Robotics + Heart Valve Startup, Capstan Medical Raises $31.4M

What You Should Know: 

• Today, Santa Cruz-based Capstan Medical, a developer of minimally invasive technology to address heart valve disease, announced $31.4M Series B investment round led by Eclipse.
• The Series B round included participation from  Intuitive Ventures and Puma Venture Capital, a new firm founded by Amit Hazan, a veteran Wall Street medical technology analyst, and Dr. Vipul Patel, a renowned robotic surgeon who has performed more robotic procedures than any other surgeon worldwide.   

New Standard of Heart Valve Treatment

Heart disease continues to be a leading cause of death in the U.S., claiming the lives of nearly 700,000 Americans each year. While many cardiovascular treatments have improved and become less invasive, traditional heart valve surgery remains highly invasive and is associated with lengthy recovery times.  Given the risks associated with open heart surgeries, many patients delay treatment, unwittingly increasing their health risks as well as the chances they may be too weak later on for open heart surgery. 

Founded in 2020, Capstan Medical is developing a suite of next-generation heart valve implants and a first of its kind catheter-based robotic delivery platform. By merging surgical robotics with catheter-based technology and next generation implants, the company has pioneered a patient-optimized approach to repair and replace heart valves. 

Less Invasive Alternative to Open Heart Surgery

Catheter-based treatment enables heart valve disease to be addressed with a small incision in the groin, without stopping the heart or opening the chest as required in open heart surgery. This technique speeds recovery from months to weeks and is likely tolerable for even the sickest of patients. Yet, there are no commercially available catheter-based mitral and tricuspid valve replacement options on the market today — less than 2% of the more than 5 million eligible patients are currently receiving treatment — leaving a rapidly growing patient population with few options to treat their valve disease before it is too late.

Capstan’s platform offers a significantly less invasive alternative to traditional open heart surgery while ensuring a precise and reliable placement of the heart valve implant. With these advancements, we may be able to provide patients a solution to their heart valve disease while significantly reducing recovery time and minimizing the risk of complications

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