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
Phase 3 RAINIER Results Supporting Best-in-Class Potential of Povetacicept in IgA Nephropathy Published in the New England Journal of Medicine and Presented at the American Society of Nephrology Kidney Week 202623.10.2026 20:42:00 EEST | Press release
Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (Nasdaq: VRTX) today announced the publication of Phase 3 RAINIER results for povetacicept in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM), presentation of these data at the American Society of Nephrology (ASN) Kidney Week 2026 in Denver, Colorado, and advancement of the povetacicept clinical research program in IgAN. Vertex will also host an investor event during ASN on October 23 at 6:15-7 p.m. MDT (8:15-9 p.m. EDT). Further details are below. Data being presented include a pre-specified Week 36 interim analysis of the ongoing Phase 3 RAINIER trial of povetacicept, an engineered fusion protein and dual inhibitor of the BAFF (B cell activating factor) and APRIL (a proliferation inducing ligand) cytokines, in immunoglobulin A nephropathy (IgAN). RAINIER met its primary endpoint, with povetacicept achieving a 52.0% reduction from baseline in proteinuria at Week 36 and a statistically significant and clinically meaningful 49.8% reduction versus placebo (
Lifezone Metals Confirms Advanced Negotiations with Orion CMC on Kabanga Nickel Project23.10.2026 17:19:00 EEST | Press release
Lifezone Metals Limited (NYSE: LZM) notes comments made today by Oskar Lewnowski, Founder and Group Chief Executive of Orion Resource Partners, in an interview with Bloomberg Television regarding the Company’s Kabanga Nickel Project in Tanzania. In response to inbound inquiries from media outlets and investors following the interview, the Company can confirm that negotiations with Orion Critical Mineral Consortium (Orion CMC) regarding a significant equity investment into the Kabanga Nickel Project are at an advanced stage. The Orion CMC is a global investment platform launched by Orion Resource Partners in partnership with the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) and Abu Dhabi's sovereign investor ADQ. As previously announced, the Company has been running a competitive process, led by Standard Chartered Bank, to secure a strategic investment into the Kabanga Nickel Project. Social Media LinkedIn | X | YouTube About Lifezone Metals Lifezone Metals (NYSE: LZM) is com
BeOne Medicines Reports Sustained Survival Benefit with TEVIMBRA-ZIIHERA Combination in First-Line HER2+ Gastroesophageal Cancer23.10.2026 17:15:00 EEST | Press release
BeOne Medicines Ltd. (Nasdaq: ONC; HKEX: 06160; SSE: 688235), a global oncology company, today announced new survival results from the planned second interim analysis (IA2) and final formal analysis of the Phase 3 HERIZON-GEA-01 trial, further confirming the benefit of TEVIMBRA® (tislelizumab) plus ZIIHERA® (zanidatamab) and chemotherapy as first-line treatment for patients with HER2-positive locally advanced or metastatic gastroesophageal adenocarcinoma (GEA). The results will be presented today as a late-breaking abstract during a rapid oral session at the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Congress 2026 in Madrid, Spain (LBA79). Mark Lanasa, M.D., Ph.D., Chief Medical Officer, Solid Tumors at BeOne, said: “Following the U.S. approval in August, these longer-term data provide further evidence supporting TEVIMBRA plus ZIIHERA and chemotherapy as the new standard of care in all first-line HER2-positive advanced gastroesophageal adenocarcinoma patients, regardless of PD-L1 sta
inDrive and Pony.ai Announce Collaboration to Explore Autonomous Mobility in Kazakhstan Built on NVIDIA Hyperion23.10.2026 16:00:00 EEST | Press release
inDrive, the global mobility and delivery platform, today announced it has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with NVIDIA and Pony.ai, a global leader in the large-scale commercialization of autonomous driving technology, to explore the future of autonomous ride-hailing. Kazakhstan will serve as the first test market. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20261023143469/en/ inDrive partners with Pony.ai and NVIDIA to explore autonomous mobility in Kazakhstan Kazakhstan was chosen first for its regulatory readiness following the creation of the country’s first structured legal framework for driverless transport, as part of its “Year of Digitalization and Artificial Intelligence.” Combined with Kazakhstan’s position as a leading Central Asian economy, this gives the companies a clear basis to assess autonomous ride-hailing in practice. The three companies will evaluate the technical, operational, regulatory and
Brenus Pharma's Novel In Vivo Immunotherapy STC-1010 Shows Safety, Activating T Cells in First-Line MSS Metastatic Colorectal Cancers With 2 Complete Responses.23.10.2026 15:50:00 EEST | Press release
Brenus Pharma, a clinical-stage biotech company, announced first data from the Phase Ia dose escalation of BreAK CRC-001. Nine unresectable patients were treated; 89% had liver metastases and 89% KRAS-mutant tumors, a population refractory to immunotherapy. Median follow-up: 8 months (1–14; data cut-off 6/08/2026). 95% of metastatic colorectal cancers are pMMR/MSS tumors, poorly immunogenic and resistant to immunotherapy. STC-1010, the company’s lead in vivo DC-engager, is designed to make these “cold” tumors visible to immune cells. Safety: no dose-limiting toxicity, only grade 1–2 related adverse events. Clinical activity (seven evaluable patients, RECIST 1.1): 100% disease control, 57% objective response rate (4/7). 43% of patients became operable (3/7): two with no evidence of disease afterward. Molecular profile: ctDNA dropped by up to 97% within two months, TP53 and KRAS mutations near undetectable. Immune activity (first six patients): STC-1010 regimen nearly quadrupled cytotoxi
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