Zavation Acquires ChoiceSpine, Names Derek Kuyper CEO of Combined Company

FLOWOOD, Miss., Feb. 26, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Zavation Medical Products, LLC (“Zavation”), a portfolio company of Gemspring Capital and designer and manufacturer of spinal implants, interventional spine products, and biologics, announced today that it has acquired Choice Spine Holdings, Inc. (“ChoiceSpine”), a designer and manufacturer of spinal implant systems based in Knoxville, Tennessee. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Founded in 2006, ChoiceSpine has established a strong reputation for developing a comprehensive portfolio of spinal implant and instrumentation systems spanning cervical, thoracolumbar, and interbody applications. The company is known for its commitment to user-driven design, responsive customer service model, and robust national distributor network.

The combination expands Zavation’s product portfolio and commercial reach across both inpatient and outpatient settings while leveraging its vertically integrated manufacturing platform to accelerate innovation and speed to market. ChoiceSpine will maintain its brand and operations as the two companies work toward a unified organization.

Concurrent with the acquisition, Zavation announced the appointment of Derek Kuyper as Chief Executive Officer of the combined organization. Mr. Kuyper brings more than 15 years of leadership experience in the spinal device industry, with expertise spanning sales, marketing, product management, and commercial operations. He most recently served as Chief Commercial Officer of Zavation, where he led the company’s commercial organization, strengthened distributor partnerships, and expanded Zavation’s national footprint.

“I am honored to step into the role of CEO and lead Zavation’s next phase of growth,” said Mr. Kuyper. “The acquisition of ChoiceSpine advances our strategy to build a scaled, innovation-driven spinal platform. ChoiceSpine’s complementary portfolio, strong distributor relationships, and commitment to user-driven design align closely with our values and enhance our ability to serve customers across care settings. We look forward to welcoming the ChoiceSpine team and building on our combined momentum.”

Steve Ainsworth, Co-President of ChoiceSpine, will remain with the company to support integration and ensure continuity. “We are proud of the organization and customer focused relationships we have built at ChoiceSpine,” said Mr. Ainsworth. “Partnering with Zavation allows us to continue delivering the innovation and quality our distributors and surgeons expect while benefiting from the scale, operational expertise, and resources of a broader platform.”

Chirag Hirawat, Principal at Gemspring Capital, added, “ChoiceSpine is a highly complementary addition that strengthens Zavation’s competitive position. We are excited to support Derek and the leadership team as they execute on the company’s long-term growth strategy.”

About ChoiceSpine

ChoiceSpine Holdings, Inc. is a privately held spinal implant company located in Knoxville, Tennessee. Founded in 2006, ChoiceSpine designs and commercializes a broad portfolio of innovative, surgeon-focused spinal implant systems intended to support optimal clinical outcomes. Guided by its philosophy of “Spine the Right Way,” the company emphasizes collaborative product development, strong distributor partnerships, and responsive customer support. ChoiceSpine remains committed to delivering dynamic solutions to the spinal implant market while maintaining operational discipline and financial flexibility. For more information, visit www.choicespine.com.

About Zavation

Based in Flowood, MS, Zavation designs, engineers, and manufactures a portfolio of spinal hardware and biologics covering key areas including cervical, thoracolumbar, interbody fusion, interventional spine, and minimally invasive surgery. Founded in 2012, Zavation has commercialized over 25 product families since inception, experienced exceptional growth and created a national network of numerous distributors across the United States. The company operates two vertically integrated facilities located in Flowood, MS and St. Louis, MO. To learn more information about Zavation and the company’s suite of products, visit www.zavation.com.

About Gemspring Capital

Gemspring Capital, a Westport, Connecticut-based private equity firm with $5.1 billion of capital under management, provides flexible capital solutions to middle market companies. Gemspring partners with talented management teams and takes a partnership approach to helping drive revenue growth, value creation and sustainable competitive advantages. Target companies have up to $2.0 billion in revenue and are in the business services, consumer services, financial services and insurance services, healthcare, industrial, software, and tech-enabled services sectors. For more information, visit www.gemspring.com.

Media Contacts:
Chirag Hirawat, chirag@gemspring.com
Jaden Taylor, jaden.taylor@zavation.com

SOURCE Gemspring Capital