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
Dryad Wins International XPRIZE Wildfire Award for Autonomous Wildfire Detection and Suppression23.9.2026 20:00:00 EEST | Press release
Dryad Networks, a leader in ultra-early wildfire detection, today announced it has been awarded $800,000 in the XPRIZE Wildfire competition for its performance in the Autonomous Wildfire Response finals in Alaska. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260923024178/en/ Silvaguard Observation and Suppression drone and Hangar Dryad advanced from an original field of approximately 300 entrants in the four-year competition. In June 2026, three finalists were challenged to autonomously detect and completely suppress a high-risk wildfire within 10 minutes of ignition across 1,000 km² of Alaskan wilderness, leaving any decoy fires untouched. It was the most demanding live test to date of what it will take to stop a destructive fire before it grows out of control. During the tests, the Dryad’s Silvanet sensor network successfully detected and verified target fire in 12 minutes or less and autonomously launched a response, ig
SES Appoints Michel Scholer to Board of Directors23.9.2026 19:54:00 EEST | Press release
SES today announced the appointment of Mr. Michel Scholer, Secretary General of the Luxembourg Government and Chief of Staff to the Prime Minister, to its Board of Directors effective immediately. This appointment is part of SES’s Board succession planning and ongoing commitment to regularly review and strengthen the composition of its Board with diverse expertise and industry experience, ensuring the company is well positioned for future growth and value creation. Prior to his current role with the Luxembourg Government, Mr. Scholer served as a Senior Adviser to the International Monetary Fund, and with the Ministry of Finance, Luxembourg. He was nominated for the SES Board of Directors by the Government of the Grandy Duchy of Luxembourg. Follow us on: LinkedIn | Facebook | YouTube | X | Instagram Read our Blogs > Visit the Media Gallery > About SES At SES, we believe that space has the power to make a difference. That’s why we design space solutions that help governments protect, bus
Future Health - A Global Initiative by Abu Dhabi: New Analysis Estimates Modifiable Health Risks Represent $16.4 Trillion Annual Global GDP Opportunity in 205023.9.2026 19:50:00 EEST | Press release
Addressingbehavioural, metabolic and environmental health risks could generate an estimated $16.4 trillion in annual global GDP uplift in 2050. These findings are presented in The Future of Healthy Living: A $16.4 Trillion Opportunity, a new whitepaper co-authored by Future Health – A Global Initiative by Abu Dhabi, the McKinsey Health Institute (MHI) and Healthy Living at the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi, and released on the sidelines of the 81st Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA 81) in New York. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260923530109/en/ A new whitepaper by Future Health – A Global Initiative by Abu Dhabi, in collaboration with the McKinsey Health Institute, estimates that eliminating modifiable health risks could deliver substantial health and economic benefits The publication comes as governments look to translate the UN Political Declaration on Noncommunicable Diseases and Men
SES Confirms Interim Dividend of EUR 0.2523.9.2026 19:46:00 EEST | Press release
The SES Board of Directors has approved the payment of an interim dividend of EUR 0.25 per A-share (EUR 0.10 per B-share) to be paid to shareholders on October 15, 2026, in line with SES’s commitment to shareholder returns. The interim dividend to be paid in October 2026 will be followed, subject to financial results and shareholder approval, by the payment of a final dividend of at least EUR 0.25 per A-share (EUR 0.10 per B-share) in May 2027. Follow us on: LinkedIn | Facebook | YouTube | X | Instagram Read our Blogs > Visit the Media Gallery > About SES At SES, we believe that space has the power to make a difference. That’s why we design space solutions that help governments protect, businesses grow, and people stay connected—no matter where they are. With integrated multi-orbit satellites and our global terrestrial network, we deliver resilient, seamless connectivity and the highest quality video content to those shaping what’s next. Following our Intelsat acquisition, we now offer
Nomios Expands Presence in Southern Europe with Leading Portuguese Cybersecurity Services Specialist Orbcom23.9.2026 17:30:00 EEST | Press release
Nomios, a pan-European specialist in cybersecurity services, announces the acquisition of Orbcom, a leading Portuguese provider of cybersecurity services and IT consulting solutions with about €15 million of yearly revenue and 80 FTEs. Orbcom is one of the few partners with Diamond Innovator status within the Palo Alto Networks NextWave Partner Program in Portugal and a key partner of Netskope, Infoblox and Arista. The acquisition marks another milestone in Nomios’ European expansion, establishing the Group’s first foothold in Portugal and further reinforcing its position as the trusted cybersecurity partner for organisations across Europe. Strengthening our security expertise with key vendor relationships Nomios supports organisations across Europe in securing their critical digital infrastructures, whether on-premise or cloud based. Nomios’ approach is structured around three core service pillars. Through its Consulting Services, the group provides strategic advisory and tailored sup
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