Cambridge Medical Robotics, which is developing robot-assisted surgery technology, today announced it has secured $20.3 million in a Series A funding. Cambridge Innovation Capital (CIC), a preferred investor for Cambridge Enterprise, is one of the new investors.

Minimal access, or keyhole, surgery delivers acknowledged clinical benefits, including less trauma, reduced scarring, faster recovery times and lower costs for healthcare providers. The techniques, however, are hard to master, the training time is long and the procedure is physically demanding to perform. Robot-assisted surgery can offer all the benefits of manual minimal access surgery while crucially making life easier for  surgeons, extending their careers, and at an affordable cost.

Cambridge Medical Robotics Ltd, is developing a next-generation robotic system for universal minimal access surgery, has announced that it has secured $20.3 million in a Series A funding round from new investors including ABB Technology Ventures (ABB), LGT Global Invest (LGT) and Cambridge Innovation Capital

Following the successful start of clinical cadaveric trials in June 2016, investment proceeds will enable CMR to continue on its path towards becoming a global medical device manufacturer. Specifically, the proceeds will be used to progress development and commercialisation of its medical robotic technology and to expand the team in preparation for regulatory approval.

In association with the financing, CMR has appointed to its Board of Directors, Dr Robert Tansley of CIC, Massimo Muzzi of ABB and Egor Kulkov of existing investor Escala Capital.

CMR is typical of the sort of Cambridge-based innovative business that we seek to support: in its case leveraging its cross-disciplinary networks to revolutionise the area of surgical robotics.

Robert Tansley

Reynir Indahl, the Chairman of CMR, said: “This funding round is a transformative milestone as CMR, with positive results from recent preliminary cadaveric trials, seeks to be among the first to market with a fully versatile, affordable system expanding the range of procedures beyond that which are presently performed robotically.”

Dr Robert Tansley of CIC comments:

“Cambridge is recognised as a world-class cluster for both life sciences and technology. CMR is typical of the sort of Cambridge-based innovative business that we seek to support: in its case leveraging its cross-disciplinary networks to revolutionise the area of surgical robotics. We are very excited to support a next-generation leader in the rapidly expanding field of surgical robotics.”

Commenting on the successful financing, Martin Frost, CEO of CMR, said: “I’m delighted to announce the support and endorsement of these leading international investors. The financing enables us to increase our engagement with our target market and prepare for commercialisation. We welcome the decision of ABB, a global leader in robotics, to cooperate with CMR in areas ranging from component sourcing to manufacturing as we now enter a critical phase in production and commercialisation.”

Girish Nadkarni, President of ABB Technology Ventures, commented: “ABB invests in CMR as the company has what looks to be the next-generation platform for minimal access surgery, a field with an enormous potential given today’s expanding needs in the health care industry. Furthermore, CMR’s technologies can have even wider application as the robotic world moves toward fully versatile, collaborative robotic systems.”