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
FuzeBox AI Named Founding Co-Author of SPUR Coalition Technical Committee on Verifying AI Content Use5.10.2026 16:00:00 EEST | Press release
FuzeBox AI has been named by the SPUR Coalition, an international nonprofit of 37 news and media organizations, as one of four founding co-authors of its Evidence Profile Technical Committee, adopted Sept. 2, 2026, to draft an evidence profile for SPUR's Content Telemetry standard: a way for publishers to verify AI usage reports without depending on the reporting company's cooperation. Under SPUR's current standard, AI companies self-report their content use. A company that skips reporting leaves no record, and publishers can't check what they do receive. On July 10, 2026, FuzeBox proposed its Verified Provenance Telemetry Standard (VPTS): publishers seed content with detectable markers, then verify their appearance in AI outputs via an auditable ledger, with no change to SPUR's standard. Within 48 hours, three organizations filed related proposals: ProRata on usage magnitude, Encypher CEO Erik Svilich on the verification question FuzeBox raised, and LicenseFoundry on portable proof of
Mary Kay Introduces the K-Beauty Texture Edit5.10.2026 15:02:00 EEST | Press release
Mary Kay Inc.,the iconic beauty giant announced today the launch of the K-Beauty Texture Edit, aspecial-edition skin care collection available while supplies last. The collection builds on the momentum of the company's largest consumer-facing global brand platform, Beauty Is More Beautiful Shared™ which launched in September. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20261005600130/en/ Mary Kay's Special Edition K-Beauty Texture Edit is a trend-forward collection which includes three Korea-made products: the Mary Kay® Melt-In Cleansing Balm, Mary Kay® Snail Gel Face Patches and Mary Kay® Collagen Moisturizing Gel. (Image Credit: Mary Kay Inc.) Inspired by Korea's globally influential skin care and self-care philosophy designed to bring playful textures, innovative ingredients, and elevated beauty experiences, the K-Beauty Texture Editwas designed to resonate with a global cultural beauty movement captivating the next gene
GE HealthCare to Acquire SOFIE Biosciences, Establishing a 'Final Mile' Footprint for PET Radiopharmaceutical Supply in the U.S.5.10.2026 15:00:00 EEST | Press release
GE HealthCare (Nasdaq: GEHC) today announced a definitive agreement to acquire SOFIE Biosciences, a leading U.S.-based CMO for PET radiopharmaceuticals, from Trilantic North America, for a purchase price of $945 million paid in cash. The transaction is expected to close in the first half of 2027, subject to closing conditions, including regulatory approvals, at which time SOFIE Biosciences will become part of GE HealthCare’s PDx segment. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20261005273717/en/ SOFIE Biosciences has 15 CMO sites across the U.S., manufacturing PET radiopharmaceutical products The acquisition of SOFIE Biosciences establishes a footprint for GE HealthCare in the time-critical ‘final mile’ of U.S. PET radiopharmaceutical supply, while also enabling PDx to participate in other high growth areas outside its own product portfolio. With a U.S. network of 15 CMO sites operating 21 cyclotrons, and a theranostics
Henkell Freixenet Strengthens Premium Dealcoholized Sparkling Wine Production with Solos' Patented Aroma Recovery System5.10.2026 14:24:00 EEST | Press release
Henkell Freixenet is expanding its premium dealcoholized sparkling wine production capabilities through the deployment of Solos Technology's patented Aroma Recovery System (ARS) at its Wiesbaden production site, the Group’s expertise centre for alcohol-free production. The installation represents a significant investment in next-generation dealcoholized sparkling wine production, helping preserve the natural aroma and sensory identity of the original wines. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20261005959301/en/ Fürst von Metternich Riesling Alcohol-free on the bottling line, one of the first products in Henkell Freixenet’s portfolio developed in collaboration with Solos Technology. The project combines Henkell Freixenet's longstanding winemaking expertise with Solos' proprietary dealcoholization and patented aroma recovery technology. With 30 years of experience in producing alcohol-free sparkling wines, Henkell Fre
Croma-Pharma Expands Its Portfolio in Canada With saypha ® lips Lidocaine and Exprecell™5.10.2026 14:12:00 EEST | Press release
Croma-Pharma continues to build its portfolio in Canada, adding saypha® lips Lidocaine, a hyaluronic acid filler for lip augmentation,1 and Exprecell™, a medical device for the preparation of autologous PRP | Fluid-PRF.2 Both are distributed by Renellence, Croma's partner in Canada since 2025. The two additions reflect Croma's broader approach: pairing established hyaluronic acid expertise with autologous, regenerative technologies. Together, they give practitioners options across both aesthetic and regenerative treatment categories, from a single trusted source. "With saypha® lips Lidocaine and Exprecell™, we're giving Canadian practitioners a wider set of tools for facial aesthetics and regenerative treatments, each held to the same standard of precision and safety," said Andreas Prinz, Chief Executive Officer of Croma-Pharma GmbH. Renellence has distributed Croma's Saypha® hyaluronic acid filler range in Canada since October 2025, alongside medical education and training for Canadia
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