Sofinnova Partners Launches New Medtech Fund to Drive Innovation
Sofinnova Partners, a prominent venture capital firm, has announced the successful closing of its latest medtech fund, MD Start IV, with a total of €82 million. This fund, which received substantial investor interest, aims to launch six to eight new medtech companies in Europe and the United States over the next five years.
The firm has a unique approach compared to many investors who typically wait for entrepreneurs to pitch their ideas. Instead, the Sofinnova team often takes the initiative in creating these companies themselves. The new fund will provide support from the earliest stages, helping startups navigate key clinical and operational challenges with both capital and hands-on assistance. MD Start IV is about 30% larger than its predecessor, MD Start III, which closed at €63 million in July 2021. Companies from the previous fund have already attracted over €140 million in additional funding, exceeding the size of the fund itself.
Antoine Papiernik, chairman and managing partner at Sofinnova Partners, emphasized, “Sofinnova MD Start is one of the few strategies in Europe focused on building medtech companies from the ground up. Our team is actively involved in supporting each company right from the start. This new fund enables us to expand this approach across the life sciences sector.”
The partners at Sofinnova often play significant roles in the companies they help create. For example, Cécile Dupont serves as the CEO and co-founder of BrightHeart, a company that recently secured €11 million in Series A funding for its artificial intelligence technology used in prenatal heart ultrasounds. Meanwhile, Anne Osdoit is the CEO of Moon Surgical, which raised $55.4 million in a recent funding round co-led by Sofinnova and Nvidia’s venture arm.
The MD Start portfolio includes successful companies such as LimFlow, acquired for up to $415 million by Inari Medical, and PreCARDIA, which was bought by Abiomed. Additionally, CorWave has raised over €100 million so far.
Osdoit expressed gratitude for the continued support from their investors, stating, “We appreciate the trust from our partners, which showcases confidence in our hands-on approach to developing companies. With MD Start IV, we are eager to collaborate with engineers, clinicians, and scientists to bring innovative medical technologies from the lab to the clinic.”
The closing of MD Start IV comes at a time when European life science funds are expanding. Other firms, although employing different strategies, are also seeing success with larger fundraises. Jeito Capital recently closed its second fund at €1 billion, while Kurma Partners and Lauxera Capital Partners also achieved significant targets for their respective funds.
To date, Sofinnova has successfully closed three funds in a single year. This includes Biovelocita II at €165 million and Capital XI at €650 million. Overall, the firm now manages over €4 billion in assets.
The success of MD Start III illustrates the potential for its successor, MD Start IV, to replicate or surpass this success in a rapidly evolving market.
