Sofinnova Partners Welcomes Mano Iyer as Venture Partner
5.1.2023 12:00:00 EET | Business Wire | Press release
Sofinnova Partners (“Sofinnova"), a leading European life sciences venture capital firm based in Paris, London, and Milan, announced the appointment of Manohar (Mano) Iyer, a serial entrepreneur with longstanding ties to Sofinnova, as Venture Partner.
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230105005045/en/
Mano Iyer (Photo: Business Wire)
Mr. Iyer will investigate global medical device investment opportunities across the Sofinnova Partners platform of strategies, with a particular focus on helping the firm’s in-house medtech accelerator, Sofinnova MD Start, incubate world-class companies.
Mr. Iyer has more than 25 years of experience in the medical device industry. In 2008, he was a founding member of the original MD Start team that incubated companies including CorWave and LimFlow. He also advised CoreValve, a Sofinnova Capital Strategy portfolio company, which was subsequently purchased by Medtronic for $800 million.
Mr. Iyer founded ReCor Medical during his time as an Entrepreneur-in-Residence at Sofinnova Partners in 2009. ReCor, another Sofinnova Partners investment, which is developing an ultrasound renal denervation system to treat high blood pressure, was successfully sold to Otsuka Medical Devices in 2018. Mr. Iyer left Sofinnova in 2013 to work full-time as the Chief Operating Officer of ReCor.
Antoine Papiernik, Chairman and Managing Partner of Sofinnova Partners, said: “We are delighted to have Mano back in the fold at Sofinnova Partners. He is an experienced company builder and a respected figure in the medical device community who has shown an uncanny ability to start successful companies no matter what condition the global economy is in.”
Anne Osdoit, Partner at Sofinnova Partners, said: “Mano joins us as MD Start is really hitting its stride. Several of our companies are maturing exceptionally well and we have a healthy flow of promising disruptive medtech projects. Mano brings a deep understanding of the sector thanks to his experience and network in the US and Europe. He also knows our medtech acceleration model inside out, having pioneered it with ReCor. We are thrilled to be working with him.”
Mr. Iyer said: “Sofinnova has realized something truly impressive in developing a first-class medtech ecosystem based out of Europe. The firm is recognized globally as an influential player in the space and I’m excited and proud to be back.”
Mr. Iyer started his career in medical devices as an engineer at Arrow International. While at Arrow, he met Tim Lenihan. In 2001, he co-founded Contract Medical International (CMI) with Mr. Lenihan, and ran operations and engineering. CMI specialized in the development and custom manufacturing of minimally invasive medical device systems. It was acquired by Heraeus Group in 2020.
After earning an MBA from Stanford, he joined Sofinnova Partners thanks to an introduction from Gerard Hascoët, whom he had also met while at Arrow. The trio (Hascoët, Lenihan, Iyer) joined forces with Antoine Papiernik and, with the backing of Sofinnova Partners, founded MD Start to create and incubate innovative medical device companies. Now in its third iteration, MD Start is fully integrated into the Sofinnova platform of strategies.
About Sofinnova Partners
Sofinnova Partners is a leading European venture capital firm in life sciences, specializing in healthcare and sustainability. Based in Paris, London and Milan, the firm brings together a team of professionals from all over the world with strong scientific, medical and business expertise. Sofinnova Partners is a hands-on company builder across the entire value chain of life sciences investments, from seed to later-stage. The firm actively partners with ambitious entrepreneurs as a lead or cornerstone investor to develop transformative innovations that have the potential to positively impact our collective future.
Founded in 1972, Sofinnova Partners is a deeply established venture capital firm in Europe, with 50 years of experience backing over 500 companies and creating market leaders around the globe. Today, Sofinnova Partners has over €2.5 billion under management. For more information, please visit: sofinnovapartners.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/20230105005045/en/
Contact information
Bommy Lee
Head of Communications
Sofinnova Partners
blee@sofinnovapartners.com
+33 (0) 6 47 71 38 11
North America
RooneyPartners LLC
Kate Barrette
kbarrette@rooneypartners.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
Datroway ® Recommended for Approval in the EU by CHMP as First-Line Treatment for Patients with Metastatic Triple Negative Breast Cancer Who Are Not Candidates for Immunotherapy26.6.2026 14:00:00 EEST | Press release
Datroway® (datopotamab deruxtecan) has been recommended for approval in the European Union (EU) as monotherapy for the first-line treatment of adult patients with unresectable or metastatic triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) who are not candidates for PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitor therapy. Datroway is a specifically engineered TROP2 directed DXd antibody drug conjugate (ADC) discovered by Daiichi Sankyo (TSE: 4568) and being jointly developed and commercialized by Daiichi Sankyo and AstraZeneca (LSE/STO/NYSE: AZN). The Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) based its positive opinion on results from the TROPION-Breast02phase 3 trial, which werepresented at the 2025 European Society for Medical Oncology Congress and published in Annals of Oncology. The recommendation will now be reviewed by the European Commission, which has the authority to grant marketing authorizations for medicines in the EU. In TROPION-Breast02, Datroway demonstrated a
DAYBU ® (trofinetide) Recommended for Approval in the European Union by CHMP26.6.2026 13:49:00 EEST | Press release
Acadia Pharmaceuticals Inc. (Nasdaq: ACAD) today announced that the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) has adopted a positive opinion following a re-examination procedure, recommending the granting of a marketing authorization for DAYBU® (trofinetide) for the treatment of neurobehavioral symptoms of Rett syndrome in adults and pediatric patients aged five years and older. If granted marketing authorization by the European Commission, DAYBU® would be the first therapy approved for this indication in the European Union (EU). “The CHMP’s positive opinion for DAYBU® is an important milestone in our mission to bring this innovative therapy to the EU, where there are no therapies specifically approved for the neurobehavioral symptoms of this devastating condition," said Catherine Owen Adams, Acadia’s Chief Executive Officer. “Our commitment is to make a meaningful difference in the lives of patients, caregivers, and the wider Rett com
HTEC Showcases Lakebase Branching at Databricks’ Data & AI Summit26.6.2026 12:18:00 EEST | Press release
HTEC, the global technology and AI engineering firm headquartered in Silicon Valley, last week showcased how it used Lakebase data branching to enable faster development, safer operations, and new possibilities for data-driven organizations operating in highly regulated environments. The Solution was developed in collaboration with a leading risk and compliance technology provider who serves financial institutions. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260626875859/en/ HTEC, the global technology and AI engineering firm headquartered in Silicon Valley, last week showcased how it used Lakebase data branching to enable faster development, safer operations, and new possibilities for data-driven organizations operating in highly regulated environments. Solving Critical Development Bottlenecks in Regulated Environments At the core of the collaboration was a shared challenge: how to enable modern data workflows in an envi
Stallergenes Greer Named One of Switzerland’s Best Managed Companies for 202626.6.2026 11:28:00 EEST | Press release
Stallergenes Greer, a global leader in allergy care, has been recognised for its overall business performance, company culture, and sustained growth by receiving the prestigious 2026 Switzerland’s Best Managed Companies award. The 2026 Best Managed Companies programme award winners are among Switzerland’s best private companies. The awards are derived from Deloitte’s global Best Managed Companies awards programme, an internationally recognised programme that evaluates businesses based on their leadership in the areas of strategy, culture and commitment, capabilities, innovation, governance and financial performance. Applicants are evaluated by an independent jury of experts. The evaluation of the Switzerland awards is based on more than 30 years of observed practice from the global awards programme that has been rolled out in 50+ countries worldwide. This recognition reflects Stallergenes Greer's consistent ability to deliver on its strategic vision while maintaining the operational di
One in Three Western Consumers Now Buy Products Discovered on Social Platforms as AI Reshapes Commerce, According to NIQ26.6.2026 11:00:00 EEST | Press release
NIQ (NYSE: NIQ), a leading consumer intelligence company, today revealed new analysis presented at The Consumer Goods Forum (CGF) Global Summit showing that nearly one in three consumers in Western markets now purchase products they first discover on social platforms, as artificial intelligence (AI) and emerging commerce models accelerate a shift toward discovery-led commerce. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260626970024/en/ Presented by Emilie Darolles, President, West Europe, NIQ, the findings highlight a fundamental shift in how consumers discover, evaluate, and purchase products—blurring traditional geographic, channel, and operational boundaries. New growth engine: commerce models scaling from East to West NIQ’s latest global insights show that live, social, and quick commerce models—long scaled across Asia—are now a significant driver of incremental digital growth globally, as these formats expand rapidl
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