Innovation within the spinal cord injury (SCI) community is often driven by people who understand its challenges firsthand. Some of the most meaningful advances in rehabilitation, accessibility, and patient support have been shaped by individuals whose ideas grew from lived experience rather than observation alone. That firsthand perspective is also the foundation of NeuroBridge Solutions.
NeuroBridge Solutions was founded by Kortlund and Natalia Natterstad to help people living with spinal cord injuries better navigate funding for adaptive equipment, therapies, and independence-focused technology. While the Funding Finder is focused on solving a practical problem, the company itself is rooted in the personal experiences of the two people who created it.
For Kortlund Natterstad, NeuroBridge Solutions is informed by both professional and personal experience. Before sustaining a spinal cord injury in an off-roading accident, he worked in medical device sales. Following his injury, multiple surgeries, and six weeks of intense rehabilitation at Craig Hospital, he gained firsthand insight into the challenges people face after a spinal cord injury, including the complexity of identifying and securing funding for essential equipment and technology.
Today, Kortlund remains active in the spinal cord injury community through consulting, advocacy, and collaboration with organizations dedicated to advancing rehabilitation and accessibility. His work with the North American Spinal Cord Injury Consortium (NASCIC) includes sponsor engagement and educational initiatives, while his collaboration with companies developing adaptive and medical technologies helps ensure the perspectives of people living with spinal cord injuries remain part of the development process.
“There are incredible products and technologies available today,” Kortlund said, “but too many people never get access to them because the funding process is overwhelming or unclear. It shouldn’t be expensive to be disabled, and we aim to help close that gap one patient at a time.”
Natalia Natterstad brings a different but equally valuable perspective. Originally from Moldova, she came to the United States through a work-exchange program before building a career across hospitality, business operations, and entrepreneurship. Working alongside Kortlund gave her firsthand insight into the challenges families and healthcare providers face when navigating funding for adaptive equipment and rehabilitation technology—and led her to recognize the need for a platform focused on simplifying that process.
“When you start talking to families and providers, you realize this isn’t just a paperwork issue,” Natalia explained. “It impacts independence, mental health, mobility, and quality of life. We wanted to create something that actually helps move people forward.”
Together, Kortlund and Natalia reflect a growing trend within the spinal cord injury community: people combining lived experience with professional expertise to create practical solutions to long-standing challenges. That combination continues to shape NeuroBridge Solutions and its approach to one of the community’s most persistent problems.
Their work also reflects a broader shift across the rehabilitation and adaptive technology space. More organizations are recognizing that lived experience matters not only for sharing personal stories, but for shaping the products, services, and resources built to serve the people who rely on them.
As NeuroBridge Solutions continues to develop the Funding Finder and expand its partnerships throughout the spinal cord injury community, its focus remains on creating resources shaped by the needs and experiences of the people it aims to serve. Learn more at NeuroBridgeSolutions.net.
In our next article, we’ll look at where Kortlund and Natalia believe the future of spinal cord injury funding is heading—and how they hope technology can connect more people with the resources they need.