Dr. Lance C. Smith is a board-certified orthopedic spine surgeon and trusted healthcare leader based in Oklahoma City. With a reputation for clinical excellence and a patient-first approach, Dr. Smith serves individuals from across the region, combining advanced surgical expertise with a deeply personalized care philosophy.

In addition to his medical practice, Dr. Smith brings his leadership and passion for innovation to the venture space. As a founding partner at Longshot Ventures, he advises healthcare-focused startups and founders, leveraging his unique perspective at the intersection of medicine, business, and mission-driven growth. His clinical insight, operational experience, and values-oriented leadership provide invaluable guidance to early-stage ventures looking to solve real-world challenges in healthcare and beyond.

Outside of his professional roles, Dr. Smith is a dedicated husband and father of three. He is also an avid outdoorsman and active philanthropist, serving alongside his family in support of several nonprofit organizations, including Wings – Special Needs Community, Make-A-Wish Oklahoma, OKCity Crisis Nursery, Fathers in the Field, and On Eagle’s Wings Farm.

Dr. Smith is deeply committed to living a life of purpose—serving others, advancing meaningful innovation, and stewarding the gifts he’s been given to make a lasting, positive impact.

Luke Diehl is a driven entrepreneur and strategic operator with a strong track record of launching and scaling innovative ventures across healthcare, sports tech, and advanced manufacturing. As Founder and Managing Partner of Longshot Ventures, he leads investment and value creation strategies focused on early-stage companies, leveraging deep expertise in diagnostics, medical devices, and consumer engagement.

A hands-on founder, he previously served as CEO of HD Lifesciences (now NanoHive Medical), where he co-invented and patented a novel 3D-printed “Soft Titanium” spinal implant. Under his leadership, the company secured FDA clearance within 12 months, raised over $4.5 million in funding, and generated over $8 million in revenue in the first 3 years of commercialization. He also built a national sales network and navigated M&A negotiations with several large strategics. During his tenure as President of Neurologic Performance Group, he spearheaded efforts to commercialize concussion and TBI diagnostic technologies, raised funding, and created a 4x increase in company equity.

In addition to founding Union Biologics, a successful orthobiologics distribution business with over $17 million in revenue to date, he has co-founded consumer brands Blueprint Surf and Procyon Golf, earning media coverage and generating millions of brand impressions with minimal budget.

With a B.S. in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Illinois and a passion for breakthrough technologies, he thrives on building lasting relationships, driving innovation, and delivering results in both business and impact.

With over 15 years of experience in medical device innovation, commercialization, and surgical support, Kevin Chappuis is a dynamic leader at the forefront of spine technology. As President of SPARK Spine, he is pioneering a first-in-class spinal implant utilizing a novel piezoelectric biomaterial to enhance bone growth—an advancement poised to redefine post-operative healing. Under his leadership, the company is advancing through critical FDA regulatory pathways.

In parallel, he leads Union Biologics, a successful distributor of medical devices that has generated over $17 million in revenue to date. He is also a founding partner and operations lead at Longshot Ventures, supporting the growth of early-stage technologies.

Previously, he served as Director of Customer Support at NanoHive Medical, where he played a key role in bringing to market the first FDA-approved 3D printed titanium spinal implant with reduced stiffness. Earlier in his career at SpineFrontier, he held several engineering and product management roles, spearheading product development efforts that contributed to significant revenue growth and multiple patented technologies.

He holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and brings deep expertise in engineering design, clinical support, regulatory strategy, and surgeon engagement to every venture he leads.