katena

What katena does

Katena Products, Inc. is a U.S.-based provider of ophthalmic surgical instruments and related ophthalmic products, founded in 1975 by Kate Tiedemann and headquartered in Denville, New Jersey. The company sells a broad catalog of surgical instruments and consumables used by ophthalmologists and eye-care providers, with a product portfolio exceeding 1,500 items following the 2021 acquisition of ASICO, LLC. Its primary customers are healthcare providers, with explicit emphasis on the U.S. Veterans Administration Health System, alongside distribution to providers in over 110 countries through its parent Corza Medical's Corza Ophthalmology division.

Katena operates as a brand and product platform within Corza Medical rather than as a standalone independent company. Its growth model is primarily inorganic: between 2013 and 2021 it completed nine tuck-in acquisitions (IOP Ophthalmics, Sensor Medical Technology, Eagle Vision, NuPak Medical, Rhein Medical, Blink Medical, Micro Medical Instruments, Micro-Select Instruments, and ASICO), each adding products and customer relationships. Revenue mechanics are not publicly disclosed, and no pricing model is stated; commercial activity is driven by sales to hospitals, ambulatory surgery centers, and government healthcare systems. The company has no disclosed AI, software, or digital product surface, and its technology footprint centers on physical surgical instruments.

The leadership team includes CEO Steve Blazejewski, CEO & President Mark Fletcher, and CFO & VP of Human Resources Robert Earley. Katena has historically accessed debt capital, including a $23.5M round led by Golub Capital in 2009 and a $7.5M round in 2013, supporting its acquisition program. With five decades of operating history, Katena functions today as a consolidated ophthalmic instruments platform within Corza Medical, leveraging a legacy brand and broad international distribution rather than technology differentiation.

Name

katena

Legal name

Katena Products, Inc.

Website

http://www.katena.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1975

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Katena Products, Inc. is a U.S.-based ophthalmic surgical instrument provider founded in 1975, serving healthcare providers and the Veterans Administration across 110+ countries as a brand within Corza Medical's Corza Ophthalmology division.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Ophthalmic Surgical Instruments

NAICS

Surgical and Medical Instrument Manufacturing (339112), Surgical Appliance and Supplies Manufacturing (339113), Ophthalmic Goods Manufacturing (339115)

SIC

Surgical & Medical Instruments & Apparatus (3841), Ophthalmic Goods (3851)

akta.pro primary industry

Oculoplastics & Lacrimal Surgical Devices (Ptosis/Orbital Tools, DCR/Lacrimal Stents, Facial Implants) (HLAHAJAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Vitreoretinal Surgical Devices (Vitrectomy Systems, Endolaser, Illumination, Tamponades) (HLAHAJAJ), Cornea, External Disease & Refractive Surgery (LASIK/PRK) (HLAKAKAF)

Keywords

• Ophthalmic surgical instruments
• Eye surgery devices
• Ophthalmic medical devices
• Precision surgical instruments
• Eye care products

Headquarters

HQ city

Denville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Core offering

Katena designs, manufactures, and distributes a comprehensive portfolio of ophthalmic surgical instruments and related eye-care products to healthcare providers globally. Following its 2021 acquisition of ASICO, LLC, the portfolio now spans more than 1,500 ophthalmic items, serving customers in over 110 countries, including dedicated supply to the U.S. Veterans Administration Health System.

Product overview

Katena offers a comprehensive portfolio of ophthalmic instruments and solutions. The core offering includes Katena's own line of ophthalmology instruments (founded 1975 by Kate Tiedemann), which now serves over 110 countries as part of Corza Ophthalmology. Following the 2021 acquisition of ASICO, LLC, the portfolio expanded to include over 1,500 additional ophthalmic products, creating a unified platform of comprehensive ophthalmic solutions for various healthcare providers including the Veterans Administration health system.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Katena Ophthalmic Instruments
• ASICO Ophthalmic Products

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• ASICO, LLCcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 September 2021Katena Products, Inc. acquired ASICO, LLC in September 2021. The acquisition expanded Katena's ophthalmic product offerings by adding over 1,500 ophthalmic items. This strategic move enhances Katena's capacity to serve the Veterans Administration health system and aligns with the company's strategic growth and international expansion efforts.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Moria Surgical: Moria is a direct peer specializing in ophthalmic surgical instruments for corneal, refractive, and keratoplasty procedures, overlapping with Katena's cataract and corneal surgery product lines.
• Beaver-Visitec International (BVI): BVI is a direct peer in single-use and reusable ophthalmic surgical instruments, knives, and cannulas, serving cataract, vitreoretinal, and oculoplastic surgeons with a similar product breadth and clinical customer base as Katena.
• Duckworth & Kent: Duckworth & Kent is a direct peer in titanium ophthalmic surgical instruments for cataract, glaucoma, and vitreoretinal procedures, serving the same surgeon customer base as Katena.
• Surgical Specialties Corporation: Surgical Specialties is a direct peer producing precision ophthalmic surgical sutures and instruments, sharing Katena's surgical-channel go-to-market and clinician relationships.

Broad incumbents

• Alcon: Alcon is a broad incumbent offering cataract surgical instruments alongside IOLs, phaco machines, and viscoelastics, and competes with Katena in ophthalmic OR supply contracts globally.
• Carl Zeiss Meditec: Carl Zeiss Meditec is a broad incumbent in ophthalmic surgical microscopes, IOLs, and consumables, often bundled into OR packages where Katena's instruments compete.
• Johnson & Johnson Vision: J&J Vision is a broad incumbent selling cataract surgical instruments and equipment as part of its broader IOL and refractive portfolio, frequently competing head-to-head with Katena in hospital OR bids.
• Hoya Surgical Optics: Hoya Surgical Optics is a broad incumbent supplying IOLs and pre-loaded delivery systems, competing indirectly with Katena's surgical instrument portfolio in cataract OR settings.
• Bausch + Lomb: Bausch + Lomb is a broad incumbent across cataract surgical instruments, IOLs, and viscoelastics, often bundled with OR consumables, competing with Katena across the same hospital and ASC ophthalmology customers.

Emerging players

• New World Medical: New World Medical is an emerging player focused on glaucoma surgical devices and instrumentation, overlapping with Katena's subspecialty surgical instrument offering for ophthalmic surgeons.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/iopophthalmics
• Facebookfacebook.com/iopophthalmics
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/katena-products-inc.

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A9 records

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about katena