Geoff Thrope founded NDI Medical in 2002, after a successful career as a neurostim industry executive and researcher. From 1994 to 2002, he was a Project Director and Vice President of New Business Development with NeuroControl Corporation, where he led the team’s successful product commercialization efforts for bladder and hand restoration systems directed towards spinal cord injured individuals. From 1979 through 1994, he worked at Case Western Reserve University’s prestigious neurostim research center, becoming the Program Director responsible for commercialization of upper extremity neuroprosthetic research applications.

Thrope is credited with co-inventing the FREEHAND™ SYSTEM, the world's first commercially available motor control neuroprosthesis. Thrope, who earned a bachelor's degree in biomedical engineering from Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland and attended graduate school at Kent State University, has published and presented more than 50 academic articles on the subject of neuroprosthetic systems and has more than 15 neurostimulation patents issued and pending.