We had the good fortune of connecting with David Karli and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi David, what do you attribute your success to?
Without question, the most important factor has been perseverance. I Founded Greyledge Technologies, a biotechnology company researching stem cells and cell therapies, in 2010 and it was in development for several years before that. I left a very successful clinical practice in Vail, CO after 20 years of development to start the Karli Center in Miami at age 52, because I had taken the practice as far as I could within that environment, which wasn’t the vision that I had as to where it could go and what it could be. Perseverance allowed me to stay true to an ideal that we could responsibly, innovatively and commercially develop cell therapies for Orthopedic conditions, during a time where many companies were cutting corners to meet high consumer demand for solutions. Everyone wants stem cells to reinvent medical care, but not everyone is willing to do the difficult work and equally difficult execution to make that happen.
I had to watch competitors move faster to profitability and scale, while we meticulously tested our process under self-imposed industry leading rigors and compliance with Federal Law. It was (and is) the right way, but it is also the harder way.
Perseverance comes naturally to me, but it took constant work to maintain the discipline to mature our idea of how a patient’s cells could be used to maximally help them, which was for many years too disruptive for a very conservative medical community. My original idea that we could study and apply a patient’s own cells by thinking of them in terms of cellular “dose” and treatment response to drive customized solutions for different patients and problems, was initially unpopular and took a long time and effort before it became more readily accepted.
I couldn’t see an easier or better way to move Regenerative Medicine and cell therapies into a position of legitimacy any other way. I’m most proud that I was able to hang in there through many difficult periods for the company. Transforming little by little into a world class organization!

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
My job is to treat bodies and problems with living cell therapies!

Karli Center is the manifestation of over 20 years of research and development in identifying, isolating, concentrating, and applying stem and progenitor (stem-like) cells from a patient’s own body and implanting them with great precision into injured or degenerative Orthopedic tissues.

Integrated within Karli Center is a unique cellular processing facility, which meticulously produces these cellular products immediately after we collect them, identifying and counting billions of cells and cell populations in seconds. That facility is the product of Greyledge Technologies, a biotech company that I founded in 2010.

These complex cellular measurements are imported into a customized data cloud along with health specifics about the patient, diagnosis, severity of tissue damage and before and after treatment outcomes questionnaires.

The system allows us to optimize cellular products which are matched and customized to individual patients and problems, giving our patients the greatest potential for a successful outcome. We collect data on every single patient treated within the center. We learn everyday from the process and we are committed to continual improvement resulting from real time data analysis – accelerated with the help of very specific Artificial Intelligence programming.

It is a world class daily collaboration of International physicians, research scientists, data scientists and devoted service providers tasked to give patients an equally exceptional and unique experience.

Unfortunately, in a vast majority of cellular treatments across the globe, the treating physician has no idea of exactly how many cells were used!

We believe that is unacceptable and we’ve worked tirelessly to become a solution and new standard.

It’s incredibly hard to apply at this level and my team does it everyday! We’re extremely proud of what we have created!

The companies were built one treatment and patient at a time, requiring incredible persistence and commitment. The ideas were not always popular with my peers, nor medical and scientific communities which are typically resistant to disruptive ideas. It required swimming upstream for a very long time against many who said that what are learning and applying couldn’t be done, much less commercialized.

Greyledge has run a full business life, from an idea on a napkin through startup execution, multiple funding rounds, maturation and growth now entering scaling phases of maturation.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I have the privilege of living on Miami Beach, the turquoise view of which inspires me everyday! Don’t need to go far – a day (or three) on this backyard beach paradise would be a necessity. Food, drinks, beach service, everything you need! Catching an early morning walk to see a sunrise over the water, followed by a freshly baked croissant, fresh fruit and espresso. To compliment time along the ocean, a private yacht or fishing charter would be a necessity to spend time on the ocean and/or the bay – especially at sunset! Shopping in Ball Harbor and/or the design district.
Amazing food options are overwhelming – but dinner favorites (so far – still learning and exploring): KLAW (one of the finest restaurants I’ve ever been to) – rooftop cocktails if possible, Los Fuegos Miami Beach, Lido, PM Fish and Steakhouse, LPM, Bourbon Steak (Aventura), Amal & Ariete – Coconut Grove, Seaspice on the Miami River, Setai for mingling, Il Mulino Sunny Isles.
Dressing up and catching a show at the Arsht Center.
Depending on the season – catching my beloved Florida Panthers Hockey game, perhaps a Heat game downtown. Messi and FC Miami if in town!
Hopping a short flight to the Bahamas or Virgin Islands for the weekend! Virgin Gorda is a favorite!
I’m not much for nightclubs, but some Flamenco or Salsa dancing. Maybe even a great cigar if the mood strikes.
Adventure – Renting a scooter and exploring downtown! Takeoff and landing in a seaplane!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I think I have many people to thank, but the most impactful would be my wife Zoe, who believes in me more than I do at times! Beyond that, we took on the enormous challenge of working together on several companies. She is the President of my biotech company and manages so much with our growing staff at Karli Center. Working with spouses is every bit as tough as it sounds, but she was the best person for the job(s) and it has forced us to carefully manage and grow our working relationship and marriage. Zoe is beautiful, tough, capable and impossibly loyal. I would also acknowledge thousands of patients that entrusted me with their health over many years, applying new and cutting edge medical technology when I didn’t have all of the answers. Many of those patients fly from all over the world to see me, when they could go anywhere. I can’t help every bad knee, shoulder or tendon tear, but I think what they appreciate as much as the scientific and clinical work, is that they were counseled fairly to make an educated decision and treated with integrity. They force me to bring my best everyday. Patient consumers investigating new therapies are as innovative and the doctors and scientists who develop them!
Lastly, our earliest investors who shared my vision for cell therapies and were willing to take a risk with disruptive ideas and a disruptive Doctor!

Website: karlicenter.com , greyledgebiotech.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/davidkarli/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidkarli

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/david.karli

Image Credits
Fransisco Bonaguro

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