Brainlab was founded by CEO Stefan Vilsmeier in Munich in 1989. Vilsmeier, then 17, laid the ground for the company with the proceeds from a book he published about 3D graphics. The first Brainlab product was a mouse-controlled, menu-driven surgical planning and navigation software introduced in 1990 at the University of Vienna. In 1992, Vilsmeier designed and built a tradeshow booth and booked exhibitor’s space at the Congress of Neurological Surgeons Annual Scientific Meeting in Washington, D.C. to showcase the software for the first time. In 1993, Brainlab developed a linear accelerator-based system for stereotactic radiosurgery using micromultileaf collimators. Three years later, Brainlab entered into a partnership with Varian, Inc., which resulted in a long time collaboration in the field of radiosurgery. Brainlab expanded into the field of image-guided surgery in 1997 with the VectorVision Neuronavigation System and was the first to develop passive marker technology. In 1998, Brainlab became a public limited company and put in place both a supervisory board, made up of shareholders and the management board, and the managing board. The managing board at Brainlab today consists of: Stefan Vilsmeier, founder and Chief Executive Officer ; Rainer Birkenbach, Chief Technology Officer, and Jan Merker, Chief Operating Officer. Brainlab introduced its first shaped-beam radiosurgery system, Novalis, in 1998. Lance Armstrong, professional cyclist, who had battled testicular cancer in 1996, became the spokesperson for the Novalis brand. In 2007, the company released Novalis Tx Radiosurgery, a radiotherapy system jointly created by Brainlab and Varian Medical Systems, Inc. A year later, Digital Lightbox was brought to the market, allowing digital patient images to be viewed and manipulated in the operating room. Digital Lightbox was transformed in 2012 into the current product Buzz Digital O.R. Other products include Curve Image Guided Surgery, Kick Navigation and Kick EM Navigation, and Buzz Digital O.R. Brainlab was the exclusive distributor for 5 years of Airo® Mobile Intraoperative CT, developed and manufactured by Mobius Imaging, LLC. In March 2019Smith & Nephew announced the acquisition of orthopedic joint reconstruction business unit of Brainlab to further its foray into robotic surgery. In 2019, Brainlab recalled the spine and trauma 3D software because it could display inaccurate information during a procedure that could prevent the surgeon from safely navigating surgical tools inside the patient.
Headquarters
Brainlab began in the parental home of CEO and founder, Stefan Vilsmeier, in 1989. By 1991, Brainlab had moved into its first official headquarters in the Munich suburb of Poing. After a wave of new hires in 1995, a larger space was needed and headquarters moved to the Bavarian town of Heimstetten, Germany. In 2006, Brainlab constructed and moved into its headquarters in Feldkirchen, Germany, just outside Munich. Edmund Stoiber, former minister-president of Bavaria, officially opened the new building in 2007. In December 2016, Brainlab moved into a newly constructed headquarters in the Munich suburb of Riem on the grounds of the former Munich-Riem Airport. Featured speakers at the official inauguration ceremony on July 11, 2017, were the Bavarian State Minister Ilse Aigner and German Chancellor, Angela Merkel.
Stefan Vilsmeier
Stefan Vilsmeier, a self-taught computer programmer, is a German entrepreneur, inventor, author, and founder, president and CEO of Brainlab. In 2000, Vilsmeier became the youngest recipient of the Bavarian Order of Merit, presented to him by former Bavarian Minister President, Edmund Stoiber. In 2001, Vilsmeier was awarded the national title of Entrepreneur of the Year in the category of Information Technology, by Ernst & Young. The following year, Ernst & Young awarded Vilsmeier with the title of World Entrepreneur of the Year at an awards event held in Monte Carlo. Also in 2002, the World Economic Forum selected Vilsmeier as one of their Global Leaders for Tomorrow 2003. In 2014, Vilsmeier was awarded with the International Steven Hoogendijk Award from the Bataafsch Genootschap der Proefondervindelijke Wijsbegeerte for his service as a pioneer in the development of neuronavigation systems.
Acquisitions
In 2009, Brainlab began a partnership with Voyant Health, a Tel Aviv, Israel based company founded in 2003, focusing on orthopedic technology. In 2011, Brainlab announced that it would acquire Voyant Health Brainlab acquired Medineering and its line of robot-assisted surgery devices on March 20, 2019.
