8: Episode 8. Brian Thornes, Founder & CEO X-Bolt Trauma and Inventor of ‘Tightrope’

Everyday Business with Aidan Donnelly

This is the 8th episode with guest Brian Thornes, Founder & CEO X-Bolt Trauma & Inventor of Tightrope in the new Davy podcast series 'Everyday Business with Aidan Donnelly'.
This podcast brings you insightful conversation between Aidan Donnelly and entrepreneurs and business owners/management with their own unique story to tell. If you like what you hear, please like, share and subscribe.
About Brian Thornes
Coming from a medical family, his father was an oncologist and immunologist, Brian studied medicine in Trinity before interning in the Meath and Adelaide Hospitals. After a year in Brisbane, he returned to Ireland to commence his orthopaedic training, working in many of the hospitals around the country.

An interest in ankle anatomy/injuries, the result of a water skiing accident, ultimately led him to inventing Tightrope in 2000, which he ultimately licenced to Arthex in 2003, with the first surgery performed in 2004.
In 2005, he quit the orthopaedic scheme to try his luck in business. (2-3 years short of becoming a consultant). Then in 2007, came his light bulb moment for the second product – X-Bolt for the treatment of hip fractures – and in 2018 he got FDA approval for the first generation of the product. Since then, further developments have been made with the introduction of a full portfolio in titanium based products for other anatomical areas in 2021.