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
Coulson Aviation Introduces CFR HALO, a Long-Term Fire Retardant Engineered for Modern Aerial Firefighting30.7.2026 09:03:00 EEST | Press release
Coulson Aviation today introduced CFR HALO, a next-generation long-term fire retardant engineered specifically for modern aircraft, tank systems, and wildfire missions. It is the first product from Coulson EmberWorks, the company’s research and development division dedicated to advancing aerial firefighting technologies. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260729960073/en/ Coulson Aviation has introduced CFR HALO, a next-generation long-term fire retardant engineered specifically for modern aircraft, tank systems and wildfire missions. It is designed with mission-optimized viscosity and flow characteristics to improve drop cohesion, reduce airborne drift, and support more accurate placement within the intended target area. CFR HALO is currently advancing through independent qualification programs with CEREN in France and the USDA Forest Service for inclusion on the Qualified Products List (QPL). These programs wil
SES Reports H1 2026 Results & Reiterates Full-Year Outlook30.7.2026 08:30:00 EEST | Press release
SES S.A. announces financial results for the three and six months ended June 30, 2026. H1 2026 Performance (€ million) H1 2026 as reported (1) H1 2025 as reported (1) ∆ At constant FX (2) H1 2025 like-for-like(3) ∆ At constant FX (2) Average €/$ FX rate 1.17 1.08 1.08 Revenue 1,602 978 +72.4% 1,799 -5.0% Adjusted EBITDA (4) 725 521 +47.0% 824 -6.2% 1) ‘Reported basis’ with Intelsat fully consolidated from July 17, 2025 2) ‘At constant FX’ refers to comparative figures restated at the current period FX rates to neutralize currency variations 3) ‘Like-for-like basis’ is as if Intelsat was fully consolidated from January 1, 2024 4) Excluding operating expenses/income recognized in relation to U.S. C-band repurposing, other income non-recurring, fair value movement on contingent value rights and other significant special items (disclosed separately) Networks revenue up +89.0% yoy(1) supported by growth in Mobility (+169.9% yoy(1); including positive impact from a contract restructuring in
AB InBev Reports Second Quarter 2026 Results30.7.2026 08:02:00 EEST | Press release
Anheuser-Busch InBev (Brussel:ABI) (BMV:ANB) (JSE:ANH) (NYSE:BUD): This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260729033132/en/ Regulated information1 “Cheers to beer – our performance this quarter reflects the strength of the beer category and the consistent execution of our strategy. Through investment in our megabrands and mega platforms, innovation and offering more choices across more occasions, we are strengthening the cultural relevance of our brands with consumers. Thank you to our colleagues for their commitment and disciplined execution, which position us well to continue our momentum.” – Michel Doukeris, CEO, AB InBev Revenue +5.6% Revenue increased by 5.6% in 2Q26 with revenue per hl growth of 4.2% and by 5.7% in HY26 with revenue per hl growth of 4.3%. Reported revenue increased by 11.0% in 2Q26 to 16 660 million USD and by 11.5% in HY26 to 31 927 million USD, positively impacted by currency translation. 6.2%
Kioxia Commences Sample Shipments of 9th-Generation BiCS FLASH™ 1Tb TLC Devices30.7.2026 08:00:00 EEST | Press release
Kioxia Corporation, a world leader in memory solutions, today announced it has commenced sample shipments of 1Tb (terabit) Triple-Level Cell (TLC) memory devices incorporating its 9th-generation BiCS FLASH™ 3D flash memory technology1. The devices are designed to support applications such as AI-enabled PCs and smartphones with low- to mid-level storage capacities that require high performance. Kioxia continues to pursue a dual-axis strategy based on its innovative CMOS directly Bonded to Array (CBA) technology2 and On-Pitch Select Gate Drain (OPS) technology3. Under its unique dual-axis strategy, Kioxia is simultaneously advancing two distinct product lines: its 9th-generation solutions, which deliver high performance at relatively low cost of investing, and its 10th-generation technology, which leverages advanced layer stacking to achieve massive capacity and superior performance. The new 9th-generation BiCS FLASH™ 1Tb TLC devices, developed using a 230-layer stacking process based on
Cessna Citation CJ3 Gen3 Achieves First Flight, Advancing Next-Generation Light Jet Toward Certification29.7.2026 19:31:00 EEST | Press release
Textron Aviation Inc., a Textron Inc. (NYSE:TXT) company, recently achieved a key milestone as the Cessna Citation CJ3 Gen3 prototype aircraft completed its first flight, advancing the next-generation light jet toward certification. With this milestone, all three next-generation Citation light jets — the CJ4 Gen3, CJ3 Gen3 and M2 Gen3 — have entered flight testing, demonstrating continued momentum across the Cessna next-generation light jet portfolio. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260729333762/en/ Cessna Citation CJ3 Gen3 achieves first flight, advancing next-generation light jet toward certification. (Photo credit: Textron Aviation) “This achievement continues the forward momentum of the CJ3 Gen3 program and reflects the discipline, innovation and commitment of this team,” said Chris Hearne, senior vice president, Engineering & Programs. “Comprehensive flight testing will now begin for this aircraft with ri
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
