Investor Eye

Sofinnova Partners has played an important role in defining the medtech investment space for the past 50 years, helping bring to market a plethora of life-saving technologies, even when they appear, initially, to be risky.

Each year, Medtech Innovator whittles down a vast number of applicants to a relatively succinct shortlist of companies. Paul Grand, Medtech Innovator’s CEO, spoke to Medtech Insight about this process, as well as some of the broader trends impacting investment in medtech.

When a large medtech company sets up a venture fund, it typically invests in technologies that are adjacent to its pre-existing portfolio. Intuitive Surgical’s approach is different.

Keeping a firm grip on one’s IP is a cornerstone of most innovative businesses. However, Robert Cote, CEO of Cote Capital, believes that if the idea is good enough to keep close, it’s good enough to license out.

Times may look bleak for medtech investment. Public markets are down and VC is shyer than ever about spending money. Medtech Insight spoke to Antoine Papiernik of Sofinnova Partners to learn more about the path forward.

In this new series titled Getting Personal, we talk to new and veteran executives about the trials and tribulations in running a company while exploring their own motivations and passions. In this first edition, we talk to Sidney Collin, co-founder and CEO of De Oro Devices. Collin invented NexStride, a portable device to help overcome freezing of gait in Parkinson’s disease patients, while studying biomedical engineering at the California Polytechnic State University in 2018. 

Medtech Insight interviewed the CEO of Ceros Financial Services and its investment banking division, Ceros Capital Markets, about the firm’s considerations for funding early-stage medtechs, and outlook for medtech fundraising, in this uncertain economic climate.

A panel of investors and leaders in healtech expects investment in health tech to decline, but still foresees opportunities for companies working on solutions that will transform overall health care such as AI, ML, mental health and health equity.

Quanta CEO John Milad outlines the transitional stage where a company begins to seek large-scale funding for the first time, and debates market valuations.

Juno Capital partner Edward Rudd believes that investing in medtech offers not only a long-term strategy for allocating capital, but an altruistic relief for investors.

Unmet needs are at the core of Endeavour Vision’s investment strategy, accepting that payment models may need to change as patients become more directly involved in device development.

Novalis Biotech employs early targeted investments to produce returns, focusing on enabling technologies and risky ventures in diagnostics and digital health.

In an interview with Medtech Insight, Octopus Ventures partner Pooja Sikka explained the approach Octopus takes to investments, and the key challenges the fund wants to address.

RYSE head tells Medtech Insight about his firm’s shift to investing in virtual primary care and telemedicine.

In this edition of Investor Eye, Medtech Insight spoke to Kyp Sirinakis, managing partner at Epidarex Capital, a transatlantic fund investing in emerging life science hubs in the US and UK. The firm recently launched a new UK fund, Epidarex Capital III, for innovative UK start-ups.

Sergey Young is on a mission to "extend healthy lifespans" by investing in longevity breakthroughs. Last year, the venture capitalist established a $100m fund investing in technologies with the potential to improve healthy long living.

In this edition of Investor Eye, Medtech Insight meets with Howard Rowe, managing director and head of health care at Hayfin Capital Management, a $17bn international asset management firm headquartered in London.

Israeli healthtech fund Accelmed is seizing the opportunity to implement a medtech-investment strategy that is delivering big returns. In this Medtech Insight feature, Irit Yaniv, partner at Israeli VC Accelmed, discusses changing trends in the medtech VC industry and the hot new areas of medical technology coming out of Israel.