Israeli firm Insightec appoints former Mako Surgical co-founder and chair as CEO, ACell taps new president and CEO, and more personnel updates from JenaValve Technology, Zeltiq and Reva Medical.

In spite of increasing price pressure, the $9 billion global spine market is projected to see low-single-digit growth in the next few years. Driving growth are the pure-play spine companies targeting high-growth segments such as minimally invasive surgery, expandable interbody cases, cervical discs, and deformity.

According to a recent Medtech Insight report, the European market for artificial spinal discs totaled approximately $145 million in 2012. During the forecast period covered by the report, the combined market is projected to increase at a compound annual rate of 9.2%.

Despite contraction in the number of funds and VC firms investing in life sciences, 2013 was a strong year for private investing in medtech, with private investors putting $2.54 million into 129 medical device deals, according to Informa’s Strategic Transactions. Looking at where investors placed their money revealed some emerging trends.