Spotlight Series: Interview with Dr Max Munford, Co-founder of OSSTEC

With a PhD from Imperial College London and a passion for building high-impact ventures, Max has led OSSTEC from early-stage ideation in the UK to the brink of commercial launch in the United States, a true testament to a successful scale-up journey. 

He shares his path from lab to leadership, the key wins and challenges along the way, and the lessons learned through one of the UK’s most prestigious deep tech growth programmes: the Shott Scale Up Accelerator. 

What is OSSTEC?

OSSTEC is a team of passionate engineers, surgeons, and entrepreneurs dedicated to improving healthcare for millions of people living with osteoarthritis, through innovative biomimetic 3D printing technology. 

What problem is OSSTEC solving? 

OSSTEC is ensuring that orthopaedic implants (starting with knee replacements) last longer, to keep people healthy and active.  

Mobility is a huge problem globally, with one in three people suffering from musculoskeletal illness and two million knee replacement surgeries performed every year to treat osteoarthritis. The wider dynamics of our world mean that we have an ageing population and a high risk of failure due to loosening, with downward pressure on prices. 

So we must treat more patients, earlier in their lives and at lower costs. 

Our solution is to 3D print metals to mimic cartilage and bone surfaces. This eliminates cement from the surgery and addresses leading causes of failure. 

What were you most excited by? What was most challenging for you when starting out? 

There is definitely a feeling that you are doing everything for the first time and that should be exciting and daunting. It is easy to forget how much you have learned through the process of getting things off the ground. Everything from building investor relationships, making a hiring plan, interviewing, engaging with customers, sorting accounts and legal and more was new. 

What was the moment you thought “I can turn this into a commercial opportunity”? 

I started my PhD research at Imperial with commercialisation in my mind, it wasn’t something that I fell into. When I began my PhD the amount of previous work that had been done on the underlying technology meant that it was in a place where commercialisation and customer engagement were on the cards. I was fortunate enough to be able to closely watch two co-founders and their startup in our research group and I learned a lot from them. Ultimately, I think the strength of the early team that formed around the technology (founders, surgeons, advisors) as well as the stage of the underlying technology, plus the energy and passion that I had was what enabled us to get things off the ground. 

Why did you apply to the Shott Scale Up Accelerator programme? 

The timing and stage of our market entry were important considerations on when to apply for the Shott Scale Up Accelerator (SSUA). I think individuals and companies will get the most out of SSUA if they are genuinely at a point where the company needs to mature out of ‘startup mode' and into a phase of more robust processes, firmer strategy and informed decision making. For OSSTEC this meant consolidating our existing team and processes and establishing a route to launch our product in the US. 

What was your experience of the programme? 

The course modules, mentoring, coaching, and the training sessions were all outstanding. But the real highlight of the programme has been the cohort itself. The interaction within the group has become a lasting resource — it's now the first place many of us turn to with questions, and it’s grown into a rich pool of shared insights and experiences. I also found the coaching incredibly valuable; it offered external support for challenges that often go unnoticed as a founder, like team communication, internal dynamics, work-life balance, and self-reflection. 

What impact has the Shott Scale Up Accelerator programme had on your business so far? 

OSSTEC has really levelled up in the past year, including our understanding of the product and market and how our team operates. The Shott Scale Up Accelerator enabled us to upskill across many areas which typically are not focused on enough at an early stage and can spawn problems if left unaddressed. Specifically, I think the SSUA has helped us implement processes to improve our company culture and refine our strategy implementation. All of this was from a combination of the taught modules, cohort shared knowledge and executive education leadership course. 

How has the programme helped you move your idea forward? 

I am more confident as a founder compared to before the programme.  

The Shott Scale Up Accelerator enabled us to upskill across many areas which typically are not focused on enough at an early stage and can spawn problems if left unaddressed.

What would you say to someone considering applying to the Shott Scale Up Accelerator, but feeling unsure or  ‘not ready’? 

Founders should ensure that they and their company are ready and at the right stage to benefit from the programme. I think founders who want to upskill in leadership, but are within a company where milestones and timelines do not fit the programme, should be careful. The risk here is that you commit to a significant amount of time and energy in the SSUA programme but do not get the real benefit. Matching the stage of the founder and company to the programme is really important. Prospective candidates should be able to demonstrate that they are doing all they can to upskill elsewhere and therefore that they will be able to capitalise on the value of the SSUA. Reaching out to previous cohort members is also a good way to sense-check this. 

What’s next for you and OSSTEC? 

We are launching our first products in the US soon and building out our team to execute this. This is a huge milestone for us and we are very excited! 

Quick fire questions

• Who is your role model? I have different role models for different aspects of what I want to achieve. 
• When I was a child, I wanted to be… an engineer! 
• I am currently binging... The White Lotus and Severance 
• Best piece of advice you’ve ever received? Anyone can do anything but no one can do everything. 
• If you were an investor, which Hub Member would you invest in? Asel Sartbeva at Ensilitech.
• Is there something you know now that you wish someone had told you when you started? It’s not a sprint or a marathon… It’s a mixed-multi-sport relay. 
• If you had to start all over again, would you do anything differently? Learn as much about the market dynamics and as many stakeholders in the business model as possible. For lots of technical founders they only look at the headlines for market sizing, growth and stakeholder dynamics.