Karl Storz

In 1945, in the small German town of Tuttlingen, a surgical instrument maker named Karl Storz founded a company to produce instruments for ear, nose, and throat specialists. This was the humble beginning of a company that would go on to fundamentally change surgery. Storz was captivated by the idea of looking inside the human body without major incisions. His breakthrough came with the development of the 'cold light' source, which used fiber optics to transmit bright light into the body, paving the way for modern endoscopy. The company's playbook was one of relentless, focused innovation rather than flashy fundraising. A major step forward occurred in 1965 when it incorporated the revolutionary Hopkins rod-lens system, which dramatically improved image quality for surgeons. This focus on providing clear, bright visuals from inside the body became the company's hallmark and a cornerstone for the rise of minimally invasive surgery. Unlike many high-growth companies, Karl Storz never went public and has no history of external funding rounds. It has remained a private, family-owned business from its inception. After the founder's death in 1996, his daughter, Sybill Storz, took over management, and in 2019, leadership passed to his grandson, Karl-Christian Storz, marking the third generation of family leadership. The company has grown globally, establishing its first U.S. subsidiary in 1971 and recently acquiring Asensus Surgical in 2025 to bolster its capabilities. Today, Karl Storz stands as a testament to how quiet, generational dedication to solving a core problem can build an enduring global leader.