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
Lehman Brothers Treasury Announces the Successful Sale of its Remaining Intercompany Claim against Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc.18.8.2026 22:15:00 EEST | Press release
In connection with its previously announced final wind-down, Lehman Brothers Treasury Co. B.V. in liquidation (“LBT”), through its U.S. counsel Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer (US) LLP, announced that its placement agent, Seaport Loan Products LLC, successfully closed the sale of LBT’s remaining $19.6 billion Class 4A intercompany claim against Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. The net proceeds of the sale, together with certain available cash (but after deducting various sale-related and other administrative costs and expenses), will be used to fund a final distribution to the holders of LBT’s existing notes, after which such existing notes will be canceled and LBT shall be fully wound down. As a result, LBT will cease to exist. LBT expects the final distribution to occur in the course of October 2026 and the wind down to have been completed before the end of 2026. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260818004215/en/
GenBio AI Builds First World Model of the Human Cell18.8.2026 16:00:00 EEST | Press release
GenBio AI ('GenBio') is an AI for Science company co-founded by Nobel Laureate David Baker, leading AI scientist Eric Xing, and other prominent life science and artificial intelligence researchers from Stanford, Carnegie Mellon University, Mohamed Bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence, Harvard, Weizmann Institute, and other research institutions. Today, the company introduced AIDO Cell, its virtual cell world model — the first system capable of simulating a human cell, both in its natural state and in response to drugs and other interventions, across its full biological hierarchy, from DNA and RNA through protein to the whole-cell level. A Key First in Biological and Medical Sciences: Full-hierarchy virtual cell simulation has been widely identified as a key milestone in computational biology. Compared to the previous efforts by various research labs, AIDO Cell is the first to integrate the entire molecular-to-cellular spectrum into one continuous simulation. Using the system
Xsolla Partner Network Expands Verified Creator Partnerships and Unifies Campaign Management Ahead of gamescom 202618.8.2026 16:00:00 EEST | Press release
Xsolla, a global video game commerce company, today announced an expansion of the Xsolla Partner Network ahead of gamescom 2026 in Cologne, giving game developers a simpler, more reliable way to grow their games through creators. The creator platform now lives within Xsolla Publisher Account, where developers already run their business, with verified creator onboarding and a redesigned and unified campaign workflow. Flat-fee campaigns, a new guaranteed payment option alongside revenue share, and data-driven creator recommendations are coming soon. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260818140062/en/ Graphic: Xsolla Xsolla Partner Network gives developers one place to launch, manage, track, and report on creator campaigns while Xsolla handles payments, payouts, taxes, and compliance. Verified creators, less guesswork. Automated anti-fraud vetting and identity verification at payout means developers partner with rea
KOCCA to Showcase 13 Korean Game Companies at ‘Gamescom 2026’ with PC, Mobile, and VR Lineups18.8.2026 15:48:00 EEST | Press release
The Korea Creative Content Agency (KOCCA) announced that 13 Korean game companies will gather under one roof at Gamescom 2026, Europe’s largest game show, held in Cologne, Germany, from August 26 to 28 (B2B, 09:00~20:00). Located in Booth Hall 3.2 C-050g–D051g, the Korea Joint Pavilion offers visitors hands-on experiences with an expansive lineup of titles, ranging from PC and mobile games to VR-powered titles across diverse genres. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260818271881/en/ KOCCA will bring 13 Korean game companies to Gamescom 2026 in Cologne, Germany (Image: KOCCA) The standout feature of this year’s joint pavilion is its overwhelming genre diversity. The lineup includes roguelike deckbuilders, visual novels, 2D shooters, rhythm action, and cooperative horror survival—catering to a broad spectrum of gamers—alongside immersive content that integrates AI and XR technology. Introducing the Participating T
SLB to Support Offshore Production Restoration for Brunei Shell Petroleum18.8.2026 15:06:00 EEST | Press release
Global energy technology company SLB (NYSE: SLB) today announced it has been awarded a contract by Brunei Shell Petroleum (BSP) to support production restoration from shut-in wells across multiple offshore fields. The contract scope spans subsurface evaluation, well candidate selection, engineering and offshore execution. Project management, intervention services, monitoring, metering and marine logistics are integrated within a single coordinated execution model designed to support efficient production restoration. “Building on our long collaboration in the region, this contract reflects a shared commitment to maximizing value from existing offshore resources,” said Gokhan Yarim, senior vice president of Integration, SLB. “Together with BSP, we are combining SLB’s production expertise and integrated execution capabilities to help restore production from shut-in wells, increase recovery from existing infrastructure and support BSP’s long-term production objectives.” The project marks t
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