Sofinnova Partners Announces Two First Investments from its MD Start III Medtech Acceleration Fund
2.7.2020 08:00:00 EEST | Business Wire | Press release
Sofinnova Partners, a leading European life sciences venture capital firm based in Paris, London and Milan, announced today the second investment from its MD Start III Fund, a medtech accelerator that actively works with clinicians and entrepreneurs to develop disruptive medical devices. In May 2019, the fund raised €48 million from key institutional investors and has made two seed investments so far: MastOR and Gradient Denervation Technologies. The most recent investment is in MastOR, a French company leveraging its core expertise in surgical robotics to develop enhanced laparoscopic devices to improve the precision and ergonomics of minimally-invasive surgery. The company was founded in 2019 by a renowned pioneer in laparoscopic surgery, Professor Brice Gayet of the Paris-based Institut Mutualiste Montsouris, and entrepreneur, Pierre Campredon.
“The Sofinnova MD Start team is known for its active, hands-on approach to company building,” said Prof. Gayet. “Their strategic and operational expertise is the perfect complement to the years of research and prototyping we have conducted thus far. Together, we will be able to accelerate the development of this game-changing technology and bring it to its full potential.”
MD Start III also invested in Gradient Denervation Technologies in February. The company is developing a medical device for a transvascular treatment of pulmonary hypertension, based on prior research and intellectual property developed at Stanford University. This has been an important area for MD Start, given its focus on interventional cardiology as a very innovation-savvy and fast-adopting medical community.
“These investments exemplify our mission of transforming innovative ideas into medical realities and backing inventors who are developing disruptive concepts for outstanding medical devices and procedures,” said Anne Osdoit, Partner at Sofinnova Partners. “Our network and partnerships have yielded a rich deal flow pipeline and we are confident in the potential for this fund to continue uncovering first-class devices that address major unmet medical needs.”
About Sofinnova Partners
Sofinnova Partners is a leading European venture capital firm specialized in Life Sciences. Based in Paris, France, with offices in London and Milan, the firm brings together a team of 40 professionals from all over Europe, the U.S. and Asia. The firm focuses on paradigm-shifting technologies alongside visionary entrepreneurs. Sofinnova Partners invests across the Life Sciences value chain as a lead or cornerstone investor, from very early-stage opportunities to late-stage/public companies. It has backed nearly 500 companies over more than 48 years, creating market leaders around the globe. Today, Sofinnova Partners has over €2 billion under management. For more information, please visit: www.sofinnovapartners.com
About MastOR
MastOR SAS is a Paris-based, early stage medical device company, developing a surgical robot for laparoscopy assistance. It is a privately held portfolio company of Sofinnova Partners, financed through the MD Start III Fund. The core technology is derived from joint research between the ISIR robotics lab at Sorbonne University and Professor Brice Gayet, a world-renowned surgeon and pioneer in minimally-invasive surgery. For more information, please visit: www.mastor-surgical.com
About Gradient Denervation Technologies
Gradient Denervation Technologies develops a device-based minimally invasive solution for the treatment of pulmonary hypertension with technology derived from an invention by clinicians from Stanford University. It is a privately held portfolio company of Sofinnova Partners, financed through the MD Start III Fund and based in Paris, France. For more information, please visit: www.gradientdenervation.com
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/20200701005947/en/
Contact information
Media Contacts:
Bommy Lee
Head of Communications, Sofinnova Partners
blee@sofinnovapartners.com
+33 (0) 6 47 71 38 11
North America
RooneyPartners LLC
Kate Barrette
kbarrette@rooneyco.com
+1 212 223 0561
France
StrategiesImage
Anne Rein
anne.rein@strategiesimage.com
+33 (0) 6 03 35 92 05
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
Takeda’s Zasocitinib Delivered Rapid and Durable Skin Clearance in a Convenient Once-Daily Pill, Affirming Promise to Reshape Psoriasis Care28.3.2026 21:00:00 EET | Press release
Takeda(TSE:4502/NYSE:TAK)today announced new data from the two pivotal Phase 3studies of zasocitinib (TAK-279), a next-generation, highly selective oral tyrosine kinase 2 (TYK2) inhibitor, in adults with moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis (PsO).1 Presented as a late-breaking abstract at the 2026 American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) Annual Meeting, these data show that convenient once-daily oral zasocitinib demonstrated rapid and durable skin clearance with a safety profile consistent with Phase 2b studies.1,2 “Our goal in psoriasis treatment is clear or almost clear skin, and previously this has been achieved primarily with injectable therapies,” said Melinda Gooderham, MSc, MD, FRCPC, dermatologist, SKiN Centre for Dermatology, Peterborough, Ontario, Canada, principal investigator for the Latitude PsO studies and presenting author. “These efficacy and safety results show it’s possible for a once-daily pill to deliver rapid, lasting skin clearance, highlighting the potential of zasoc
Incyte Announces New Positive 54-Week Late-Breaking Data for Povorcitinib in Hidradenitis Suppurativa at the 2026 American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) Annual Meeting28.3.2026 21:00:00 EET | Press release
Incyte (Nasdaq:INCY) today announced 54-week data evaluating the safety and efficacy of povorcitinib (INCB54707), an oral small-molecule highly-selective JAK1 inhibitor, from the pivotal Phase 3 STOP-HS clinical trial program in adult patients (≥18 years) with moderate to severe hidradenitis suppurativa (HS). The late-breaking oral presentation of these data is taking place at the 2026 American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) Annual Meeting, being held March 27-31, 2026, in Denver (Session: S034 – Late-Breaking Research: Session 2. Saturday, March 28, 2026, 1:00-4:00 p.m. MT). “The 54-week results from the STOP-HS program deliver compelling, long-term evidence supporting the potential of povorcitinib for patients with moderate to severe HS,” said Pablo J. Cagnoni, M.D., President and Global Head of Research and Development, Incyte. “Across both studies, povorcitinib demonstrated substantial and durable improvements over time in key measures of treatment success and meaningful clinical ben
AAD 2026: Late-Breaking Nemolizumab Data Demonstrate Clinically Meaningful Benefits for Children Aged 2 to 11 With Moderate-to-Severe Atopic Dermatitis28.3.2026 17:00:00 EET | Press release
Galderma (SIX: GALD) today announced new phase II data showing that nemolizumab was well tolerated and effective in children (aged 2 to 11 years) with moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis, with a clinically meaningful and sustained reduction in skin lesions and itch for up to a year.1 Results will be presented in a late-breaking session at the 2026 American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) Annual Meeting. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260328320362/en/ Atopic dermatitis is the most common inflammatory skin disorder in children, yet treatment options in the moderate-to-severe pediatric setting are limited.5 The disease can have a significant impact on quality of life for both the patients and their loved ones, with persistent itch and recurrent skin lesions often disrupting sleep, school and relationships.5-8 “Atopic dermatitis can affect many aspects of children’s lives including schoolwork, emotional development
Angelalign Technology (6699.HK) Releases 2025 Results: Passion for Clinical Excellence Drives Worldwide Growth27.3.2026 21:56:00 EET | Press release
Angelalign Technology Inc. (6699.HK) (“Angel” or the “Company”) released its financial results for fiscal year 2025. During the reporting period, the Company continued to do well in both the global and China markets. Total case volume was 532,400, which increased 48.1%, revenue was USD 370.3 million, which increased 37.8%, and adjusted net profit was USD 43.8 million, which increased 63.0%. The results were driven by Angel’s passion for clinical excellence and its open and inclusive culture that empowers talented people to work together to meet customer needs, the Company said. Fox Hu, CEO of Angel, stated: “The clear aligner industry is complex and multidisciplinary. It requires top-tier technical and operational talent along with seamless collaboration among professionals from diverse geographies. Angel’s open and inclusive culture attracts professionals who share a passion for clinical excellence and a dedication to bringing outstanding products and services to customers. This melti
Axway Positioned as a Leader in the IDC MarketScape: Worldwide API Management 2026 Vendor Assessment27.3.2026 19:46:00 EET | Press release
Axway, a 74Software company (Euronext: 74SW) and global leader in federated API management and enterprise integration, has been named a Leader in the IDC MarketScape: Worldwide API Management 2026 Vendor Assessment.1 Axway Amplify securely connects, orchestrates, and automates data integration. Organizations in financial services, manufacturing, healthcare, and other industries rely on Amplify to modernize integrations and confidently unlock data to deliver superior digital services faster. The report notes: “The platform benefits from Axway’s long-standing experience in B2B integration, secure file transfer, and legacy connectivity, providing differentiated capabilities for organizations that need to expose and control APIs around core systems that are not cloud-native.”1 This multi-pattern expertise in security, integration, and federated governance — built during the early phases of the API-driven digital transformation — becomes especially critical as enterprises seek to govern dat
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