Theradaptive is a clinical-stage biotech in Frederick, Maryland that re-engineers therapeutic proteins so they bind to materials and stay exactly where a surgeon places them. Its lead protein, AMP2, is a material-binding variant of the bone-growth protein rhBMP-2; combined with an implantable scaffold it becomes OsteoAdapt, a regenerative product being tested in spinal fusion, dental, and orthopedic procedures. Founded by MIT-trained Army veteran Luis Alvarez after seeing battlefield injuries, the company aims to make biologics safer by keeping them on-target.
Valeska Schroeder, Ph.D., is CEO and Chairman of the Board at Cerapedics Inc., the Colorado-based orthobiologics company behind i-FACTOR and PearlMatrix - two of only three FDA PMA-approved bone grafts on the U.S. spine market. A materials scientist by training (BS, MS, PhD from UC Berkeley), she spent the first part of her career in medtech product development before transitioning to venture investing at KCK MedTech, where she led deals and sat on boards of companies including Sight Sciences, Aerin Medical, Intuity Medical, and Lungpacer. She joined Cerapedics' board in 2018, deepened her involvement in 2021, and took the helm as CEO in November 2022, steering the company through PearlMatrix's landmark FDA approval in June 2025 - making Cerapedics the only company with two PMA-approved spinal biologics.