Finding the Clinical Need Hiding in Plain Sight: Interview with LightForce CEO Alfred Griffin

In this episode of Medsider Radio, we sat down with Alfred Griffin, co-founder and CEO of LightForce.LightForce is the developer of the world's first fully customized 3D-printed bracket system directly personalized for each patient's digital treatment plan.Alfred holds a DMD and PhD in Craniofacial Biology from the Medical University of South Carolina and completed his orthodontic residency at Harvard School of Dental Medicine, where he currently serves as faculty and the Board of Fellows. An ABO-certified practicing orthodontist, he continues to see patients every month while running the company.In this interview, Alfred shares how applying existing technology to an overlooked market can unlock a larger opportunity, how adoption friction is a design problem, and why scaling a new category requires treating operations as a core product investment.Before we dive into the discussion, I wanted to mention a few things:First, if you’re into learning from medical device founders and CEOs and want to know when new interviews are live, head over to Medsider.com and sign up for our free newsletter.And if you’re ready to level up your medtech game, you should check out Medsider Courses — 8-week masterclasses covering topics like fundraising, M&A and exit planning, design and development, clinical and regulatory strategy, and commercialization.These courses, featuring hard-earned lessons from elite medtech CEOs, can be purchased individually or come free with our All-Access Pass.If you'd rather read than listen, here's a link to the full interview with Alfred Griffin.KEY MOMENTS FROM THE INTERVIEW(02:43) - How growing up in a family of dentists shaped Alfred’s path into orthodontics (07:41) - How LightForce uses digital planning and 3D printing to create fully customized braces (08:48) - Why LightForce isn’t a brilliant idea, but an obvious fix for the teen braces market that aligners missed (12:19) - How LightForce is like Google Maps for teeth, eliminating detours and removing inefficiencies (17:30) - How Alfred built LightForce around his clinical strengths and hired for experience to round out the gaps (30:56) - The 3-part secret to LightForce adoption by physicians (36:42) - How Alfred approaches fundraising, matching investors to the company’s stage and needs (41:51) - About LightForce’s digital factories and why they’re the company’s core moat