AcuSurgical raises €5.75 Million in Series A financing, to advance its robotic ocular microsurgery platform.
AcuSurgical, a Montpellier-based company focused on robotic microsurgery, today announces a €5.75 million Series A financing round led by Mérieux Equity Partners (via OMX Europe Venture Fund) and Supernova Invest (via Supernova 2 Fund), with Sofimac Innovation (via Pertinence Invest 2 Fund) and IRDI Capital Investissement (via Irdinov 2 and Inn’Vest PME Occitanie Est Funds) participating in the round.
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210217005035/en/
Using advanced robotics, AcuSurgical is making ocular microsurgery safer and more accessible by dramatically improving the precision of surgical interventions. A proof of concept of the platform has already been completed with a first prototype validated in a preclinical setting.
The company will use the proceeds of the Series A financing to conduct clinical trials and reach regulatory approval with vitreo-retinal surgery as the first indication, paving the way for future applications that are not within the reach of surgeons today.
Retinal surgeries represent an annual global market of 1.6 million procedures, currently performed by a limited number of specialized surgeons. AcuSurgical’s robotic platform aims to increase the precision of current procedures, filtering tremor and augmenting visualization with the aid of a telemanipulated robot, while the surgeon remains in complete control.
Founded by Christoph Spuhler, serving as Chief Executive Officer, AcuSurgical has already attracted an experienced and highly skilled multidisciplinary team of executives, alongside the scientific co-founders, Prof. Yassine Haddab and Prof. Philippe Poignet, robotics experts at the joint research Unit LIRMM (Laboratory of Computer Science, Robotics and Microelectronics in Montpellier) and Prof. Philippe Gain and Prof. Gilles Thuret, retinal surgeons at the Saint-Etienne University Hospital.
“Our ambition is to enable new treatments for retinal disease that will open new perspectives for the numerous patients who are impacted by these debilitating retinal conditions. We are proud of the vote of confidence by this strong syndicate of investors. This financing will allow us to grow the team and reach key milestones towards certification and commercialisation of a truly innovative surgical solution”, says Christoph Spuhler, CEO and co-founder of AcuSurgical.
“We are delighted to partner with such an experienced team and look forward to supporting AcuSurgical in bringing to market a novel solution that will improve ocular surgeries and open new procedures in ophthalmology”, says Valérie Calenda, Managing Partner at Mérieux Equity Partners.
”The robotics platform developed by AcuSurgical aims to help retinal surgeons perform complex procedures more safely and reproducibly. We are very pleased to support this new venture and excellent team” says Celia Hart, General Partner at Supernova Invest.
About AcuSurgical - www.acusurgical.com
Founded in 2020, AcuSurgical is a surgical robotics company based in Montpellier (France). AcuSurgical's mission is to enable top-class treatment to the 300+ million patients suffering from retinal disease worldwide, a debilitating condition including age-related macular degeneration (AMD), diabetic retinopathy and macular holes. Worldwide, currently 1.6 million retinal surgeries are performed each year, with a yearly growth rate of 7%. This currently represents only a small percentage of actual cases, with the majority of patients, especially in emerging economies, getting inadequate treatment or often no treatment at all. The cutting-edge robotics platform from AcuSurgical aims to change this, bringing a new surgical paradigm to vitreo-retinal surgery based on precision robotics.
About Mérieux Equity Partners - www.merieux-partners.com
Mérieux Equity Partners (“MxEP”) is an investment company dedicated to capital investment in health and nutrition and registered with the Autorité des Marchés Financiers (AMF). MxEP actively supports entrepreneurs and companies with differentiated products and services, giving them privileged access to its sector expertise and international network. MxEP currently manages around €670 million of assets and launched their latest venture capital fund in 2020, OMX Venture Fund, to finance high potential companies in the life science space, in Europe and North America.
About Supernova Invest - www.supernovainvest.com
Supernova Invest is a cutting-edge venture capital firm with a leading position in the French deeptech investment market. It manages and advises five capital funds for a total of €260 million AUM. Supernova Invest specializes in breakthrough technologies, developing start-ups in Industry, Health, Energy & Environment and Digital Technology sectors. Supernova Invest has a strong partnership with both the CEA (the French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission) and Amundi (the European leader in asset management).
The FPCI Supernova 2 is an early-stage investment fund managed by Supernova Invest. Its main investors are the Crédit Agricole, the Fond National d’Amorçage managed by Bpi France, the CEA, Michelin, BioMérieux, Vinci, EDF, CGG, UDIMEC as well as entrepreneurs and family offices.
About Sofimac Innovation - www.sofimacinnovation.com
Sofimac Innovation is an independent management company certified by the financial markets regulator (AMF) and dedicated to technological and innovative investment. Based in Paris, Lyon, Rennes and Marseille, Sofimac Innovation supports innovative start-up in their growth projects with a wide range of investment vehicles. Working in a wide variety of technological sectors, particularly in Health and Digital sectors, Sofimac Innovation is currently managing 9 Funds comprising around 90 active companies.
Pertinence Invest 2 is an investment Fund managed by Sofimac Innovation, raised in partnership with prestigious Universities and Schools and renowned industrial corporates. Pertinence Invest 2 is investing in breakthrough technologies in the Engineering Sciences and Health & Nutrition sectors.
About IRDI Capital Investissement - www.irdi.fr
Based in Toulouse, Montpellier, and Bordeaux, IRDI Capital Investissement has been a key player in private equity for more than 35 years, with an investment track record in companies located in the South-West of France and at all development stages. It manages more than €350 million spread across several funds, including IRDINOV 2 and INN’VEST PME OCCITANIE EST which were both leveraged to invest in AcuSurgical.
IRDINOV 2 - supported by the Fonds National d’Amorçage (FNA) - is a capital seed fund specialized in financing technological companies.
INN’VEST PME OCCITANIE EST is a co-investment fund supported by the European Investment Fund (EIF) and the Région Occitanie under the FOSTER TPE PME fund of funds.
To view this piece of content from cts.businesswire.com, please give your consent at the top of this page.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210217005035/en/
Contact information
AcuSurgical
Pierre-Antoine FOREST - press@acusurgical.com / Tel: +33 (0)4 11 92 00 22
Mérieux Equity Partners
Gaelle BESOMI - gaelle.besomi@merieux-partners.com / Tel : +33 (0)4 81 69 55 82
Supernova Invest
Florian RIDARD - florian.ridard@vae-solis.com / Tel: +33 (0) 1 53 92 80 25
Clémence NAIZET - clemence.naizet@vae-solis.com / Tel: +33 (0)1 53 92 80 17
About Business Wire
For more than 50 years, Business Wire has been the global leader in press release distribution and regulatory disclosure.
Subscribe to releases from Business Wire
Subscribe to all the latest releases from Business Wire by registering your e-mail address below. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Latest releases from Business Wire
New Study from UK’s Largest Virtual ADHD Service Validates Role of Objective Testing in Delivering Personalized, High-Quality Remote ADHD Care10.5.2025 13:45:00 EEST | Press release
As demand for virtual ADHD care increases, findings from a new study conducted with ADHD 360, the UK’s largest evidence-based digital service specializing in ADHD diagnosis and treatment, reveal how objective ADHD diagnostic and monitoring technology improves patient outcomes and clinical certainty. Presented at the 2025 ADHD World Congress in Prague, Czech Republic, the findings highlight the role of QbCheck, Qbtech’s remote testing solution, in enabling clinicians to make more confident, data-informed decisions, supporting a more personalized and collaborative care model. The tool allows for greater clarity when assessing symptoms and adjusting treatment plans over time, ensuring diagnostic accuracy and helping to improve alignment between clinicians and patients throughout the care journey. The results from ADHD 360’s implementation of this model showcase how a standardized approach to virtual ADHD care improves clinician confidence, reduces wait times, and enhances patient engageme
Ant International Partners with Barclays on Global Treasury Management with Proprietary AI-Powered FX Model9.5.2025 16:57:00 EEST | Press release
Ant International has entered a partnership with leading UK bank Barclays to enhance efficiency and resilience in global treasury management for businesses. Under the partnership, the two sides will combine innovative solutions, including Ant’s proprietary Time-Series Transformer (TST) AI FX Model, to help businesses reduce FX-related costs and risks against global volatilities. At the initial stage of the collaboration, Ant International has successfully completed the first batch of its intra-group FX transactions with Barclays. Ant International’s TST Model is a transformer architecture-based big data model with close to 2 billion parameters. By integrating the latest time series forecasting algorithms, the TST Model predicts patterns over time. Ant also created new pre-training and Supervised Fine-Tuning (SFT) frameworks to train the model and improve its predictions over time. The TST Model now forecasts the company's cashflow and FX exposure on an hourly, daily and weekly basis, w
Monument Re Transfers €1.4bn Greycastle Portfolio to RGA and Strengthens European Life Insurance Consolidation Platform9.5.2025 15:00:00 EEST | Press release
Monument Re Limited (“Monument”) announces today that it has transferred a legacy €1.4bn reinsurance portfolio, comprising annuity and other life insurance liabilities acquired as part of the 2020 Greycastle transaction, to RGA Americas Reinsurance Company, Ltd. (“RGA”). This transaction releases capital resources that Monument will redirect to its core strategy of consolidation in European life insurance markets. The transaction completed on 2May 2025 following approval by the Boards of Directors of both Monument and RGA and non-objection from the Bermuda Monetary Authority. Monument has taken significant steps in recent months to strengthen its business operations by consolidating its European group support functions in Dublin and by aligning with the recently strengthened regulatory regime in Bermuda. With its strong financial position and best in class capabilities in the Group, Monument remains ideally positioned to build on its success to date and grow its European footprint, del
IFF Completes Divestiture of Nitrocellulose Business9.5.2025 15:00:00 EEST | Press release
IFF (NYSE: IFF) today announced that it has completed the divestiture of its nitrocellulose business, including Walsrode Industrial Park in lower Saxony, Germany, to Czechoslovak Group (CSG). The business manufactures nitrocellulose strictly for industrial purposes, serving customers primarily in coatings and printing inks, and had been part of IFF’s Pharma Solutions business unit. “The divestiture of our nitrocellulose business builds upon our deleveraging journey and enables us to focus on our core businesses,” said Erik Fyrwald, IFF CEO. “I’d like to thank our nitrocellulose colleagues for their dedication and wish them continued success as part of CSG.” Welcome to IFF At IFF (NYSE: IFF), we make joy through science, creativity and heart. As the global leader in flavors, fragrances, food ingredients, health and biosciences, we deliver groundbreaking, sustainable innovations that elevate everyday products—advancing wellness, delighting the senses and enhancing the human experience.Le
CPAC Systems AB Announces Strategic Minority Investment in Flying Fish9.5.2025 13:33:00 EEST | Press release
CPAC Systems AB, a leader in advanced control systems and embedded vessel and commercial vehicle technology, today announced a strategic minority investment in Flying Fish Maritime Innovations B.V., a pioneer in advanced shared water mobility solutions and robust, cost-effective hydrofoil technology. The investment underscores both companies’ commitment to redefining water-based transportation through innovation, sustainability, and seamless integration. It marks the beginning of a deeper collaboration aimed at enabling smarter, cleaner, and more connected mobility on the water — for both recreational and commercial applications. “We are thrilled to support Flying Fish and their impressive work in redefining water mobility,"saidMarcus Wingolf, CEO of CPAC Systems. "Our investment in Flying Fish represents a strategic alignment of our technical proficiencies and innovative ambitions. This partnership opens exciting new possibilities for integration and sustainable transformation across
In our pressroom you can read all our latest releases, find our press contacts, images, documents and other relevant information about us.
Visit our pressroom