IFSO
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1995
- HeadquartersNaples, Italy
- Headcount5,001–10,000
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
IFSO firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- IFSO
- Legal name
- International Federation for the Surgery of Obesity and Metabolic Disorders
- Website
- https://ifso.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1995
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 5,001–10,000 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where IFSO is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Naples
- HQ country
- Italy
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
IFSO business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Membership Fees: Annual membership fees provide access to the Obesity Surgery journal (print and/or online), credentials, membership certificate, newsletters, and reduced registration fees at IFSO events.
- Event Endorsement: IFSO charges fees to endorse external medical congresses, symposiums, and courses. Single event endorsement costs $400; multiple event endorsement costs $1,200 per year. Endorsed events receive website listing, newsletter promotion, and use of IFSO endorsement branding.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Regular Member - Print and Online |
| Subscription | Annual | Regular Member - Online Only |
| Subscription | Annual | Integrated Health Member |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Single Event Endorsement |
| Subscription | Annual | Multiple Event Endorsement |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels9 records
IFSO product offering
Product offeringCore offering
IFSO is a global professional medical federation that supports bariatric and metabolic surgeons, integrated health professionals, and national obesity surgery societies through membership services, continuing education, annual World Congress events, and the IFSO Global Registry. Core offerings include annual and integrated health membership tiers, the IFSO Virtual Academy with online courses and 5-Minute CPD modules, the IFSO Global Registry collecting data from 35 countries, and an endorsement program for external medical congresses.
Product overview
IFSO (International Federation for the Surgery of Obesity and Metabolic Disorders) is a professional medical federation, not a technology product company. Its offerings consist of a membership-based organizational platform and educational services. The core offerings include the IFSO Website Portal (main information and membership hub), IFSO Mobile Application (iOS/Android), IFSO Virtual Academy (digital education platform), and IFSO Registry (global surgery data collection). These are supplemented by educational modules including the Online Course on Fundamentals of Bariatric and Metabolic Surgery, 5-Minute CPD (continuing professional development video modules), and MASTERS OF MBS (surgical technique video series). The organization also provides services such as the annual World Congress, IFSO Endorsement Program for medical events, and a Find a Member surgeon directory. IFSO does not operate as a unified software platform with interconnected modules but rather as a collection of web-based services, mobile applications, and educational resources for the bariatric surgery medical community.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- IFSO Virtual Academy: Online educational platform offering courses, webinars, and continuing professional development modules for bariatric and metabolic surgery professionals.
- IFSO Global Registry
- Young IFSO
- IFSO Registry
- 5-Minute CPD
Products and services
- IFSO Membership Services
Quantifiable outcome
- 62.4% of patients on diabetes medication no longer required it one year after primary bariatric surgery, based on IFSO Global Registry data
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use IFSO
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
IFSO technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
IFSO partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- AIS ChannelcoreIFSO partnered with AIS Channel, a leading global online platform in surgical education, to digitize the organization and introduce it to the online world. The partnership makes IFSO World Congress and Chapter Meeting content available globally on aisschannel.com in a dedicated IFSO section. AIS World Events on bariatric surgery endorsed by IFSO are also promoted through this channel. This partnership supports IFSO's mission of promoting education worldwide.
- ASMBS (American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery)coreIFSO partnered with ASMBS to create new criteria for metabolic and bariatric surgery based on current published literature. The ASMBS/IFSO Guidelines on Indications for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery 2022 were simultaneously published in both Obesity Surgery and Surgery for Obesity and Related Diseases journals. These guidelines are being adopted by health insurance carriers in the United States and similar effects are occurring worldwide.
- Dendrite Clinical SystemscoreDendrite Clinical Systems partnered with IFSO to develop and publish the IFSO Global Registry Reports. Dendrite provides the IFSO Upload-My Data portal for creating national/international databases and the IFSO Direct-Data-Entry portal for case-by-case data entry. The partnership has produced multiple registry reports including the 4th, 5th, and 6th editions.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
IFSO competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- American College of Surgeons (ACS): ACS is a large, established US surgical professional organization. While it does not specialize in bariatrics, ACS issues accreditation standards (e.g., MBSAQIP) that shape bariatric surgery practice, positioning it as a broader incumbent that overlaps with IFSO's regulatory and standards-setting role.
- Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons (SAGES): SAGES is a broader US surgical society with a bariatrics track, guidelines, and fellowship programs. While IFSO specializes in metabolic/bariatric surgery, SAGES addresses general minimally invasive surgery with bariatrics as one of many focus areas, making it a broader incumbent in the same specialty space.
Direct peers
- European Association for the Study of Obesity (EASO): EASO is the European federation focused on obesity research, education, and clinical practice. It mirrors IFSO's regional federation model in Europe and serves a partially overlapping clinician base, making it a structurally and regionally comparable peer.
- World Obesity Federation: World Obesity is a global federation addressing obesity as a disease, working with WHO and national societies. It overlaps with IFSO on global obesity advocacy, registry data (Global Obesity Observatory), and World Obesity Day initiatives, creating direct parallel mission alignment.
- The Obesity Society (TOS): TOS is the leading US professional society dedicated to obesity research and treatment. While IFSO is surgery-focused and TOS is research-focused, both serve overlapping clinician members and align on positioning obesity as a chronic disease, making TOS a mission-adjacent peer.
- Korean Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (KSMBS): KSMBS organizes the International Congress featured on IFSO's endorsed meetings page and represents Korean bariatric surgeons in IFSO's Asia-Pacific Chapter. It is a direct peer at the national society level serving the same clinician base.
- British Obesity and Metabolic Surgery Society (BOMSS): BOMSS is a UK-based professional society for bariatric and metabolic surgery practitioners. It mirrors IFSO's national-society role in the UK and operates as a member society within IFSO's European Chapter, making it a direct functional peer.
- American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS): ASMBS is IFSO's closest counterpart - the leading US-based professional society for metabolic and bariatric surgery. The two co-published the 2022 Indications Guidelines and run joint educational initiatives, making ASMBS the most direct, mission-aligned peer in the same specialty.
Others
- Dendrite Clinical Systems: Dendrite is IFSO's technology partner that provides the Upload-My Data and Direct-Data-Entry portals powering the IFSO Global Registry. As an enabling supplier rather than a peer society, it is included as an adjacent ecosystem participant critical to IFSO's data infrastructure.
- AIS Channel: AIS Channel is IFSO's strategic content-distribution partner, digitalizing IFSO World Congress and Chapter Meeting content globally. As a surgical-education distribution platform rather than a competing federation, it is an adjacent ecosystem participant comparable to IFSO through its education-delivery role.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
IFSO social profiles
Digital presenceIFSO financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
IFSO leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
IFSO funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
IFSO M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about IFSO
What does IFSO do?
IFSO is a global professional medical federation that supports bariatric and metabolic surgeons, integrated health professionals, and national obesity surgery societies through membership services, continuing education, annual World Congress events, and the IFSO Global Registry. Core offerings include annual and integrated health membership tiers, the IFSO Virtual Academy with online courses and 5-Minute CPD modules, the IFSO Global Registry collecting data from 35 countries, and an endorsement program for external medical congresses.
Is IFSO a public or private company?
IFSO is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was IFSO founded?
IFSO was founded in 1995. It employs 5,001 to 10,000 people.
Where is IFSO based?
IFSO is headquartered in Naples, Italy, in the Europe region.
How does IFSO make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Membership Fees are the primary driver. The others are event Endorsement.
Who are IFSO's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are American College of Surgeons (ACS) and Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons (SAGES). Direct peers are European Association for the Study of Obesity (EASO), World Obesity Federation, The Obesity Society (TOS), Korean Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (KSMBS), British Obesity and Metabolic Surgery Society (BOMSS) and American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS). Others are Dendrite Clinical Systems and AIS Channel.
Does IFSO have an API?
No public API is recorded for IFSO.