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
Xsolla Expands DACH Presence With Xsolla Connect Berlin and Sponsorship of Games Ground Berlin4.11.2026 12:00:00 EET | Press release
Xsolla, a global video game commerce company that helps developers launch, grow, and monetize their games, today announces a comprehensive program of activations across Berlin throughout November 2026. As a main partner of Games Ground Berlin, Xsolla is supporting the festival’s Publisher Connect program and is hosting Xsolla Connect Berlin: Publisher & Content Creator Edition, bringing together developers, publishers, and creators to explore new opportunities for collaboration and growth. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20261103176221/en/ Graphic: Xsolla During Games Ground Berlin, Xsolla will host Xsolla Connect Berlin, bringing together 15 publishers and over 40 selected German content creators at Alte Münze on November 6 for curated networking, publisher spotlights, and discussions around creator-led monetization through the Xsolla Partner Network (XPN). This invitation-only gathering, from 5:30 PM to 7:30 P
Yamaha Motor to Exhibit All-New RW Series’ RW700 and RW350 at EICMA4.11.2026 11:00:00 EET | Press release
Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd. (TOKYO: 7272) announced today that it will exhibit its new RW700 and RW350 models at EICMA 2026 (International Two-Wheeler Exhibition), one of Europe's largest motorcycle shows, to be held in Milan, Italy, from November 3rd. “RW” is an all-new series of models for global markets developed as new adventure scooters to transform everyday mobility into an experience bringing more color to people's lifestyles. The RW Series aims to offer new mobility experiences that seamlessly connect everyday life with the extraordinary, opening up new possibilities and discoveries in people’s lives by letting them explore detours off familiar roads that lead them to new sights and Kando. In addition to providing comfort and ease of use for urban environments, the RW Series boasts features and performance that entice users to freely turn off familiar roads and head out toward new scenery and experiences. The styling features a functional design that balances everyday usability with
ANS Cuts IT Alert Noise by 83% with LogicMonitor Edwin AI4.11.2026 10:30:00 EET | Press release
LogicMonitor®, the AI-first platform for Autonomous IT, and ANS Group, a leading UK technology and managed services provider, today announced early results from ANS's deployment of Edwin AI, demonstrating how AI is helping reshape managed services by reducing routine operational work and creating more capacity for proactive customer value. Since deploying Edwin AI in August 2026, ANS has reduced alert noise by 83%, observability incident volumes by 45% and average incident resolution times by 44%, while reporting a 500% return on its incremental Edwin AI investment.* ANS has also consistently maintained SLA performance above 97%. By correlating related alerts, accelerating investigations and recommending next steps, Edwin AI is helping ANS shift engineering capacity from reactive incident management toward more proactive customer services. "AI gives us an opportunity to fundamentally rethink how managed services are delivered," said Kyle Hill, Chief Technology Officer, ANS Group. "Our
AiDEN Auto and Volvo Trucks First to Offer Embedded E-Transportation Regulatory Compliance Through the Infotainment System4.11.2026 10:00:00 EET | Press release
AiDEN Auto, a pioneer in connected vehicle software solutions, has partnered with Volvo Trucks to integrate RO e-Trans regulatory compliance management directly into the truck's in-cab infotainment system and the Volvo Connect back-office portal. Made available through Volvo Trucks' suite of digital services and Volvo Connect ecosystem, this innovative application allows drivers and fleet managers to monitor and maintain compliance with Romania's mandatory national e-Transport regulations in real time—without leaving the cab or relying on secondary mobile devices. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20261104342472/en/ AiDEN Auto, a pioneer in connected vehicle software solutions, has partnered with Volvo Trucks to integrate RO e-Trans regulatory compliance management directly into the truck's in-cab infotainment system and the Volvo Connect back-office portal. Made available through Volvo Trucks' suite of digital se
LogicMonitor Makes AI the Standard, Not the Upgrade4.11.2026 10:00:00 EET | Press release
LogicMonitor®, the AI-first platform for Autonomous IT, today announced new platform packages that make Edwin AI and LogicMonitor Digital Experience, including Synthetics and Internet Sonar, standard in every tier. By bringing full digital experience and internet health visibility together with AI-driven operations in every package, LogicMonitor helps teams connect what users experience to the signals behind it and move toward a governed next step. AI is now essential to modern IT operations, yet too often, the capabilities needed to put it into practice remain fragmented across tools and licensing models. As enterprises move toward Autonomous IT, access to AI-driven intelligence and end-to-end visibility must become the foundation, not an added layer of complexity. “IT teams don't need more separate Observability tools with AI bolted on; they need a connected operating model,” said Garth Fort, chief product officer at LogicMonitor. “Every package now brings LogicMonitor Envision, Digi
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