company into a global player in eye care.
-
Our flagship product, LEAF Green laser was granted CE Mark Approval.
-
Our team grew with several key members, including Taoufiq (TJ) Jellal, VP of Global Distribution—who built our global partnerships in just 3 months!
-
To fuel our global expansion, we raised another $4.1 million in funding through West Hill Capital based out of London, United Kingdom.
-
We received FDA Clearance and launched our next-gen LION laser—a first of its kind LIO and Green laser system. That’s right—the laser is in the headset!
-
We established numerous strategic partnerships to quickly expand into new global markets, collaborating with reputable eye care distributors.
-
We learned that LION is a finalist in the PRISM awards given to products that exhibit photonics innovation on NYE.
-
And not quite 2020 but no doubt very close – We rang in the new year announcing the CE Mark clearance of LION. We can now bring LION to doctors in Europe and other global markets.
As we see the end of the pandemic on the horizon, our goal is not simply to return to the way things were. Even before COVID-19, eye-care providers worldwide faced ever-growing pressure; no medical specialty faced a greater lack of professionals and the prevalence of vision threatening disease was on the rise. We must build on the lessons of 2020 to meet the need for a new generation of better, safer and more efficient solutions in ophthalmology.
I am deeply thankful for my team and our partners that have inspired us. I am even more thankful for the healthcare heroes that have been the backbone of our world. Finally, I am beyond excited to continue our growth in 2021, to be advocates for innovation, partners to our customers and the pillars to their success.
Happy New Year from the Norlase team.
We’re fired up and ready for 2021.
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